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Program Guide
The purpose of this book is to simply introduce the program, and make sure
everyone is set on how things run - workouts, communication, nutrition,
supplementation, check-ins, all that.
Before we get started, I want to introduce myself, as some of you may have
simply stumbled upon my Fitocracy page without really knowing who I am.
I ll be completely honest - this is the exact same introduction letter that goes
into the beginning of my paid programs, so I re-posted it here for you all to
see. The course runs similarly to a guided program, with tons of interaction
along the way, so most of this is still applicable.
You know the story - start college, eat food, drink, get fat. I started working
out for the first time when I was around 19, trying to get back in shape, and
to say it went poorly would be an understatement. I attempted to bench press
95 pounds, got pinned under the bar in a crowded gym, and avoided the gym
completely in the following months.
Fast forward a few years. I had fallen in love with training, read everything I
could about the topic, and decided to pursue it for a living. So, three years
into business school, I made the careless brilliant decision to switch majors
Here are just a few of the client transformations and photo results that I m so
proud of. My clients work very hard; all I do is provide the guide and program
to follow. Hats off to them for making me look good.
This is where The Athletic Physique was born. My desire to bridge the two
worlds. Performance training, and training for pure looks - I believe you can
do both. No longer do you have to choose one or the other.
With this manual, you ll learn how to train for strength, performance, and look
like a fitness model doing it. You ll also learn how to eat and supplement to
support your performance and remove unwanted body fat, revealing your
best body ever. We train for show AND go.
I can t wait to get started, and I hope you enjoy the journey.
For example, let s say group A has 3 exercises - which we ll call A1-
A3. You d do A1, move as quickly as possible to A2, then quickly to
A3, before finally resting for the prescribed time. Sound good?
The benefit of using an RPE scale is that you can adjust for how
you feel on a given day. If you are tired one day, and you know
your program has 3 sets of 10, with a specific weight assigned,
you may be somewhat limited. It could be too easy for that day, or
too hard.
It will take some time to learn your body, and learn how to truly
train at an 8 or 9 RPE, but do your best, and give it time.
2. Warm Up Guide
Warm-ups are the least sexy, yet most important part of your
workout. Think of this as grooming yourself before a big date. A
warm-up gets your mind right and gets your head in the game,
while making sure your body is actually ready to handle what s
about to happen to it.
1. Physiological Benefits
When you warm-up, you get some blood flowing. Done correctly, a
warm up will increase blood flow to your muscles and joints,
activate your nervous system, and get the muscles firing properly.
You want your body to be explosive and powerful - ready for
anything. Treadmills don t do this for you.
2. Hormonal Benefits
Your warm-up will take roughly 10-15 minutes to work through, not
bad.
First, start by doing some foam rolling, if you have one. Most gyms
do these days. If not, I HIGHLY suggest buying one - it s totally
worth it. Here is the one I personally use and love.
3. The Workouts
Alright, let s talk training. Your workouts will mix and match
different training styles - strength, hypertrophy, and fat loss
workouts as we progress through the program. All three are key
when pursuing a lean, chiseled, high-performance physique.
Last but not least, the fat loss workouts. These are density
workouts, a method I learned from guys like Charles Staley, and my
mentor, John Romaniello. Density workouts were originally created
for muscle gain, but work very well for fat loss. Like, really well.
The next round, add weight, and you should actually get more
reps in the same time period. Not always, but it s common. Round
three and four keep the weight the same you used in round two,
and always aim for the same or more reps (it won t always
happen).
4. Workout Schedule
You should be aiming for 4 workouts per week, but the timing
doesn t matter. I would say no more than 2 workouts back to back,
so an ideal schedule could be Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri, or Mon/Wed/Thu/
Sat, any combination really that doesn t have 3 in a row. You need
to recover.
• Want all your foods to be chicken, rice, and olive oil? That works.
All I care about is you hitting your macros, and if you can, making
sure at least 70% of your food comes from whole, unprocessed
food sources. That s it. The rest is up to you. If you care about
performance, place at least half of your daily carbs around your
workout, with some before, and some after.
Now, with clients, I have very specific macro calculations I use, and
I adjust targets weekly to ensure continuing progress. However,
even the best calculation is simply a guess.
To figure out your macros, use a good calculator like this one. Try
to eat consistently for a week, hitting those numbers, and see how
your body changes. Lost weight? You re in a deficit. Gained
weight? You re eating too much.
Once you calculate your macros, stick with them as close as you
can for a week, see how your body responds, and adjust
accordingly. Here are my recommended adjustments:
Fat Loss: Aim for 1-2 lbs fat loss per week. If no progress
after 10 days on the scale, start by removing 25 carbs from
your daily total, and see. Alternatively, you can add 2-3 cardio
sessions per week.
Muscle Gain: Aim for 0.5-2 pounds gain per month, nice and
slow. If no scale gain after 7 days, add 40-50 carbs to your
daily total.
6. Supplementation Guide
Supplements. We ve made it. Or maybe you skimmed to here, but
either way, here we are. The supplement section. Everyone s
favorite.
• Protein Powder
• Greens Powder
• Fish Oil
• Vitamin D
Disclaimer #2: Some of the links are affiliate links. That means, if
you buy through the link provided, I might get a little kickback.
HOWEVER. I only recommend products I love; I get asked all the
time to promote stuff, and usually I say no. Also, some of the links I
provide get you special discounts, and ALL are links to the
cheapest source I can find.
A very high-quality greens product, like Athletic Greens, will be made from whole
foods, and provide all the nutrients you need and then some.
It’s a natural product, very good for your immune and digestive system, and
definitely covers your bases.
Now, I know this product is pricey. You get what you pay for, but it’s not the
cheapest green option on the market. If you want to try a more entry-level greens
product, I suggest Onnit’s Greens, as they are another favorite, high-quality
company I love. Not quite as good as AG for greens, but a lot cheaper, and still
very good.
However, if you do want to try AG, they hooked me up with a special discount
only for my clients. If you click the link below, you can get 50% off your first
order AND a free bottle of Omega-3s. Not a bad deal.
(I meant it when I said that link is not available to the public, and it’s only good for
your first order. Seriously, go look, you won’t find that offer. So as a client bonus,
if you want to share that link with immediate friends and family, if and only if you
love the product, go ahead. They can enjoy the discount as well.)
MTS ships from Tiger Fitness, a company I order from all the time, and absolutely
love. Great shipping speed, and incredible customer service. They sell all sorts of
supplements.
I can also vouch for Creamy Red Velvet and Chocolate, but haven’t tried the other
flavors. If you buy a different flavor, please let me know how it is!
Also, MTS is an excellent company, and I’ve tried most of their products. If you
want to try their other stuff, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to give it a shot. They do
have a greens product as well, but it’s under-dosed compared to AG and Onnit.
Tastes amazing, but you’ll go through it twice as fast.
Vitamin D is also essential for many, many functions. Bone strength, mood,
energy, hormonal production (think testosterone) – you need it. You could get it
from sunlight, but if you aren’t outdoors a lot, you’ll probably want to
supplement with a little. For this, one see a doctor first, as it’s possible to take too
much.
There are plenty of high-quality brand out there, so I’m just going to leave my
personal favorite here for you to check out, but most brands will work. If you go
to Labdoor, you can search your brand of choice and see if it’s good.
EXOS is one of the highest-quality scientific brand out there, and incredibly fair
priced. They are closely affiliated with Dr. John Berardi and Precision Nutrition.
I’m a PN Coach myself (NOT cheap), so that should show you how much faith I
have in Dr. Berardi. He’s one of the leading experts in the field of sport nutrition,
and he directly advises this company. Very trustworthy and high-quality.
I’m not going to try and hard sell you on the, I’m just going to say, I absolutely
love everything they’ve ever made. Now, nothing they make is essential by any
means, but I’d still check out their site. You’ll love it.
Here are some of my personal favorite Onnit supps that I use everyday.
Alpha Brain – This stuff is like a mild, natural Adderall. When I sit down to write, I
pop a few with a cup of coffee, and usually have an amazing writing session. Love
me some Alpha Brain.
Deodorant - This is weird, yes, but Onnit makes my favorite deodorant. It’s
natural, which means no aluminum to screw up your body from the inside, and it
smells great. I dare you to read this product description and not buy it
immediately.
Beyond those, I love their T-shirts, other supplements I’ve tried, and badass
workout gear. I have 3 Onnit kettlebells at home I use all the time.
I didn t go looking for the best foods all around, I just wrote about
what I always buy at the store. Foods that are probably good for
you, like mushrooms and tomatoes, I absolutely HATE, so you won t
see them on the list. This is just how I eat.
Protein Sources
• Egg Whites
• White fish
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Ezekiel Bread
• Non-fat candy for high carb days. I prefer original Skittles and
Twizzlers.
Fat Sources
• Whole eggs
• Cheese