I was diagnosed with a brain tumour nearly a year ago. I went from a guy in his late 20s, weighing 80kg and able to squat 120kg, to weighing about 90kg (0% of which is muscle). I now can't do a single bodyweight squat without assistance from a Physiotherapist. All of this happened within 2 months. Being in hospital and taking corticosteroids removed every ounce of muscle I had and replaced it with fat. Once I stopped the steroids I totally lost my appetite. I now weigh about 60kg. I have been strongly advised against ANY anaerobic exercise by my doctors. But I still watch every single one of Jeff's videos, because when I am able to get back to the gym - I want to be ready. Thanks Jeff! You're keeping me going through these tough times 💪💪💪
I’m angry when I have to take a week off because I pulled something - I am so sorry you are going through that after all of your hard work! You’re going to get back to that one day and be so incredibly impressed with your mind and body though ❤️
For most naturals, the "sweet spot" seems to be around 12 - 15% body fat. It provides a balance between aesthetics, strength levels, and lifestyle sustainability. While some might be able to comfortably stay around 10% body fat, it's definitely not the norm. Great video as always!
Getting shredded isn’t quite as glamorous as it seems. It can take the passion out of training, when goes from an hour a day of lifting, to a 24/7 focus on diet, typically resulting in poor training sessions too.
I'm a woman and I've learned that staying extremely lean not only is something I do not enjoy aesthetics-wise, but it's also not fun. I want to be able to progress with my lifts and enjoy life, food included (cause, who doesn't love food???). I'm so glad I finally got to this mindset because it's miserable otherwise.
No shit, it's not fun? LOL ask all the men that are expected to look like that because the male beauty standard tell them to do so since we can think? The point of you being able to say f it, i'm me and i do what i like and not what is expected of me is good for you but many can't.
@@iAmNothingness Unless you are a model, you don't have to look like a model. You're not expected look more than normal, half of people look worse than 'average.' If you're of a healthy BMI in America (or likewise first world countries) you're already ahead. If you're FIT, you're ridiculously ahead.
OMG! I am astonished to hear that body dysmorphia is exacerbated at very low body fats!!! I am 35, now at 13,9%, no period for months, and I know with my brain that I am very lean, but it only makes me want to push harder and yes, I am even more critical about my body now. I also developed raynaud's syndrome. wow, what a great video!
Hi, as a woman we look best between 20-25% body fat. Annabelle Hayes on UA-cam is a good example of that range. We need more fat because of our hormones, periods, etc. Have you looked up some of Greg Ducette's body fat videos yet? He explains it well and in a funny way, plus how to get there. Hope some of this helps!!!
i just watched a video on how severe raynaud's disease can be and it's awful! i hope get through with it and under 14% bodyfat for a woman is very low.No judging but i know women in my family that experience problmes being that lean! Wishing the best!
@@navehhall73 Annabelle Hayes is not an attractive woman. Fit, sure, but not attractive. She needs more fat, more curves. Also less tattoos and piercings, but that's another point.
Biggest downside to getting lean for me? I feel the cold waaaaay more, not just in winter, but also swimming in the sea in summer. Maybe it's not an issue if you live somewhere hot, but I live in Finland. When I was fat, I was sooo much warmer.
The body dysmorphia at lower body fat blew my mind. I didn't know everyone experienced that. It's so sad to not appreciate where we are and celebrate our hard work only to later wish we were at that level. So many years lost..glad I know now though. Thanks Jeff. Your teaching is so appreciated!
Yeah I definitely experienced this. I went from 95kg overweight down to 65kg shredded and when I got there all I could focus on was the tiniest bit of loose skin at the bottom of my stomach. It's much healthier just eating a balanced diet and actually enjoying life.
I felt good at the lowest that I was, but when I stopped I was constantly looking back. Now that I've gained a bit more weight back, I can see that there wasn't that much difference when I was 7lbs heavier, but I was constantly feeling like I had lost all of my progress.
Oh yeah, I can totally see it. At one point in my life I was 500 lbs and then lost 300. At the 200 lb mark I was actually pretty shredded but still had loose skin and the only thing I cared about was the loose skin despite everyone saying I looked amazing. I am now back at 270 and no longer only see my flaws - but yeah, it's really weird how the "better" you look, the worse you see yourself.
in my opinion being in the 15-20% bodyfat range is much more enjoyable than being shredded. Looking huge in tshirts, being stronger, and having a relaxed diet is much more fun to me than starving myself just to have more definition
I think being shredded is tied to social media. If no one is there to see you shredded look, who cares ? The problem is the need to constantly share for approval. The only approval that matters is you the individual, what makes you happy. Who cares what randoms on the internet thinks ? Of course if it’s tied to your income then that’s another rabbit hole.
I will never forget the hunger that came with getting shredded for me. I don't know how low % I was because I wasn't trying to compete but I could see the striations in my ass at about 170lbs. I only maintained that level of shred for about a month but it was a huge achievement for me, going from 300+ lbs and obese to shredded. The constant ravenous hunger was horrible and I doubt I'll ever push myself that far again.
Nice bro i did the same thing!! 310-178. I’m about 220 right now the 178 was 3 years ago, 310 5. And yeah it kept it for about 2 Weeks lol. When i hit 178 it was my birthday the following week and then i had a vacation
true, as I progressed during my excercises I noticed my hunger levels rising slowly, to the point that I was eating far more than what I ate when i was obese, its like I was always hungry no matter how much I ate.
Haven't gotten into shredding, but i ate nothing for 4 days once as a fast, and i could literally smell food across me like it's next to me, couldn't sleep very well also cause my stomach just kept asking for food
This video gives a fantastic overview of how body dysmorphia can override any weight/fat loss beyond a point. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder in the past, and has had a few lapses back into that mindset, I can concur 100% with this. The times I have ostensibly looked the most 'model-like', I have felt the most emotionless, empty and unsatisfied, and suffered side-effects such as irregular periods, dry skin, more hair loss, etc. It's just not sustainable. Don't change because you want to look a certain way, do it because it makes you feel good, physically and mentally. If you no longer feel that, it's not worth it.
I know how you feel, I had the same issues. I had no idea that body dysmorphia is exacerbated at lower body fat levels, I thought that was just me. My period completely disappeared, I couldn't sleep well and I had constant anxiety. It's not worth it.
Dude, as someone who is not at all in any fitness or bodybuilding community and just kinda tries to stay generally healthy I gotta say Jeff Nippard videos are really nice to watch. They're honest, seemingly well researched and empathetic. I also like that he isn't afraid of a somewhat intellectual appearance.
Only in America would your last sentence even be necessary. I've traveled to 35 countries and lived in 5, and only in America is intelligence and intellectualism looked down on as "uncool" or less masculine
“Challenging to all consuming” hits hard. For me it came to a point where I actually didn’t feel like cravings or hunger after like 4 months of extreme cutting and became obsessed for looks. Lifting became EXPONENTIALLY harder and I actually got low heart rate and depression. I definitely took an extreme and uneducated approach.
Same. I was duped by Hollywood actors and Instagram influences saying "just work hard and buy my BCAA's and you can get to 200lbs with 4% body fat in 6 months just like me!"
@@lj6595 going at it slowly. Lots of people are glossing over the fact that the negatives from cutting are due to jumping into that fat percent range. If you gradually lower and keep lifting, you should be able to train your body to adjust.
I got to about 7% body fat through intermittent fasting and keto. I was constantly hungry anxious and couldn’t sleep for more than four or five hours. But I did have a six pack 😂
@@jdubb4589 yeah it’s hard to maintain if your not naturally lean. I’m closer to 15% now. But a heck of a lot happier and being able to sleep for 8-9 hours is very nice…
I think there needs to be more talks about body dysmorphia. Some even glorify it and I find it disturbing. When I did my first bodybuilding show (going from 190lbs to 145 lbs). The whole time, everyone kept complimenting how good I looked but I kept thinking about how "fat" I was and not shredded enough. Looking back now, I wish I could've taken more pictures, and live in the moment with friends and family.
That’s really interesting to me about how you said body dysmorphia is exacerbated the leaner you get. I’m not someone who’s very critical of my weight since I’ve been thin my whole life but during 2020-2021 during the pandemic I was exercising more than ever because I had so much free time. I was at my skinniest. And I was not happy at all. I would scrutinize my body so much. Now I’ve gained back 10-15 pounds and I’m so much happier and I think I look better. And I’m a female. I’m 5’6 and I was 120 pounds at my skinniest. Now I’m between 130-135 and I like that better.
A lot of people don't realise how gaunt and ill they often look at low body fat percentages too. It's important to find the spot that makes you happy, even if it's not what society says should make you happy.
@@adeobrien4266 I feel happiness isn't too important since it's ridiculous levels of hunger that stop me. Also the other negative effects mentioned all mount up over time. It's not practical to aim at the bodybuilder 5%. Real people are happy at 10-12% if they can get there.
Not a bodybuilder myself, but even us washed up power guys like to look good... "shredded" is not even on my radar. I feel for you guys going through what you do to get to that level. I'll be happy if I have the outlines of a 6 pack. Always lost strength trying to get more cut. I wanna be big and strong and not have a beer gut.... goals at 62
Great information. It all sounds very logical and while there are some people who compete and need to stay shredded at a very low BMI, I do agree with the theory of staying in that middle range of your own BMI numbers to live a more healthy and vibrant life. Your delivery of the information in all your videos is very clean and concise. Keep up the fine work that you are doing.
Fascinating video! I really agree with your harsh reality No. 1 - you look really small in clothes. I dieted down a few years ago and got quite lean, and I thought I was looking really good until I saw a photo of myself and realized I just looked emaciated/sick/ill - just like that guy in the photo (I never looked like him in the photo on the left though). It was a real wake-up and I started eating normally again after that. Another side effect/"harsh reality" I discovered was that getting lean really shows in your face. I had people coming up to me, asking me "Are you okay?" and some people were even concerned that I had some serious condition. I was like "No, I'm fine, I'm just dieting, honestly!" but it was weird because I felt fantastic, and thought I'd be getting all these compliments, but I'd obviously taken things too far. It was only after I stopped dieting that I read an article about this problem - it's called "diet face" and most women seem to encounter it (and are aware of it) in a way that most guys aren't.
I think he does. There's not much to be said/resaid. Other influencers jusr regurgitate the same stuff. I trust Jeff to release stuff only when necessary
Great talk. It seems to be a thing that once you step over certain point, it becomes an obsession and perhaps for the goal more than the looks. Although it seems like some people just as well start thinking that nothing is enough and they need to be in stage shape all the time. Training and having slightly lower bodyfat is often a great mental change like you said, as long as it stays there. At least for me I noticed that just getting a bit more muscular and even gaining fat slightly and looking bigger made me forget looking in the mirror with the question "do I look good and should I look different", it changed to "do I see progress that correlates with my strength and skill goals as well as with my health goals". It was a great moment when I reached that point in training where I had visibly changed for better and had a confidence boost that stopped the questions "am I enough physically" and directed my attention to more meaningful goals. Lucky for me I also never found the modern bodybuilding stage shape aesthetic. Yes you get to see every detail of the muscles, and that's probably important for many of them, but in my eyes you need to be really into the muscles to care that much about it. The time of Arnold is still the best time for me, he didn't look like someone had kidnapped him and kept him in a cage, he looked like a healthy, strong and muscular man. Just a little bit of fat just makes the shapes look better. That made me switch the training perspective from bodybuilding to strenght and sports/skill goals and have hypertrophy training mostly for those goals and fixing imbalances. Olympic weightlifting and judo particularly made me realize that the body is a vehicle and tool and for some things less muscle volume is more functional (like not that big pecs for olympic weightlifting, and on the other hand many judokas having huge midbody). That when you get between some margins and health goals, the details of it aren't that important and you can sacrifice some of the aesthetics for the functionality towards your goals.
People like you telling the truth to the rest of us are doing a good thing. I had no idea just how unhealthy that lifestyle is until I saw videos like this.
Jeff thank you for talking on both sides of the equation here! I did my first men's physique contest in June of 2020. I started at 237lbs and cut down to 157lbs on stage (I'm 5'11" according to NPC). As a first time competitor and natural I suffered many of the side effects. Testosterone dropped to 30ng/dl that's right, THIRTY.. I couldn't sleep at all, and I was worried about every single little calorie or slice of fat I could find on my body. I was proud to say I stayed tough enough to step on stage but I don't recommend it for everyone. Much love from East Tennessee🙏🏼
Love that you mentioned how different people might have a different "comfortable zone". When I was around 23 years old I got into fitness and wanted to get lean. Bought a smart scale and weighed myself almost every day to track my progress. Did a lot of kettlebell work, lots of walking and running. After some time I saw what to me was the magic number 8.9% body fat.(starting point was 17%) but I was not happy. My emotions turned kind of dull, I lost my sex drive and couldn't even "get it up" if I wanted to. After my body fat returned to around 9.3% it was all back to normal again
Bro, IN THIS CASE, I honestly doubt it was the 0.4% on your body fat that made you feel that better. It's a small body fat difference, almost impossible to make such a big difference on your well-being and health. It was probably the fact that you simply stopped starving (prolonged caloric deficit) and started eating above your basic needs (caloric surplus for a period of time). Then your body started to have enough calories to reestabilize its metabolism, recovery, hormones balance, etc.
Just got done with a natural competition, and man. The cravings actually made me bulimic and it was real hard to wake up and work, especially peak week. I think a less extreme diet over a long period of time could be better to combat this issue
i just finish a 3 months fat loss and i took a 2.5 months for maintenance that body fat, around 5 to 8....it was the second time i did this, just for myself. ( 22 yrs of training) and am 39, with a physical job. this time, we did a 5 days below my maintenance and 2 days higher in carbs. but am a freak, so i took 1 day at 2500 cal and 6 days at 1700 for 5 months. this methot was a lot more easier (kind of carbs cycling) i did not have craving or shit like this. but i must start the reverse diet this week because, man, i feel like shit since 2 months. i look good on the beach but so what hahaha. i feel tired all the time, but the pump si so great in the gym. you should ask your coach about this methot. it is easier than start with higher calorie and just get down slowly with the time. keep going buddy
Two months in, trying to lose fat and gain muscle. It’s beneficial to my life but I can tell I’m getting obsessive. Thanks for posting this. As someone with anxiety issues, I’m relaxing on my goals
Losing fat and gaining muscle is hard to achieve at the same time. Pick one then focus on the other. I was 180 lbs went down to 150 on diet and lost a lot of muscle. Afterwards, I focus on muscle and gaining bit of weight. You got this! Don't lose hope and realize that weight lose and muscle gains are a marathon not a sprint.
The body dysmorphia is so true. I felt that for a few months. I was at 18.9% body fat when I started to see a nutricionist to fix my eating habits. Now I'm at 14-15%. Even at this limit I got scared when eating chocolate, chips when I felt like it. So afraid of ruining the physique I was building. You can get really paranoid when losing a considerable amount of fat and start to see your muscle lines, specially in the abs
Yea I eat clean and pretty healthy full of greens no candy junk food and not much soda I say I’m around 19-17% bodyfat I’m trying to get abs and although my diet and training is great I’m worried I don’t have great genetics to truly get me there trying to lose belly fat is tough but I’m gonna keep trying and see where I’m at in a year I’m also afraid of losing the physique I have now I’ve worked really hard for it so far
Jeff's presentation style is so engaging. I started to watch his videos without looking at the screen along with many other influencers' videos and his tempo and voice is absolutely the best!
I just started dieting for the first time. I'd say I'm just shy of 20% body fat, and this was really helpful in assessing my goals. I feel like, after watching you and Dr. Mike, trying to get to and maintain 15% is a reasonable and achievable goal for me.
Man I went through such an extreme cut a couple years ago and experienced everything you laid out in this video. It was so tough that really turned me off of training and nutrition for a while. Wish I had seen this video before I pushed myself that hard! Great content as always!
Cool video - The triangle was a great visual. When my wife & I had our 1st baby (I was 22) I got shredded by a brisk 2 mile walk to the bus stop every morning. Seriously after 3 months one day I noticed I had so little body fat I could not be pinched anywhere. But then I got promoted & could afford a 2nd car & no longed walked & soon lost the shred & had 4 more kids.
Thank you so much for making this video! I joined a womens bodybuilding group on Facebook, not to be a body builder, but just to learn how to excercise properly and avoid injuries (I'm 52). But I saw so many beautiful ladies just trying to get more ripped, and leaner and leaner, while getting bigger and bigger. Your video is a gentle reminder that every person is an individual and not some IDEAL. We could easily trade good health for an ideal, and that's certainly not the way we should be going. Good health is always number one! Thanks so much!
0:51 does it for me. It's nice to imagine myself shirtless and pumped while super lean, but most of the time I am not participating in a photo shoot... Also interesting to learn that beyond a certain point body dysmorphia tends to 'flourish'.
This was so interesting. I guess i always thought people could reach those three points with enough training, patience and dedication (big, shredded, natural). I didn't realize it could be so unhealthy
@@whittenaw jeff is a good start and anyone who is transparent with their usage. Don't listen to most instagram models as they either photoshop, are on shit or straight up lying to get you to either buy their program or hire them as a coach. Everything you need to know is free and available out there and its as simple as showing up to the gym to train, eat a diet that you like and can stick too that helps you to lose weight, gain strength etc etc. Its as simple as that, no gimmicks or anything :/.
@@ricklonhutchinson1498 i don't actually know who mike o tren is. Your advice is solid. This was my first time seeing this channel so at first i thought you were talking about this channel before i went back to look at the name. I mostly do those things (I'm pregnant so have slowed down a little) but i think society gives us the impression that the triangle is achievable without drugs because everyone acts like weight lifting competitions are clean (in my naivety, i thought they had to be because of the drug tests). It's important to me especially these days so that i know how to talk to my future son about societal expectations in a real and knowledgeable way
@@whittenaw Mike O Tren is a joke on the name Mike O Hern. Mike O Hern claims to be a life time natty but he is big and shredded and 1000% not natural. Tren is a shorten name for a very powerful steroid with nasty side effects. So I call him Mike O Tren lol. Genetic Freaks that can be big, shredded and natural are exceedingly rare and probably don't know they are genetic freaks due to being born in poor countries or generally unfavorable conditions and must struggle to survive. Not to say that there aren't any on social media or in the limelight or to take away from anyone's hard work and dedication. Everyone wants to be that special coveted "Genetic Freak" so if you add a lil bit of that drug here, a bit there and lie about the whole thing you can fly under the radar and sell supplements or programs. Most natural drug tested competitions are very lax and the only want I really Trust is WADA( gold standard) . If you're WADA tested and breaking records( olympics), you are a Genetic Freak in my eyes. Also you would notice that some of the freakiest natural athletes are from some of the poorest countries lol, literal survival of the fittest. This is due to the fact that tough conditions giving rise to the strongest genetic combination needed to survive those conditions...... so when I see someone on social media in a 1st world country prancing around claiming to be natty while big and shredded but don't compete in any WADA Drug tested sport..... I give em the side eye >.>
The dual set point theory would explain why I was miserable and lost my period at a level of leanness that didn’t seem even close to basically any female fitness influencers.
Brilliant, balanced, and objective. Love it, Jeff! I've been walking around 9-10% BF by DEXA for years and can no longer tell if the slightly disturbed sleep, low-normal testosterone, and near constant mild-hunger are normal or caused by BF% that is below my comfort zone. I suppose trial and error would be the only way to find out is to see if I feel better at a higher BF%.
As someone naturally very skinny I sat around the 6-10% (measured via hydrostatic weighing) mark for years building up almost 20lbs of muscle. Went from 135lbs to about 155lbs+ at 6'. I honestly think slightly higher percentages look better. I love the concept of a range that your body tries to maintain because I could never really explain to people why I was so naturally lean. Pro: I can't get fat. Con: bulking is painful with the calorie requirements for my body.
@@Nostalgiaforinfi stop it, At least he is no longer 135 lbs Which is basically extremely skinny , I'm kinda the other way around maybe some more muscle then him but my body fat % is above 25 percent is also unhealthy I'm around 225 lbs at 5"9 .For the amount of muscle I have I should be like 170 pounds.
Man you really put my own fears into perspective lol. I got sub 9% last year for fun and I remember at the time thinking I was "fat" at certain points... I now look at those pics and am shocked how lean I was. That under 10% intensified body dysmorphia is real. Was focused on the most minuscule and negligible fat gains
"for fun" holyyyyyy moly dude, I can't even imagine how I would be able to do that with fun. Best of luck on your journey. I find that "for fun" mindset admirable.
@@oryxthemad lol maybe "fun" is a bad descriptor. You do feel super human at times from being so vascular which motivates you more...but then you're dreaming of cheat meals like a junkie 😄
I found this to be super helpful as I can often struggle with the thought that I need to obtain the "ideal physique" as represented in social media. It's very helpful to know what actually happens when someone tries to maintain single digit body fat percentage and how miserable that sounds. I also appreciated the body fat range. It's helpful to know that my body is most comfortable in a given range and it is feasible for me to maintain the lower part of that and I can still look good at that point. Thanks, as always, Jeff for another great contribution to the fitness community. Much love my friend.
Definitely relatable. Back when I did personal training and had some clients who wanted to hit the stage, of course I had to find out what it takes to get stage ready on my own body. That was the most unstable and depressive period of my life and I'll never go below 6% again. Eating every few hours, random cramps, always tired because sleep is now just naps of up to a few hours, even hallucinating at times.. Happiness went to the bottom in exchange for veins on places that are usually covered by clothes.
Pretty impressive for a natty to hit 5.7% and remain muscular especially the ones with great genetics. I couldn’t imagine that. When I was at 10-9% I really didn’t like it low energy, low volume at the gym. Much more comfortable at 13-15%
Great video. It is so true that for most of us, being large, shredded and natural is almost impossible to achieve. I'm a smaller frame and I can be either 72kg and rather muscular defined or 80kg and loose so much definition. No matter how I change my diet and training
Excellent video and very important information. Im quite sure some of these symptoms are synonymous with the condition “RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or “Hypothalamic Amenorrhea”. I’ve definitely experienced allure towards dog treats…although in my defence, they were made of strictly salmon skin, which I enjoy greatly! It’d be helpful to note the effects such as impaired brain functioning, aka “brain fog” as well.
I think this happened to me… then i crashed my bike and got injured. Now i just care about health, longevity, and injury prevention. I feel incredible and still have abs. If you focus on health and not looks it helps that mindframe.
I've always found libido to be a pretty accurate gauge of my health. Poor sleep, overtraining, stress, extremely low body fat, too much body fat, poor nutrition will all negatively affect libido.
Thank you for your videos. I love how scientific you are. And I love how you talk about how important genetics are to fitness. And talking about body dismorphia. Trying to have these conversations with people who have great genetics can be exhausting. Because they will tell you it's 100% hard work and genetics have zero effect. 🤦🏾♂️
FINALLY!!! A video that ACTUALLY tells the truth on the reality’s of competitions, getting lean ripped etc. I hope this helps educate as many people as possible. Thank you for your hard work and epic video’s.
I am trying to show off being shredded right now so I walk home from work shirtless. I also carry a basketball because my anxiety about what to do with my hands is amplified when shirtless. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
This is one of the better fitness videos I've seen in months. All too often do I set goals, reach them and look at what's missing as opposed to what's been achieved. Great stuff here!!!
I love that you bring up the dual intervention point model. It greatly explained why bulking is so hard for me. Im currently bulking and have gained some fat. Its not much at all and still have visible abs, but my body handles that little extra fat so poorly. Now i sweat a lot more, and sometimes its super annoying. Often when im at work (especially if I've just eaten) I start sweating from basic tasks that really should make you sweat, and it sucks because I work at a hospital and im wearing scrubs. My back can easily get sweaty and its really visible when wearing scrubs. I end up changing 3-4 times per shift. Positive thing for me though is that cutting is easy for me.
THANK YOU for discussing this!! As a graduate in Exercise & Wellness, it was, and is, critical to remember that being fit or shredded isn't sustainable, let alone truly fulfilling and enjoyable. Quite literally, it eats you up from the inside out. And it isn't just limited to professional athletics or big gigs in entertainment or popular media. This bleeds into daily life in defining what is "healthy." Too often, we see the oversimplistic association of "lean & shredded" = "fit" = "healthy" = "moral." This leads many towards drastic and abnormal behaviors and lifestyles, including eating and exercise disorders. I was no exception. While in my major, I became more and more obsessive in adopting more healthy, "cleaner" behaviors and dietary habits. It started out innocent enough, but once I let it get into my head that it was not enough, I became orthorexic and bulimic. Now, I cannot see myself going into the fitness industry without risking losing it again. As long as one is taught properly and has access to the necessary tools, a broader healthy lifestyle is atainable and sustainable WITHOUT needing to slaughter yourself in the process. It ultimately boils down to what you want in your lifestyle and health.
Interesting stuff for sure, and nice to see more of this sort of content. A few years back I must've been at like 6% bodyfat but it wasn't really sustainable - gym every day, pretty much not eating any carbs, hungry like all the time, way more prone to binging... Plus any 'break' in routine - holidays, etc - would derail things, and it gets far too easy to become obessive While I do kinda miss being that lean, I have a more moderate and sustainable routine now and as a huge foodie (and lover of things like cheese, peanut butter, an occasional drink...), being a little less restrictive is so much nicer. Currently aiming on getting a little leaner again (probably around 12% right now, I'd like to get back to 9-10-ish) but trying to do it without falling back into anything excessive
Best video I’ve ever seen explaining this! As a woman who got shredded all on my own just to hit some sort of ‘body goal’ I can relate to all of this. Thank you for making this video!
Great video, Jeff, in my opinion, as dancer who is training to compete in competitive sport dance. I did a lot of research on body building and shredding to see how healthy it really is to be between 3% to 5% BMI. The results frightened me, including listening to all of the documentaries from pro's in the industry who have all stated how extremely, unhealthy it is to be at 3% to 5% body fat, even for a short period of time. While, I have nothing against the bodybuilding industry; I was alarmed to find out that both over the counter and pharmaceutical grade steroids use on average is high. Including, the starvation diet that competitors go on, in order to become shredded before a competition. Including, the negative phycological conditioning and their after-competition binge sessions, which often leads to body dysmorphia issues. Especially for women looking to compete who are often subjected to negative phycological grooming, on the part of their coaches; in order to shred their bodies down to a 3% BMI. Coaches who control their female competitors every move, don't give them a choice of which costume to wear for competitions. Including, putting them through brutal workouts seven days per week, without even allowing their muscles and tendons time to recuperate and rest. Including, female competitors not being treated with respect by male attendees, male judges, male staff and other male competitors. Several former female physique competitors have come forward in documentaries talking about the dark side of this industry. Including what was required of them, by higher ups in the industry to receive their pro cards and due to this research, I decided that physique competitions aren't for me. As a dancer training for competitive dance competitions. I have the choice of which costumes; I want to wear in competitions. Including, determining my intensive workout, weight training schedules, including healthy dietary requirements. Not to mention finding a coach who won't continue to push me, if my muscles and tendons need a day to recuperate. In competitive sport dance, if a competitor is underweight to the point that it impacts their performance negatively. Often their coach won't allow them to continue to dance, until they are at a level where they are healthy and able to continue without their performance being negatively impacted. Coaches won't allow their competitors to compete with injuries, nor will the competitions allow a competitor to endanger themselves, by starving themselves to the point of emaciation; in order to compete in a competition. Including, not being allowed to compete in competitions with injuries, competitors in sport dance competitions are judged on their ability to successfully complete pre-choreographed routines, at a competitive level against other competitors of similar skills or higher skills. Competitive dance sport has a zero-tolerance policy on harassment of competitors, attendees, judges and staff. Anyone caught doing so to judges, staff, and attendees. Including competitors are immediately asked to leave by security and not allowed back into the competitions. Any staff caught doing so, is immediately fired and escorted from the building by security. Due to competitive sport dance having a reputation to maintain, including being family friendly and not wanting to incur lawsuits. Steroid use, including performance enhancing drugs are banned from sport dance competitions, competitors caught doing so are blackballed from competitive sport dance competitions. Coaches will refuse to train any competitor who is using performance enhancing drugs to develop their muscle mass to significant proportions. Because dancers need lean muscles to compete in competitions with. The dance world as a whole, strongly discourages dancers from ever using performance enhancing drugs and frowns on any competitor using them. As a dancer, I'm required to be at my right weight of 120 pounds and have 20% body fat and not allowed to fall significantly below my ideal weight and BMI target.
This is a great video and as someone who was fit in his 20s and now looking at reclaiming fitness, something dawned on me. There is no (or very little) good content out there about being peak FIT as opposed to shredded, jacked, etc. I am now interested in being the fittest I've ever been as opposed to "ripped". Thanks for the fantastic video. Got a sub for this one.
We need more of these videos, enough pretending, being shredded is not sustainable nor should we consider it to be the model standard. Let's all stay happy within a reasonable body fat % and live life. It's not worth having 8% body fat if you have to suffer 23 hours a day.
I will tell you that lower bodyfat is sustainable if you run and eat vegetables. You can't do it because you weight lift, but swimmers and runners and calisthenics athletes do stay 10-12% year round. Add vegetables and you will hit your genetic limit. Your bad diet and exercise choices for you to be more fat than you could be. Vegetables plus running will enable you to hit the lowest body fat your genes will allow.
@@vladpalets Suffer more. What makes you think no pain no gain is a slogan for no reason? Sixpack is vital for a man if he is poor by female standards. But to be honest I like vegetables! I like running. Calisthenics can be brutal but enjoyable to show off too! No one enjoys weight lifting no one!
@@Ricardo-ur5os 50 million runners in USA. 60% of people cancelled their gym membership. Nothing enjoyable about lifting weights for anyone. A study commissioned by Kettler sampled 2,000 participants and 50 per cent said they only go the gym to check out the opposite sex or meet friends. Almost a third of those who took part in the survey admitted that they never even broke sweat at the gym 80 per cent of Americans who have a gym membership do not use the gym. Hard, painful, unfun. Running is pure joy. There is no such thing as a "lifters high". Only a heart attack. Don't even look good. Now obviously you struggles with running but anyone of normal weight can easily run.
I went down from 116kg to 86kg starting in January, mostly by running, but as a plumber, I also do a little bit of indirect lifting. Started weight training now, but still cutting. I'm 177cm, and I think I'm prone to obesity, as you said, since I've been fat for most of my life, though also pretty muscular for someone who barely lifts. Obviously I'm hell bent on dropping my body fat as low as possible just to see what it looks like, it's really addicting. According to my Galaxy Watch 4, my bodyfat percentage is around 19 at the moment. What would you say is a good way to find the right all-year bodyfat range? Is it a matter of just figuring out how hungry I'm getting and how my body deals with very low fat? Or is there a more accurate way to do so? Thanks for the insanely detailed research. Some other channel looks like a kindergardener compared to you when he says he wants to put science back in strength, not naming any names :D
Jeff, coming into your video my first time today. A coworker gave me your UA-cam channel. Impressed by what I saw. You look good the way your program is set (by yourself)to fit your style. I want to start up a regiment myself. What other info can you share. Again you look good/real. Thanks for this well rounded video will continue to follow. .
Thank you for putting this out there! I think we all see the photos and wonder why we can' look like that. Our bodies were just not meant to look like that or operate like that. I understand doing this for competition in short bursts to show off body musculature, but it's not something that we should be promoting. So, thank you for sharing this!
This is great stuff man, thanks for posting! I really like this explanation about The Ugly Truth About Getting Shredded. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me Jeff. Have you ever used any of these custom meal plan tools? I got one from Next Level Diet to help me add some muscle and I actually like their plans. Was just wondering if you've heard of or tried any of them yourself. Thanks man!
The worst aspect of being lean year round is the body dysmorphia. Regardless of the complements theres always this feeling of not being big enough when lean. Then when a little weight is put on it feels like there's not enough leaness. Right now using Jeff's programs I've become more strength oriented with a little bit of hypertrophy focus every so often since I've come to see that chasing the perfect body can lead to self-image issues.
This really is great information Jeff. I tested something like this just this past week, I was comfortable at 7.9% body fat, and did 22 miles just 24 hours doing 35lb pack runs at 5.5-6mph constant. I was able to bring my body fat down to 6.1% in that time, consuming chicken, rice, avocados, beef and potatoes during the training. I have zero negatives to report at his time and was able to comfortably get down to 5.5% during my experimentation. I try to do a minimum of 5 miles per day, unless leg day absolutely destroys my ability to remain mobile.
I naturally have a very lean physique. The last couple of years I’ve got really into lifting. I’ve gained some weight, but I still look small. That’s part of being lean. Unless your shirt is off nobody can see all that muscle definition that’s hiding underneath. It leads some people to body dysmorphia, when they should be comfortable with their bodies
I feel what you mean right now : lost 14kg (32 lbs) in 10 weeks for first show and my sleep and anxiety exploded in a bad way! No rest = less cut, more watery etc Not easy for the mind when you go full efforts.
Jeff is spot on. The dysmorphia is tied to competing and focus on what is left to accomplish vs what has been accomplished. My last show...def took toll after the show before I really appreciated where I got to.
Hey Jeff, super stoked on all your videos man. You’re super down to earth and are extremely easy to understand! One question I have that I’m not sure I’ve come across on your videos is, Eating back calories burned? In regards to losing fat/gaining muscle do you have any insight?? Thanks so much!!
Man I love your videos! Always on point and timing is somehow also always perfect :D I really like that brought females into the video too🙏🏼 Another important side-effect you could have added is the fact that most people with very low bodyfat suffer a decline in libido/ sex-drive. Also it should be mentioned that you will freeze more, even in Summer
the body dysmorphia is the biggest facts tbh. I have always been skinny with low % . I play soccer so i eat a lot too to balance out but the last 3 months since off season i haven’t played as much and i’ve started working out which helped me gain more muscle but i realised i wanted to keep that shredded look i had from during the season burning so many calories but since i wasn’t doing so much strenuous activities i started eating less and it worked but i felt like shit all day and the super tiny lower belly fat i had still bothered my despite having a size 29 waist
Fantastic video! There has been a huge increase in the prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and this video finally tells the WHOLE story of getting shredded.
All those shredded influencers are secretly eating dog food, it's the secret to real gains... Excellent video, I'm glad more people are covering this side of things. It's important for people to realize that as a natty you CANNOT maintain that level of leanness year round without injury, sleep issues, sexual dysfunctions and even things like depression due to hormones tanking. It also negative impacts your progress because as we know nearly all muscular gains happen during a caloric surplus. Also athleticism in general will take a hit and so will strength. It's basically impossible to maintain being ultra lean while doing intensive strength/power cycles in training. Some days you'll come in and feels like all your strength is gone and you just want to go home to sleep. People have to realize there's a reason elite athletes don't look like bodybuilders. The body naturally does not want you to be in a state of deprivation and performs substantially better with a reasonable amount of bodyfat/dietary fat.
Jeff, can you please do a video on longer duration waterfasting? ive read some research and have tried it myself. really liked it, but still i would be stoked to hear you break down the science on this one!
The 3 main Points in this video: 1. 0:52 These Photos were taken minutes apart 2. 1:38 Body dysmorphia is exacerbated at very low bodyfats 3. 2:23 Being shredded comes with unhealthy side effects Thank you very much Jeff for these videos!
my family seems to have a really high "lower set point", i've personally cut down to 12-14% and started to get all those side effects, my healthy range has always hovered between 16-20%. When i went higher than 20% during my bulks, my appetite just completely crashed leading to me not eating nearly enough causing me to lose muscle and fat. (I'm a guy btw, so probably quite unusal)
I'm wondering if it's possible for the set range to change over time. For example, if the low end of a set range is 12% and a person maintains 12-13% for a sustained amount of time, will the low end eventually adjust dow to, say, 10%?
Yes, this has been my experience. As you suggest, the key is taking the body to somewhere on the edge of where it's comfortable and then hanging out there for a long time. Essential to avoid triggering the body's starvation response.
I had no idea. I honestly just thought once you get to a certain body fat, you maintain a set number of caloriesin/caloriesout and you just stay that way. I guess there's a lot more to it than that.
Jeff, I want to thank you so much, I'm back in the gym after a 10 year break and have been following your advice religiously for the last 2 months. You shattered a lot of what I thought I knew about training and nutrition. I am making gains which I thought weren't even possible...
Mabe you can shed some light for me, I'm confused what does it mean when he says "Naturals"? I truly do want to get into weightlifting but I'm really not sure how to start.... I'm worried that if I start weight lifting I'll be in the gym for hours a day
Wait, whoaaaa, hang on now. Healthy no BS, intelligent and researched information about health and well being on UA-cam?... I think I have entered a different time line. Seriously though Jeff, that was some of the best advice for bodybuilders or even just anyone trying to stay fit I've ever seen either in print, tv, online or whatever. Thanks for being there for us.
The “Triangle” diagram is spot on! I’ve never used PEDs, HRT, or even Creatine. I’m working on becoming “natural and Big”. I’m thinking 🤔 about starting Creatine. Natural and shredded, and Big and shredded are unrealistic for me, and I’m fine with that!
The best way to get absolutely shredded is to go through a horrible breakup or an event/period in your life that’s so stressful that eating becomes hard to do 👍🏻
Nutrition > resistance training > cardio Order of importance. That being said, HIIT training *is* beneficial for fat loss vs cardio so implement these instead of longer, less effective cardio sessions :)
@@jakemorganGP Yeah, already got good nutrition and good work outs, just wondered whether I should be throwing an hour of cardio in there aswell? I am losing fat as it is, 30lb/13kg thus far, but I'm wondering how all these other natties get so shredded. My goal is only 10%, don't wanna drop below that.
I was diagnosed with a brain tumour nearly a year ago. I went from a guy in his late 20s, weighing 80kg and able to squat 120kg, to weighing about 90kg (0% of which is muscle). I now can't do a single bodyweight squat without assistance from a Physiotherapist.
All of this happened within 2 months. Being in hospital and taking corticosteroids removed every ounce of muscle I had and replaced it with fat.
Once I stopped the steroids I totally lost my appetite. I now weigh about 60kg.
I have been strongly advised against ANY anaerobic exercise by my doctors. But I still watch every single one of Jeff's videos, because when I am able to get back to the gym - I want to be ready.
Thanks Jeff! You're keeping me going through these tough times 💪💪💪
Inspiring, I wish you all the best!
I’m so sorry to hear this! Wishing you the best and a speedy recovery.
I’m angry when I have to take a week off because I pulled something - I am so sorry you are going through that after all of your hard work! You’re going to get back to that one day and be so incredibly impressed with your mind and body though ❤️
Stay strong bro, all the best with your recovery, you’ll smash it again one day
You Will Come back even stronger, wish you all the best and a Speedy recovery 💪
For most naturals, the "sweet spot" seems to be around 12 - 15% body fat. It provides a balance between aesthetics, strength levels, and lifestyle sustainability. While some might be able to comfortably stay around 10% body fat, it's definitely not the norm. Great video as always!
Agreed, I like being ~10 to 12% body fat ish (fuzzy measurement)
Yeah 10 - 14 for me
its hard estimating body fat but once i tend to see some abs i get significantly weaker on all lifts
Honestly I prefer 15-18% on myself. I don't need to see my abs, just feel healthier and happier at the %
@@aaronwylie6928 in no way is 10-12% even fat-ish
Getting shredded isn’t quite as glamorous as it seems. It can take the passion out of training, when goes from an hour a day of lifting, to a 24/7 focus on diet, typically resulting in poor training sessions too.
100% agree!
Lmao
Woah it UA-cam celery
Takes a lot Steroids, diuretics & other chemicals….we know
@@alexanderr3098 you don’t need PED’s to get shredded
I'm a woman and I've learned that staying extremely lean not only is something I do not enjoy aesthetics-wise, but it's also not fun. I want to be able to progress with my lifts and enjoy life, food included (cause, who doesn't love food???). I'm so glad I finally got to this mindset because it's miserable otherwise.
Sooo.
You enjoy it ….
but it is not fun?
@@fastinradfordable *a e s t h e t i c s w i s e*
@@fastinradfordable i enjoy being skinny but avoiding beer and counting calories isn't fun
No shit, it's not fun? LOL ask all the men that are expected to look like that because the male beauty standard tell them to do so since we can think?
The point of you being able to say f it, i'm me and i do what i like and not what is expected of me is good for you but many can't.
@@iAmNothingness Unless you are a model, you don't have to look like a model. You're not expected look more than normal, half of people look worse than 'average.' If you're of a healthy BMI in America (or likewise first world countries) you're already ahead. If you're FIT, you're ridiculously ahead.
OMG! I am astonished to hear that body dysmorphia is exacerbated at very low body fats!!! I am 35, now at 13,9%, no period for months, and I know with my brain that I am very lean, but it only makes me want to push harder and yes, I am even more critical about my body now. I also developed raynaud's syndrome. wow, what a great video!
Hi, as a woman we look best between 20-25% body fat. Annabelle Hayes on UA-cam is a good example of that range. We need more fat because of our hormones, periods, etc. Have you looked up some of Greg Ducette's body fat videos yet? He explains it well and in a funny way, plus how to get there. Hope some of this helps!!!
i just watched a video on how severe raynaud's disease can be and it's awful! i hope get through with it and under 14% bodyfat for a woman is very low.No judging but i know women in my family that experience problmes being that lean! Wishing the best!
@@navehhall73 Annabelle Hayes is not an attractive woman. Fit, sure, but not attractive. She needs more fat, more curves. Also less tattoos and piercings, but that's another point.
That definitely depends on the woman. I have terrible fat deposits, and look the best currently, at 16.2%
@@katarzynakolodynska9387do you *feel* great though? I thought 16% was too lean for a woman
Biggest downside to getting lean for me? I feel the cold waaaaay more, not just in winter, but also swimming in the sea in summer. Maybe it's not an issue if you live somewhere hot, but I live in Finland. When I was fat, I was sooo much warmer.
I'm exactly the same and I think it's awful and I always look weird for wearing warm clothes in the summer
@@atefeh_em Man, I work in the Arctic down to -40°C. #prayforme
When I was super lean I got cold swimming in the ocean during the summer in Indonesia. haha It was crazy considering I normally never get cold.
I was super skinny growing up and I would shiver like crazy whenever I’d swim. Now that I’ve put on some weight, the difference is crazy!
Yes!
The body dysmorphia at lower body fat blew my mind. I didn't know everyone experienced that. It's so sad to not appreciate where we are and celebrate our hard work only to later wish we were at that level. So many years lost..glad I know now though. Thanks Jeff. Your teaching is so appreciated!
Yeah I definitely experienced this. I went from 95kg overweight down to 65kg shredded and when I got there all I could focus on was the tiniest bit of loose skin at the bottom of my stomach. It's much healthier just eating a balanced diet and actually enjoying life.
I felt good at the lowest that I was, but when I stopped I was constantly looking back. Now that I've gained a bit more weight back, I can see that there wasn't that much difference when I was 7lbs heavier, but I was constantly feeling like I had lost all of my progress.
Change the diet to keto + IF instead of the American recomendation diet and you'll see difference.
Oh yeah, I can totally see it. At one point in my life I was 500 lbs and then lost 300. At the 200 lb mark I was actually pretty shredded but still had loose skin and the only thing I cared about was the loose skin despite everyone saying I looked amazing. I am now back at 270 and no longer only see my flaws - but yeah, it's really weird how the "better" you look, the worse you see yourself.
@@Jacktoriousrexrex nah man I need that last little flab gone 😅
in my opinion being in the 15-20% bodyfat range is much more enjoyable than being shredded. Looking huge in tshirts, being stronger, and having a relaxed diet is much more fun to me than starving myself just to have more definition
I think being shredded is tied to social media. If no one is there to see you shredded look, who cares ? The problem is the need to constantly share for approval. The only approval that matters is you the individual, what makes you happy. Who cares what randoms on the internet thinks ? Of course if it’s tied to your income then that’s another rabbit hole.
@@lombardo141 fuck being shredded, just be healthy and feel strong
I will never forget the hunger that came with getting shredded for me. I don't know how low % I was because I wasn't trying to compete but I could see the striations in my ass at about 170lbs. I only maintained that level of shred for about a month but it was a huge achievement for me, going from 300+ lbs and obese to shredded. The constant ravenous hunger was horrible and I doubt I'll ever push myself that far again.
Nice bro i did the same thing!! 310-178. I’m about 220 right now the 178 was 3 years ago, 310 5. And yeah it kept it for about 2
Weeks lol. When i hit 178 it was my birthday the following week and then i had a vacation
true, as I progressed during my excercises I noticed my hunger levels rising slowly, to the point that I was eating far more than what I ate when i was obese, its like I was always hungry no matter how much I ate.
Yo brother, how long did it take you to get there?
Haven't gotten into shredding, but i ate nothing for 4 days once as a fast, and i could literally smell food across me like it's next to me, couldn't sleep very well also cause my stomach just kept asking for food
Seeing ass striations is goals fr
This video gives a fantastic overview of how body dysmorphia can override any weight/fat loss beyond a point. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder in the past, and has had a few lapses back into that mindset, I can concur 100% with this. The times I have ostensibly looked the most 'model-like', I have felt the most emotionless, empty and unsatisfied, and suffered side-effects such as irregular periods, dry skin, more hair loss, etc. It's just not sustainable. Don't change because you want to look a certain way, do it because it makes you feel good, physically and mentally. If you no longer feel that, it's not worth it.
I know how you feel, I had the same issues. I had no idea that body dysmorphia is exacerbated at lower body fat levels, I thought that was just me. My period completely disappeared, I couldn't sleep well and I had constant anxiety. It's not worth it.
Dude, as someone who is not at all in any fitness or bodybuilding community and just kinda tries to stay generally healthy I gotta say Jeff Nippard videos are really nice to watch. They're honest, seemingly well researched and empathetic. I also like that he isn't afraid of a somewhat intellectual appearance.
Is Jeff Nipples a dwarf?
Only in America would your last sentence even be necessary. I've traveled to 35 countries and lived in 5, and only in America is intelligence and intellectualism looked down on as "uncool" or less masculine
“Challenging to all consuming” hits hard. For me it came to a point where I actually didn’t feel like cravings or hunger after like 4 months of extreme cutting and became obsessed for looks. Lifting became EXPONENTIALLY harder and I actually got low heart rate and depression. I definitely took an extreme and uneducated approach.
Same. I was duped by Hollywood actors and Instagram influences saying "just work hard and buy my BCAA's and you can get to 200lbs with 4% body fat in 6 months just like me!"
what would an educated approach look like?
@@lj6595 going at it slowly. Lots of people are glossing over the fact that the negatives from cutting are due to jumping into that fat percent range. If you gradually lower and keep lifting, you should be able to train your body to adjust.
@@User-ro8dl i dont have patience to this
I LOVE Jeff's honesty and commitment to the science.
He has a huge hog too did you see that bulge
Same!
I wish there were 10 more of him.
ScIeNcE. 😆🤣🤣🤣
If he were honest, he wouldn't claim to be natural
I got to about 7% body fat through intermittent fasting and keto. I was constantly hungry anxious and couldn’t sleep for more than four or five hours. But I did have a six pack 😂
Natural or did you take any sort of GEAR.......
Were you still shredded after that six pack?
This is me right now. I’m around 10% now. Really trying not to dip further because my body will rebel for sure. Sleeping is hit or miss for me.
@@hamzaahmad1345 no I did not. But I was most likely in a calorie deficit most of the time. I don recommend it…
@@jdubb4589 yeah it’s hard to maintain if your not naturally lean. I’m closer to 15% now. But a heck of a lot happier and being able to sleep for 8-9 hours is very nice…
I think there needs to be more talks about body dysmorphia. Some even glorify it and I find it disturbing. When I did my first bodybuilding show (going from 190lbs to 145 lbs). The whole time, everyone kept complimenting how good I looked but I kept thinking about how "fat" I was and not shredded enough. Looking back now, I wish I could've taken more pictures, and live in the moment with friends and family.
There's a documentary on Hulu about it amoungst bodybuilders call Bigorexia
That’s really interesting to me about how you said body dysmorphia is exacerbated the leaner you get. I’m not someone who’s very critical of my weight since I’ve been thin my whole life but during 2020-2021 during the pandemic I was exercising more than ever because I had so much free time. I was at my skinniest. And I was not happy at all. I would scrutinize my body so much. Now I’ve gained back 10-15 pounds and I’m so much happier and I think I look better. And I’m a female. I’m 5’6 and I was 120 pounds at my skinniest. Now I’m between 130-135 and I like that better.
I can still easily lift you above my head. Good stuff!
That's just your opinion. No doubt most external observes would agree you looked
better at 120.
A lot of people don't realise how gaunt and ill they often look at low body fat percentages too. It's important to find the spot that makes you happy, even if it's not what society says should make you happy.
@@adeobrien4266 I feel happiness isn't too important since it's ridiculous levels of hunger that stop me.
Also the other negative effects mentioned all mount up over time. It's not practical to aim at the bodybuilder 5%. Real people are happy at 10-12% if they can get there.
@@datoolz0 nah... 120 at 5'6 is really fucking skinny. too skinny for my taste. but why should this chick care about random peoples opinion?
What I love about Jeff's content is that he gives advices like he cares about you
Im glad that you word it like that. "like" cause you see that he doesnt actually only as if he does.
@@adrianflo6481 he doesn't know you or care about you personally, but I think he genuinely cares about peoples health.
He does you muffin its called a professional courtesy
He cares so much he lies to your face every single vid 😂😂💉
@@GetFitwithNatasha Examples?
Not a bodybuilder myself, but even us washed up power guys like to look good... "shredded" is not even on my radar. I feel for you guys going through what you do to get to that level. I'll be happy if I have the outlines of a 6 pack. Always lost strength trying to get more cut. I wanna be big and strong and not have a beer gut.... goals at 62
Great information. It all sounds very logical and while there are some people who compete and need to stay shredded at a very low BMI, I do agree with the theory of staying in that middle range of your own BMI numbers to live a more healthy and vibrant life. Your delivery of the information in all your videos is very clean and concise. Keep up the fine work that you are doing.
That was extremely useful and full of great data , thank you for the video !
Fascinating video! I really agree with your harsh reality No. 1 - you look really small in clothes. I dieted down a few years ago and got quite lean, and I thought I was looking really good until I saw a photo of myself and realized I just looked emaciated/sick/ill - just like that guy in the photo (I never looked like him in the photo on the left though). It was a real wake-up and I started eating normally again after that. Another side effect/"harsh reality" I discovered was that getting lean really shows in your face. I had people coming up to me, asking me "Are you okay?" and some people were even concerned that I had some serious condition. I was like "No, I'm fine, I'm just dieting, honestly!" but it was weird because I felt fantastic, and thought I'd be getting all these compliments, but I'd obviously taken things too far. It was only after I stopped dieting that I read an article about this problem - it's called "diet face" and most women seem to encounter it (and are aware of it) in a way that most guys aren't.
You don't post enough dude, but I get why because these must take a lot of effort. Appreciate what you do!
I think he does. There's not much to be said/resaid. Other influencers jusr regurgitate the same stuff. I trust Jeff to release stuff only when necessary
@@ianakotey that's actually a very fair point
Great talk. It seems to be a thing that once you step over certain point, it becomes an obsession and perhaps for the goal more than the looks. Although it seems like some people just as well start thinking that nothing is enough and they need to be in stage shape all the time. Training and having slightly lower bodyfat is often a great mental change like you said, as long as it stays there. At least for me I noticed that just getting a bit more muscular and even gaining fat slightly and looking bigger made me forget looking in the mirror with the question "do I look good and should I look different", it changed to "do I see progress that correlates with my strength and skill goals as well as with my health goals". It was a great moment when I reached that point in training where I had visibly changed for better and had a confidence boost that stopped the questions "am I enough physically" and directed my attention to more meaningful goals.
Lucky for me I also never found the modern bodybuilding stage shape aesthetic. Yes you get to see every detail of the muscles, and that's probably important for many of them, but in my eyes you need to be really into the muscles to care that much about it. The time of Arnold is still the best time for me, he didn't look like someone had kidnapped him and kept him in a cage, he looked like a healthy, strong and muscular man. Just a little bit of fat just makes the shapes look better.
That made me switch the training perspective from bodybuilding to strenght and sports/skill goals and have hypertrophy training mostly for those goals and fixing imbalances. Olympic weightlifting and judo particularly made me realize that the body is a vehicle and tool and for some things less muscle volume is more functional (like not that big pecs for olympic weightlifting, and on the other hand many judokas having huge midbody). That when you get between some margins and health goals, the details of it aren't that important and you can sacrifice some of the aesthetics for the functionality towards your goals.
People like you telling the truth to the rest of us are doing a good thing. I had no idea just how unhealthy that lifestyle is until I saw videos like this.
Jeff thank you for talking on both sides of the equation here! I did my first men's physique contest in June of 2020. I started at 237lbs and cut down to 157lbs on stage (I'm 5'11" according to NPC). As a first time competitor and natural I suffered many of the side effects. Testosterone dropped to 30ng/dl that's right, THIRTY.. I couldn't sleep at all, and I was worried about every single little calorie or slice of fat I could find on my body. I was proud to say I stayed tough enough to step on stage but I don't recommend it for everyone. Much love from East Tennessee🙏🏼
Love that you mentioned how different people might have a different "comfortable zone". When I was around 23 years old I got into fitness and wanted to get lean. Bought a smart scale and weighed myself almost every day to track my progress. Did a lot of kettlebell work, lots of walking and running. After some time I saw what to me was the magic number 8.9% body fat.(starting point was 17%) but I was not happy. My emotions turned kind of dull, I lost my sex drive and couldn't even "get it up" if I wanted to. After my body fat returned to around 9.3% it was all back to normal again
You trusted the BF% results from a smart scale? lol
Bro, IN THIS CASE, I honestly doubt it was the 0.4% on your body fat that made you feel that better. It's a small body fat difference, almost impossible to make such a big difference on your well-being and health. It was probably the fact that you simply stopped starving (prolonged caloric deficit) and started eating above your basic needs (caloric surplus for a period of time). Then your body started to have enough calories to reestabilize its metabolism, recovery, hormones balance, etc.
@@rafacnavarro You’re just saying the same thing twice with a lot more words lmao
@@jimmine absolutely not. One is caused by the prolonged effect of priving yourself, the other is caused by the low body fat itself.
@@MlRAAK Exactly! Those “smart scales” are exceedingly inaccurate unfortunately..
Just got done with a natural competition, and man. The cravings actually made me bulimic and it was real hard to wake up and work, especially peak week. I think a less extreme diet over a long period of time could be better to combat this issue
had the same thing happen to me. Went from like 6% bf to 15% in 2 weeks lol
i just finish a 3 months fat loss and i took a 2.5 months for maintenance that body fat, around 5 to 8....it was the second time i did this, just for myself. ( 22 yrs of training) and am 39, with a physical job. this time, we did a 5 days below my maintenance and 2 days higher in carbs. but am a freak, so i took 1 day at 2500 cal and 6 days at 1700 for 5 months. this methot was a lot more easier (kind of carbs cycling) i did not have craving or shit like this. but i must start the reverse diet this week because, man, i feel like shit since 2 months. i look good on the beach but so what hahaha. i feel tired all the time, but the pump si so great in the gym. you should ask your coach about this methot. it is easier than start with higher calorie and just get down slowly with the time. keep going buddy
So I’m an attempt to try and be healthy you do unhealthy things. Got it. Change your life
Safer just to do gear
@@TrueFiltergears is for the braves only... let them be proud of "nature" 🌲 🌈 who fuckin cares
Two months in, trying to lose fat and gain muscle. It’s beneficial to my life but I can tell I’m getting obsessive. Thanks for posting this. As someone with anxiety issues, I’m relaxing on my goals
Losing fat and gaining muscle is hard to achieve at the same time. Pick one then focus on the other. I was 180 lbs went down to 150 on diet and lost a lot of muscle. Afterwards, I focus on muscle and gaining bit of weight. You got this! Don't lose hope and realize that weight lose and muscle gains are a marathon not a sprint.
@@Roswell12 It really isn't that hard, if you just eat plenty of protein while on a cut you can still get stronger and bigger
@@Roswell12 1 large can of tuna (3 servings) is 48g of protein. protein is easy.
The body dysmorphia is so true. I felt that for a few months. I was at 18.9% body fat when I started to see a nutricionist to fix my eating habits. Now I'm at 14-15%. Even at this limit I got scared when eating chocolate, chips when I felt like it. So afraid of ruining the physique I was building. You can get really paranoid when losing a considerable amount of fat and start to see your muscle lines, specially in the abs
Yea I eat clean and pretty healthy full of greens no candy junk food and not much soda I say I’m around 19-17% bodyfat I’m trying to get abs and although my diet and training is great I’m worried I don’t have great genetics to truly get me there trying to lose belly fat is tough but I’m gonna keep trying and see where I’m at in a year I’m also afraid of losing the physique I have now I’ve worked really hard for it so far
I really feel this lmao.
Jeff's presentation style is so engaging. I started to watch his videos without looking at the screen along with many other influencers' videos and his tempo and voice is absolutely the best!
I just started dieting for the first time. I'd say I'm just shy of 20% body fat, and this was really helpful in assessing my goals. I feel like, after watching you and Dr. Mike, trying to get to and maintain 15% is a reasonable and achievable goal for me.
new jeff vid for the anabolic start to the day
Man I went through such an extreme cut a couple years ago and experienced everything you laid out in this video. It was so tough that really turned me off of training and nutrition for a while. Wish I had seen this video before I pushed myself that hard! Great content as always!
Cool video - The triangle was a great visual. When my wife & I had our 1st baby (I was 22) I got shredded by a brisk 2 mile walk to the bus stop every morning. Seriously after 3 months one day I noticed I had so little body fat I could not be pinched anywhere. But then I got promoted & could afford a 2nd car & no longed walked & soon lost the shred & had 4 more kids.
Thank you so much for making this video! I joined a womens bodybuilding group on Facebook, not to be a body builder, but just to learn how to excercise properly and avoid injuries (I'm 52). But I saw so many beautiful ladies just trying to get more ripped, and leaner and leaner, while getting bigger and bigger.
Your video is a gentle reminder that every person is an individual and not some IDEAL. We could easily trade good health for an ideal, and that's certainly not the way we should be going. Good health is always number one!
Thanks so much!
I liked 👍 your comment
0:51 does it for me. It's nice to imagine myself shirtless and pumped while super lean, but most of the time I am not participating in a photo shoot...
Also interesting to learn that beyond a certain point body dysmorphia tends to 'flourish'.
Probably tied to the wack hormones leading to the depression
This was so interesting. I guess i always thought people could reach those three points with enough training, patience and dedication (big, shredded, natural). I didn't realize it could be so unhealthy
Stop looking at mike o tren..... lol he lies
@@ricklonhutchinson1498 any suggestions for who to listen to?
@@whittenaw jeff is a good start and anyone who is transparent with their usage. Don't listen to most instagram models as they either photoshop, are on shit or straight up lying to get you to either buy their program or hire them as a coach. Everything you need to know is free and available out there and its as simple as showing up to the gym to train, eat a diet that you like and can stick too that helps you to lose weight, gain strength etc etc. Its as simple as that, no gimmicks or anything :/.
@@ricklonhutchinson1498 i don't actually know who mike o tren is. Your advice is solid. This was my first time seeing this channel so at first i thought you were talking about this channel before i went back to look at the name. I mostly do those things (I'm pregnant so have slowed down a little) but i think society gives us the impression that the triangle is achievable without drugs because everyone acts like weight lifting competitions are clean (in my naivety, i thought they had to be because of the drug tests). It's important to me especially these days so that i know how to talk to my future son about societal expectations in a real and knowledgeable way
@@whittenaw Mike O Tren is a joke on the name Mike O Hern. Mike O Hern claims to be a life time natty but he is big and shredded and 1000% not natural. Tren is a shorten name for a very powerful steroid with nasty side effects. So I call him Mike O Tren lol. Genetic Freaks that can be big, shredded and natural are exceedingly rare and probably don't know they are genetic freaks due to being born in poor countries or generally unfavorable conditions and must struggle to survive. Not to say that there aren't any on social media or in the limelight or to take away from anyone's hard work and dedication. Everyone wants to be that special coveted "Genetic Freak" so if you add a lil bit of that drug here, a bit there and lie about the whole thing you can fly under the radar and sell supplements or programs. Most natural drug tested competitions are very lax and the only want I really Trust is WADA( gold standard) . If you're WADA tested and breaking records( olympics), you are a Genetic Freak in my eyes. Also you would notice that some of the freakiest natural athletes are from some of the poorest countries lol, literal survival of the fittest. This is due to the fact that tough conditions giving rise to the strongest genetic combination needed to survive those conditions...... so when I see someone on social media in a 1st world country prancing around claiming to be natty while big and shredded but don't compete in any WADA Drug tested sport..... I give em the side eye >.>
The dual set point theory would explain why I was miserable and lost my period at a level of leanness that didn’t seem even close to basically any female fitness influencers.
Thanks!
Brilliant, balanced, and objective. Love it, Jeff!
I've been walking around 9-10% BF by DEXA for years and can no longer tell if the slightly disturbed sleep, low-normal testosterone, and near constant mild-hunger are normal or caused by BF% that is below my comfort zone. I suppose trial and error would be the only way to find out is to see if I feel better at a higher BF%.
This channel is definitely in my Top 2 for best info on everything related to lifting, strength, nutrition, etc. Jeff - you're a legend 💪
who is the other person?
Yeapp
Mike Israetel on Renaissance Periodization... well worth a look
@@nocbvideos6458 see below
Top 2 and I’m not 2… right?? 🥺
As someone naturally very skinny I sat around the 6-10% (measured via hydrostatic weighing) mark for years building up almost 20lbs of muscle. Went from 135lbs to about 155lbs+ at 6'. I honestly think slightly higher percentages look better. I love the concept of a range that your body tries to maintain because I could never really explain to people why I was so naturally lean.
Pro: I can't get fat.
Con: bulking is painful with the calorie requirements for my body.
155 6' lol. 205 5'10" with 3 basic meals a day. My wife is 150 @ 5'3".
Ayo I am 5'11" and I'm 150 I'm bulking but i still 10.5% bodyfat 🙂
GOMAD son
@@Nostalgiaforinfi genetics are powerful
@@Nostalgiaforinfi stop it, At least he is no longer 135 lbs Which is basically extremely skinny , I'm kinda the other way around maybe some more muscle then him but my body fat % is above 25 percent is also unhealthy I'm around 225 lbs at 5"9 .For the amount of muscle I have I should be like 170 pounds.
Man you really put my own fears into perspective lol. I got sub 9% last year for fun and I remember at the time thinking I was "fat" at certain points... I now look at those pics and am shocked how lean I was. That under 10% intensified body dysmorphia is real. Was focused on the most minuscule and negligible fat gains
"for fun" holyyyyyy moly dude, I can't even imagine how I would be able to do that with fun.
Best of luck on your journey. I find that "for fun" mindset admirable.
@@oryxthemad lol maybe "fun" is a bad descriptor. You do feel super human at times from being so vascular which motivates you more...but then you're dreaming of cheat meals like a junkie 😄
I found this to be super helpful as I can often struggle with the thought that I need to obtain the "ideal physique" as represented in social media. It's very helpful to know what actually happens when someone tries to maintain single digit body fat percentage and how miserable that sounds. I also appreciated the body fat range. It's helpful to know that my body is most comfortable in a given range and it is feasible for me to maintain the lower part of that and I can still look good at that point. Thanks, as always, Jeff for another great contribution to the fitness community. Much love my friend.
Jeff, I love seeing the contrast of your clean cut professional presentation to your outtakes at the end. Always solid info followed by a good laugh.
Definitely relatable. Back when I did personal training and had some clients who wanted to hit the stage, of course I had to find out what it takes to get stage ready on my own body. That was the most unstable and depressive period of my life and I'll never go below 6% again. Eating every few hours, random cramps, always tired because sleep is now just naps of up to a few hours, even hallucinating at times.. Happiness went to the bottom in exchange for veins on places that are usually covered by clothes.
I took myself down to 10% and was bloody freezing all the time , I even fell asleep in the gym .
@@BigBoaby-sg1yo Oh yeah, that too. Super sensitive to high/low temperature.
This channel is so good! Thanks for the great content and for keeping it real!
Pretty impressive for a natty to hit 5.7% and remain muscular especially the ones with great genetics. I couldn’t imagine that. When I was at 10-9% I really didn’t like it low energy, low volume at the gym. Much more comfortable at 13-15%
I’m more worried for them than impressed.
Great video. It is so true that for most of us, being large, shredded and natural is almost impossible to achieve. I'm a smaller frame and I can be either 72kg and rather muscular defined or 80kg and loose so much definition. No matter how I change my diet and training
Excellent video and very important information.
Im quite sure some of these symptoms are synonymous with the condition “RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, or “Hypothalamic Amenorrhea”.
I’ve definitely experienced allure towards dog treats…although in my defence, they were made of strictly salmon skin, which I enjoy greatly!
It’d be helpful to note the effects such as impaired brain functioning, aka “brain fog” as well.
I think this happened to me… then i crashed my bike and got injured. Now i just care about health, longevity, and injury prevention. I feel incredible and still have abs. If you focus on health and not looks it helps that mindframe.
That x-files music at 1:30 had such a comical touch to it
I've always found libido to be a pretty accurate gauge of my health. Poor sleep, overtraining, stress, extremely low body fat, too much body fat, poor nutrition will all negatively affect libido.
This is also true for me. 😊
Jeff, you’re just the best. It’s so wholesome to hear about all of these topics in a healthy and realistic way 🔥
Thank you for your videos. I love how scientific you are. And I love how you talk about how important genetics are to fitness. And talking about body dismorphia. Trying to have these conversations with people who have great genetics can be exhausting. Because they will tell you it's 100% hard work and genetics have zero effect.
🤦🏾♂️
FINALLY!!! A video that ACTUALLY tells the truth on the reality’s of competitions, getting lean ripped etc. I hope this helps educate as many people as possible. Thank you for your hard work and epic video’s.
I am trying to show off being shredded right now so I walk home from work shirtless. I also carry a basketball because my anxiety about what to do with my hands is amplified when shirtless.
Thank you for listening to my TED talk.
take my lunch break, take too long
Too long on my lunch break
And they sent me home
on the Adam Friedland Show
This is one of the better fitness videos I've seen in months. All too often do I set goals, reach them and look at what's missing as opposed to what's been achieved. Great stuff here!!!
Beautiful video to start off the fall/winter bulk
I love that you bring up the dual intervention point model. It greatly explained why bulking is so hard for me. Im currently bulking and have gained some fat. Its not much at all and still have visible abs, but my body handles that little extra fat so poorly. Now i sweat a lot more, and sometimes its super annoying. Often when im at work (especially if I've just eaten) I start sweating from basic tasks that really should make you sweat, and it sucks because I work at a hospital and im wearing scrubs. My back can easily get sweaty and its really visible when wearing scrubs. I end up changing 3-4 times per shift. Positive thing for me though is that cutting is easy for me.
THANK YOU for discussing this!! As a graduate in Exercise & Wellness, it was, and is, critical to remember that being fit or shredded isn't sustainable, let alone truly fulfilling and enjoyable. Quite literally, it eats you up from the inside out.
And it isn't just limited to professional athletics or big gigs in entertainment or popular media. This bleeds into daily life in defining what is "healthy." Too often, we see the oversimplistic association of "lean & shredded" = "fit" = "healthy" = "moral." This leads many towards drastic and abnormal behaviors and lifestyles, including eating and exercise disorders. I was no exception.
While in my major, I became more and more obsessive in adopting more healthy, "cleaner" behaviors and dietary habits. It started out innocent enough, but once I let it get into my head that it was not enough, I became orthorexic and bulimic. Now, I cannot see myself going into the fitness industry without risking losing it again.
As long as one is taught properly and has access to the necessary tools, a broader healthy lifestyle is atainable and sustainable WITHOUT needing to slaughter yourself in the process. It ultimately boils down to what you want in your lifestyle and health.
Interesting stuff for sure, and nice to see more of this sort of content. A few years back I must've been at like 6% bodyfat but it wasn't really sustainable - gym every day, pretty much not eating any carbs, hungry like all the time, way more prone to binging... Plus any 'break' in routine - holidays, etc - would derail things, and it gets far too easy to become obessive
While I do kinda miss being that lean, I have a more moderate and sustainable routine now and as a huge foodie (and lover of things like cheese, peanut butter, an occasional drink...), being a little less restrictive is so much nicer. Currently aiming on getting a little leaner again (probably around 12% right now, I'd like to get back to 9-10-ish) but trying to do it without falling back into anything excessive
Best video I’ve ever seen explaining this! As a woman who got shredded all on my own just to hit some sort of ‘body goal’ I can relate to all of this. Thank you for making this video!
How did you get shredded All on your own?
Great video, Jeff, in my opinion, as dancer who is training to compete in competitive sport dance. I did a lot of research on body building and shredding to see how healthy it really is to be between 3% to 5% BMI. The results frightened me, including listening to all of the documentaries from pro's in the industry who have all stated how extremely, unhealthy it is to be at 3% to 5% body fat, even for a short period of time. While, I have nothing against the bodybuilding industry; I was alarmed to find out that both over the counter and pharmaceutical grade steroids use on average is high. Including, the starvation diet that competitors go on, in order to become shredded before a competition. Including, the negative phycological conditioning and their after-competition binge sessions, which often leads to body dysmorphia issues. Especially for women looking to compete who are often subjected to negative phycological grooming, on the part of their coaches; in order to shred their bodies down to a 3% BMI. Coaches who control their female competitors every move, don't give them a choice of which costume to wear for competitions. Including, putting them through brutal workouts seven days per week, without even allowing their muscles and tendons time to recuperate and rest. Including, female competitors not being treated with respect by male attendees, male judges, male staff and other male competitors. Several former female physique competitors have come forward in documentaries talking about the dark side of this industry. Including what was required of them, by higher ups in the industry to receive their pro cards and due to this research, I decided that physique competitions aren't for me. As a dancer training for competitive dance competitions. I have the choice of which costumes; I want to wear in competitions. Including, determining my intensive workout, weight training schedules, including healthy dietary requirements. Not to mention finding a coach who won't continue to push me, if my muscles and tendons need a day to recuperate. In competitive sport dance, if a competitor is underweight to the point that it impacts their performance negatively. Often their coach won't allow them to continue to dance, until they are at a level where they are healthy and able to continue without their performance being negatively impacted. Coaches won't allow their competitors to compete with injuries, nor will the competitions allow a competitor to endanger themselves, by starving themselves to the point of emaciation; in order to compete in a competition. Including, not being allowed to compete in competitions with injuries, competitors in sport dance competitions are judged on their ability to successfully complete pre-choreographed routines, at a competitive level against other competitors of similar skills or higher skills. Competitive dance sport has a zero-tolerance policy on harassment of competitors, attendees, judges and staff. Anyone caught doing so to judges, staff, and attendees. Including competitors are immediately asked to leave by security and not allowed back into the competitions. Any staff caught doing so, is immediately fired and escorted from the building by security. Due to competitive sport dance having a reputation to maintain, including being family friendly and not wanting to incur lawsuits. Steroid use, including performance enhancing drugs are banned from sport dance competitions, competitors caught doing so are blackballed from competitive sport dance competitions. Coaches will refuse to train any competitor who is using performance enhancing drugs to develop their muscle mass to significant proportions. Because dancers need lean muscles to compete in competitions with. The dance world as a whole, strongly discourages dancers from ever using performance enhancing drugs and frowns on any competitor using them. As a dancer, I'm required to be at my right weight of 120 pounds and have 20% body fat and not allowed to fall significantly below my ideal weight and BMI target.
Sheesh you looked crazy for your show! Congrats man! What an amazing result! Well earned..
This is a great video and as someone who was fit in his 20s and now looking at reclaiming fitness, something dawned on me. There is no (or very little) good content out there about being peak FIT as opposed to shredded, jacked, etc. I am now interested in being the fittest I've ever been as opposed to "ripped". Thanks for the fantastic video. Got a sub for this one.
The problem is that people equate the word “fitness” with a certain look but to achieve that look you actually have to become unhealthy.
We need more of these videos, enough pretending, being shredded is not sustainable nor should we consider it to be the model standard. Let's all stay happy within a reasonable body fat % and live life. It's not worth having 8% body fat if you have to suffer 23 hours a day.
I will tell you that lower bodyfat is sustainable if you run and eat vegetables. You can't do it because you weight lift, but swimmers and runners and calisthenics athletes do stay 10-12% year round.
Add vegetables and you will hit your genetic limit.
Your bad diet and exercise choices for you to be more fat than you could be.
Vegetables plus running will enable you to hit the lowest body fat your genes will allow.
what are you doing in that hour you're not suffering?
@@vladpalets Suffer more. What makes you think no pain no gain is a slogan for no reason?
Sixpack is vital for a man if he is poor by female standards.
But to be honest I like vegetables! I like running. Calisthenics can be brutal but enjoyable to show off too!
No one enjoys weight lifting no one!
@@datoolz0 I’m pretty sure most people enjoy weight lifting more than cardio
@@Ricardo-ur5os 50 million runners in USA. 60% of people cancelled their gym membership. Nothing enjoyable about lifting weights for anyone.
A study commissioned by Kettler sampled 2,000 participants and 50 per cent said they only go the gym to check out the opposite sex or meet friends. Almost a third of those
who took part in the survey admitted that they never even broke sweat at the gym
80 per cent of Americans who have a gym membership do not use the gym.
Hard, painful, unfun. Running is pure joy. There is no such thing as a "lifters high". Only a heart attack.
Don't even look good. Now obviously you struggles with running but anyone of normal weight can easily run.
I went down from 116kg to 86kg starting in January, mostly by running, but as a plumber, I also do a little bit of indirect lifting. Started weight training now, but still cutting. I'm 177cm, and I think I'm prone to obesity, as you said, since I've been fat for most of my life, though also pretty muscular for someone who barely lifts. Obviously I'm hell bent on dropping my body fat as low as possible just to see what it looks like, it's really addicting. According to my Galaxy Watch 4, my bodyfat percentage is around 19 at the moment.
What would you say is a good way to find the right all-year bodyfat range? Is it a matter of just figuring out how hungry I'm getting and how my body deals with very low fat? Or is there a more accurate way to do so?
Thanks for the insanely detailed research. Some other channel looks like a kindergardener compared to you when he says he wants to put science back in strength, not naming any names :D
Jeff, coming into your video my first time today. A coworker gave me your UA-cam channel. Impressed by what I saw. You look good the way your program is set (by yourself)to fit your style. I want to start up a regiment myself. What other info can you share. Again you look good/real. Thanks for this well rounded video will continue to follow. .
Thank you for putting this out there! I think we all see the photos and wonder why we can' look like that. Our bodies were just not meant to look like that or operate like that. I understand doing this for competition in short bursts to show off body musculature, but it's not something that we should be promoting. So, thank you for sharing this!
This is great stuff man, thanks for posting! I really like this explanation about The Ugly Truth About Getting Shredded. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me Jeff. Have you ever used any of these custom meal plan tools? I got one from Next Level Diet to help me add some muscle and I actually like their plans. Was just wondering if you've heard of or tried any of them yourself. Thanks man!
Seeing the Joesthetics example at the start… of him being shredded all year round 🕊️
The worst aspect of being lean year round is the body dysmorphia. Regardless of the complements theres always this feeling of not being big enough when lean. Then when a little weight is put on it feels like there's not enough leaness.
Right now using Jeff's programs I've become more strength oriented with a little bit of hypertrophy focus every so often since I've come to see that chasing the perfect body can lead to self-image issues.
4:48 thats another issue called ATTENTION CRAVING where people would say what ever to have the attention of others
This really is great information Jeff.
I tested something like this just this past week, I was comfortable at 7.9% body fat, and did 22 miles just 24 hours doing 35lb pack runs at 5.5-6mph constant. I was able to bring my body fat down to 6.1% in that time, consuming chicken, rice, avocados, beef and potatoes during the training. I have zero negatives to report at his time and was able to comfortably get down to 5.5% during my experimentation. I try to do a minimum of 5 miles per day, unless leg day absolutely destroys my ability to remain mobile.
I naturally have a very lean physique. The last couple of years I’ve got really into lifting. I’ve gained some weight, but I still look small. That’s part of being lean. Unless your shirt is off nobody can see all that muscle definition that’s hiding underneath. It leads some people to body dysmorphia, when they should be comfortable with their bodies
I feel what you mean right now : lost 14kg (32 lbs) in 10 weeks for first show and my sleep and anxiety exploded in a bad way! No rest = less cut, more watery etc Not easy for the mind when you go full efforts.
This video is honestly a true gem. It’s short and very precise. While also shedding enough light on shredded culture.
Jeff is spot on. The dysmorphia is tied to competing and focus on what is left to accomplish vs what has been accomplished. My last show...def took toll after the show before I really appreciated where I got to.
Hey Jeff, super stoked on all your videos man. You’re super down to earth and are extremely easy to understand! One question I have that I’m not sure I’ve come across on your videos is, Eating back calories burned? In regards to losing fat/gaining muscle do you have any insight??
Thanks so much!!
Man I love your videos! Always on point and timing is somehow also always perfect :D
I really like that brought females into the video too🙏🏼
Another important side-effect you could have added is the fact that most people with very low bodyfat suffer a decline in libido/ sex-drive. Also it should be mentioned that you will freeze more, even in Summer
the body dysmorphia is the biggest facts tbh. I have always been skinny with low % . I play soccer so i eat a lot too to balance out but the last 3 months since off season i haven’t played as much and i’ve started working out which helped me gain more muscle but i realised i wanted to keep that shredded look i had from during the season burning so many calories but since i wasn’t doing so much strenuous activities i started eating less and it worked but i felt like shit all day and the super tiny lower belly fat i had still bothered my despite having a size 29 waist
Thank you, this was so precious to learn. I hope it will help many to (counter)balance their ideal body after tons of social media exposure.
Fantastic video! There has been a huge increase in the prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and this video finally tells the WHOLE story of getting shredded.
All those shredded influencers are secretly eating dog food, it's the secret to real gains...
Excellent video, I'm glad more people are covering this side of things. It's important for people to realize that as a natty you CANNOT maintain that level of leanness year round without injury, sleep issues, sexual dysfunctions and even things like depression due to hormones tanking. It also negative impacts your progress because as we know nearly all muscular gains happen during a caloric surplus. Also athleticism in general will take a hit and so will strength. It's basically impossible to maintain being ultra lean while doing intensive strength/power cycles in training. Some days you'll come in and feels like all your strength is gone and you just want to go home to sleep.
People have to realize there's a reason elite athletes don't look like bodybuilders. The body naturally does not want you to be in a state of deprivation and performs substantially better with a reasonable amount of bodyfat/dietary fat.
Lol this guy is juiced 100%
One of the best fitness video creators
Jeff, can you please do a video on longer duration waterfasting? ive read some research and have tried it myself. really liked it, but still i would be stoked to hear you break down the science on this one!
8:03 dont do it Jeff, you have people who care about you!
Lol
The 3 main Points in this video:
1. 0:52 These Photos were taken minutes apart
2. 1:38 Body dysmorphia is exacerbated at very low bodyfats
3. 2:23 Being shredded comes with unhealthy side effects
Thank you very much Jeff for these videos!
Perfect video. Thanks for loading this up!
my family seems to have a really high "lower set point", i've personally cut down to 12-14% and started to get all those side effects, my healthy range has always hovered between 16-20%. When i went higher than 20% during my bulks, my appetite just completely crashed leading to me not eating nearly enough causing me to lose muscle and fat.
(I'm a guy btw, so probably quite unusal)
I'm wondering if it's possible for the set range to change over time. For example, if the low end of a set range is 12% and a person maintains 12-13% for a sustained amount of time, will the low end eventually adjust dow to, say, 10%?
From what I’ve seen and experienced, to a point, yes, especially when you add muscle.
Very likely. But I guess the sustained time might be too long to suggest an adaptive metabolism change rather than an age effect.
Its already been proven that it can be moved.
Yes, this has been my experience. As you suggest, the key is taking the body to somewhere on the edge of where it's comfortable and then hanging out there for a long time. Essential to avoid triggering the body's starvation response.
I had no idea. I honestly just thought once you get to a certain body fat, you maintain a set number of caloriesin/caloriesout and you just stay that way. I guess there's a lot more to it than that.
right! Today we learned
Thats is still true, but if the BF% is too low the body will fight you and you will 1. Not succed 2. Be miserable and unhealthy
From what I've watched so far from this topic, this js true until you get to single digit body fat.
Jeff, I want to thank you so much, I'm back in the gym after a 10 year break and have been following your advice religiously for the last 2 months.
You shattered a lot of what I thought I knew about training and nutrition.
I am making gains which I thought weren't even possible...
Mabe you can shed some light for me, I'm confused what does it mean when he says "Naturals"? I truly do want to get into weightlifting but I'm really not sure how to start.... I'm worried that if I start weight lifting I'll be in the gym for hours a day
Wait, whoaaaa, hang on now. Healthy no BS, intelligent and researched information about health and well being on UA-cam?... I think I have entered a different time line.
Seriously though Jeff, that was some of the best advice for bodybuilders or even just anyone trying to stay fit I've ever seen either in print, tv, online or whatever.
Thanks for being there for us.
The “Triangle” diagram is spot on! I’ve never used PEDs, HRT, or even Creatine. I’m working on becoming “natural and Big”. I’m thinking 🤔 about starting Creatine. Natural and shredded, and Big and shredded are unrealistic for me, and I’m fine with that!
The best way to get absolutely shredded is to go through a horrible breakup or an event/period in your life that’s so stressful that eating becomes hard to do 👍🏻
Awesome video Jeff. Is it possible to get to 10% bodyfat with nutrition only, or should you blitzing a ton of cardio?
Nutrition > resistance training > cardio
Order of importance. That being said, HIIT training *is* beneficial for fat loss vs cardio so implement these instead of longer, less effective cardio sessions :)
@@jakemorganGP Yeah, already got good nutrition and good work outs, just wondered whether I should be throwing an hour of cardio in there aswell? I am losing fat as it is, 30lb/13kg thus far, but I'm wondering how all these other natties get so shredded. My goal is only 10%, don't wanna drop below that.
It's a lot harder to burn 1000 calories than it is to simply not eat it.
Love your content and the knowledge I get from it but was wondering if you could do more vlogs.
Thank you so much for talking about this, there is so much more nuance and to most things there is a duality or a strong diminishing of returns.