Be a Beast: The No BS guide to get strong, lose fat and build muscle

Table of contents :
Table of Contents
Becoming a Beast
Who are you?
TL;DR (of the whole book)
The secret
Practice over theory
Train, don't exercise
Man or a woman?
Do you just want to lose fat?
Should you sleep at the gym to get results?
Will you achieve your goals?
Is weight training dangerous?
Can you lose fat only from specific body parts?
Can you build muscle only on specific body parts?
Should you take Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)?
Who is this book for?
Why I started lifting?
Training
Is there a perfect program?
Should you use a set of routines and stick with them?
How many sets and reps should you do?
Should you train 1 muscle group per week?
How long should you rest?
Training hard
Progressive overload
Excercise selection
How to warm up?
How to choose your weight?
Should you do cardio?
Should you hire a coach?
Can you build muscle without lifting heavy?
Will you be stronger?
High bar vs Low bar squat/Sumo vs Conventional deadlift
Equipment
Diet
How to calculate your macros?
How many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate, or protein?
What your goals should be?
How fast/slow should you change your body weight?
How can you tell you're making progress?
Eating healthy vs eating for results
How often should you eat?
Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?
Its all about the calories
How to count calories?
What food should you eat?
You need that protein
Should you cycle between bulking and cutting?
Should you go Keto (or another diet)?
How much water should you drink?
What supplements should you take?
Consistency
Motivation
Dealing with injuries
Hitting a plateau
Keep your diet going
You will fuck up
Keep learning
Your journey starts now
Got more questions?
Practical tips
People to follow
Resources

Citation preview

Be a Beast The No BS guide to get strong, lose fat and build muscle Venelin Valkov This book is for sale at http://leanpub.com/be-a-beast This version was published on 2020-02-07

This is a Leanpub book. Leanpub empowers authors and publishers with the Lean Publishing process. Lean Publishing is the act of publishing an in-progress ebook using lightweight tools and many iterations to get reader feedback, pivot until you have the right book and build traction once you do. © 2020 Venelin Valkov

CONTENTS

Contents Becoming a Beast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Who are you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TL;DR (of the whole book) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practice over theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Train, don’t exercise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Man or a woman? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Do you just want to lose fat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Should you sleep at the gym to get results? . . . . . . . . Will you achieve your goals? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is weight training dangerous? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Can you lose fat only from specific body parts? . . . . . Can you build muscle only on specific body parts? . . . Should you take Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? Who is this book for? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Why I started lifting? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Is there a perfect program? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Should you use a set of routines and stick with them? . How many sets and reps should you do? . . . . . . . . Should you train 1 muscle group per week? . . . . . . . How long should you rest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Training hard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Progressive overload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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2 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 8 10 15 15 16 16 17 17 18

CONTENTS

Excercise selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to warm up? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to choose your weight? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Should you do cardio? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Should you hire a coach? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Can you build muscle without lifting heavy? . . . . . . . Will you be stronger? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High bar vs Low bar squat/Sumo vs Conventional deadlift Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 22

Diet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to calculate your macros? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate, or protein? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What your goals should be? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How fast/slow should you change your body weight? . . How can you tell you’re making progress? . . . . . . . . Eating healthy vs eating for results . . . . . . . . . . . . . How often should you eat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time? . . Its all about the calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to count calories? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What food should you eat? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You need that protein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Should you cycle between bulking and cutting? . . . . . Should you go Keto (or another diet)? . . . . . . . . . . . How much water should you drink? . . . . . . . . . . . . What supplements should you take? . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Consistency . . . . . . . . Motivation . . . . . . . Dealing with injuries . Hitting a plateau . . . Keep your diet going . You will fuck up . . .

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Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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CONTENTS

Keep learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Your journey starts now Got more questions? . Practical tips . . . . . People to follow . . . . Resources . . . . . . .

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1

CONTENTS

Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one. - Bruce Lee

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

Becoming a Beast Let me begin by clearing something up - there is no easy way to get the results you’re seeking. There are, however, a lot of hard ways that will not give you the results, either. The 3 pillars that give results every time are: • Weight training • Diet • Consistency Another important thing: Your body composition is highly dependant on your diet. You might have all the muscle you need, but with a layer of fat, you still got a lot of work to look athletic.

Who are you? This book is written for the beginner. You have less than a year of lifting experience and still getting stronger fast (almost every workout). You have no expertise in exercises and can’t design your own programs. Here are the most common mistakes you can do at this stage: -Starting with too complicated program - Please, do not follow the advanced/expert chest or legs routine of your favorite bodybuilder/powerlifter. You need a tiny amounts of stimulus to get huge results (newbie gains). Milk that time!

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Becoming a Beast

-EGO lifting - The fastest way to get stronger and more jacked is by properly doing the exercises and eating enough. All your work might be invalidated if you’re half-repping 45 lb plates on the bench. You might get injured too! -Constantly changing your programs - “You have to shock the muscle”. NO! Just train and you’ll get jacked/stronger. Nothing advanced at this stage. You have to practice and build mastery! -Overthinking - Do the concentric faster or slower. Twisting at the top of the bicep curl. You rest exactly 120 seconds. This doesn’t matter! Lift the freaking weight up and down. Don’t think about that stuff. It wouldn’t make even 1% of a difference.

TL;DR (of the whole book) You are a beginner: Newbie lifters can grow with almost any program/routine. Your first year of lifting should focus on learning how to do exercises and building the habit of hitting the gym. Your diet (and genetics) dictates the amount of muscle and/or fat you’re gaining. Muscle building: You need to eat enough to slowly gain weight (about 0.25% of your body weight/week), increase the weight on the bar/dumbbells, do more. Eat 1.1 grams/lb protein and 16 kcal/lb calories. Weight loss:

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

4

Becoming a Beast

You need to lose about 1% of your body weight/week. Eat slightly fewer calories than the required to maintain your weight. Keep your protein relatively high, about 1.25 grams/lb, and eat 11.5 kcal/lb.

The secret Have you heard of the new supplement that adds 10 lbs of muscle while burning fat in 2 weeks? How about the new exercise (machine) that effortlessly works all your muscles? Fitness fads are all around you, and I wish some of them were true. But they are not. If something promises quick results without effort - you should probably run away from it. There is no secret! No secret exercise(s), no secret diet, no secret way of doing cardio (fasted cardio squad hating right now). There are, however, effective ways to build your workouts, choose your calorie intake, and minimize your time at the gym (so you can enjoy your life).

Practice over theory You might be big on exercise science, reading all the studies from top researchers and all. That is awesome! Continue to do that if you like it. But please remember, you need to be a meathead if you want the best results possible - you need to train hard, eat right, sleep, and keep at it for extended periods. There are no substitutes for that - no supplements, no PEDs, no magical potions can substitute those. Of course, good genetics will help a lot.

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

5

Becoming a Beast

Train, don’t exercise “Now, I train to be healthy” - a colleague of mine said to me. “I want to become X and just maintain”. No, you need to train and continue to improve! In general, you want to set goals and strive to achieve them. Following the perfect diet and workout plan for a month or two will get you nowhere! Consistency is key! You should keep yourself motivated. Making progress towards your goals is one of the best ways to stay in the game!

Man or a woman? Prepare yourself for a shocker. Training, diet, and consistency should be no different based on your gender, age, or ethnicity. Of course, you should be cleared by your health professional to embark on this journey!

Do you just want to lose fat? No! Odds are, you want to look good, not skinny. That means low body fat percentage combined with a good amount of muscle. Of course, you should pack some fat in the right places, too!

Should you sleep at the gym to get results? No! You can start by spending 3 x 1h 30min per week, up that to 4 x 2 hours, and keep that up to 5+ years. Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Becoming a Beast

Will you achieve your goals? Yes, as long as you’re reasonable with setting them! Look, your genetics will play a significant role. Still, you don’t know your limits until you hit them! More importantly, no one can tell you what they are until you get there!

Is weight training dangerous? In a word - NO! In fact, resistance training is one of the safest physical activities you can do. Of course, you can get injured if you do stupid stuff. Learn how to perform the exercises and keep your fatigue in check. Here is a study you can read for further information: The Epidemiology of Injuries Across the Weight-Training Sports¹

Can you lose fat only from specific body parts? No, even though some studies suggest you might be. Just stick with your diet and do your cardio. Those steps will remove the excess body fat.

Can you build muscle only on specific body parts? Yes, you have to do exercises that target those muscles. ¹https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0921/2818/files/Keogh_Winwood_Weight_Training_ Sports_Injury_Review.pdf Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Becoming a Beast

Some people can build their lower or upper body much faster. One simple thing you can do to balance your physique is to increase the volume of your weak parts. You’ll have to decrease the volume from other parts.

Should you take Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs)? No! I haven’t used them and can’t advise you on the effects and side effects of these. Also, you shouldn’t do anything illegal! That said, train for at least 5 years before seriously considering them. In my opinion, recreational athletes shouldn’t use this stuff - it requires a very knowledgeable coach, lots of cash, medical supervision, trusted source(s), and you still can’t guarantee risk-free outcome!

Who is this book for? This book is written for the regular gym goer that wants to get stronger, build muscle and lose some fat. You might have a job (including a side-hustle), family (including kids), and just enough money to spend on a gym membership card. The time you have might be your limiting factor. Still, you should be able to reserve 10-12 hours/week for the gym. • You are a woman or a man between 18 and 60 years old • You are ready to stick with it until results start showing up (it might take time)

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

8

Becoming a Beast

• You are healthy and cleared for doing resistance training by your healthcare professional • You want to be the best version of yourself • You want to lose weight and/or build muscle • You are not afraid of putting hard work • You DO NOT want to spend crazy amounts of cash on supplements • You DO NOT want to win bodybuilding or powerlifting events (that would require much more optimized/prioritized approach) • You DO NOT have massive amounts of time to spend in the gym

Why I started lifting? I was a chubby kid. Pretty lazy, too! My dad tried to push me into a couple of sports without success (skiing, running). Time went by, and I was still chubby. I started going to judo along with my sister and a girl that I liked. Throughout puberty, I stopped being chubby and was now considered slim and tall. I dropped out after 3 years of training. I started high school (like that is a justifiable reason). Again, I was chubby. So, I started lifting weights with a couple of friends. I was hooked. I was in love. I was training for the next 9-10 years (pretty consistently). I moved to calisthenics/gymnastics training, running and riding my bike. All was well when a disaster happened. My then-girlfriend was light as a feater. One day, we were joking around and fooling around. I asked her to jump, so I would catch her. That she did but… “I broke my back”. I spend an insane amount of time whining. Constantly visiting neurologists and neurosurgeons. For 3+ years Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

9

Becoming a Beast

I was a scared shitless about lifting heavy stuff (like a bag of groceries), and feeling pain. Disaster! I was just fine! But I had to show my pain sensations who the boss is. Then I discovered Barbell Medicine and Starting Strength. I was obsessed with deadlifting. Oh, it hurt some at the start. A month down the road, the pain was gone (for a while). Miracle? No! Actually, this is pretty common. I haven’t skipped a session for 2+ years (except when I broke 2 ribs - deload, right?). Once you build the habit, it’s like a drug. A good one :)

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

Training Sometimes you got to smash that You should train more as you get more experienced. The Repeated Bout Effect² states roughly the following: The more you repeat an exercise, the easier it gets on your body. You adapt to it! The training principles presented in this book have the following objective: • Get you stronger on basic compound lifts (presses, squats, and deadlifts) • Build muscle mass (and possibly reduce body fat) • Keep you healthy (joints and connective tissue) in the long run • Build self-efficacy and confidence You can use the workout plan if: • You are getting started with resistence training (less than 6 training experience) • You are returning from injury • You are returning from extended break (more than 4 weeks) Here is a workout plan that you can start with: Week 1 ²https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness#Repeated-bout_effect

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Training

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8

Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

Cardio 20 minute (Steady State)

Week 2 Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

12

Training

Day 1 Barbell Rows

Day 2 Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Day 3 Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Cardio 25 minute (Steady State)

Week 3 Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Cardio 25 minute (Steady State)

Week 4 Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

13

Training

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Cardio 30 minute (Steady State)

Week 5 Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6

Bench Press 8 reps @ RPE 6

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

14

Training

Day 1 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets

Day 2 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets

Day 3 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets

Barbell Rows

Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8 x 2 sets

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets

Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8 x 3 sets

Cardio 30 minute (Steady State)

Cardio 30 minute (Steady State)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Squat 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8

Bench Press 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8

Deadlift 6 reps @ RPE 6 6 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 6 reps @ RPE 8

Standing Overhead Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8

Incline Dumbbell Press 8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8

Bench Press

Barbell Rows

Squat

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 8 reps @ RPE 8

10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8

Standing Overhead Press 10 reps @ RPE 6 10 reps @ RPE 7 10 reps @ RPE 8

Week 6

8 reps @ RPE 6 8 reps @ RPE 7 x 2 sets 8 reps @ RPE 8

Cardio Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Training

Day 1

Day 2 30 minute (Steady State)

Day 3

This program has the following features built-in: • • • • •

Get you stronger and build muscle Focus on basic compound exercises (only barbells) Progression based on volume and intensity 3 workouts per week Conditioning (cardio)

Is there a perfect program? No! More importantly, every freaking program you find on the internet is NOT personalized for you! After you have some training experience, only you and possibly your coach can design a workout program that is personalized for you. Here’s the kicker, though. You don’t need the perfect program. You just need something that helps you make progress. Making consistent progress over a long period of training (years) will get you to your genetic limit (if such a thing exists). You might need 10+ years of hard training for that.

Should you use a set of routines and stick with them? No, but you can use them as long as you are making progress (you use more weight for the same reps every 2-4 weeks). After that point, you can should for a proper program. Finding a good workout template online might be harder than you think. The ones I can wholeheartedly recommend are: Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

16

Training

• Barbell Medicine Training Templates³ • RP Training Templates⁴ I am in no way affiliated with those companies/people.

How many sets and reps should you do? There is no single/simple answer on this one. In general, you should do between 8 and 20 sets per muscle group per week. The range should be between 5 and 20 reps. Some of the most effective programs play around with those numbers. You can read about this stuff called periodization⁵. Basically, this is a way to juggle between different goals at different stages at your training. It is a common practice to have different rep ranges and sets on different weeks/months in your training. One simple way to do periodization in strength/hypertrophy training is to start with low volume and intensity. Then gradually (over a couple of weeks/months) try to push those up. You might end things with a deload or pivot week(s) and restart the process.

Should you train 1 muscle group per week? Probably not (scratch that if you are advanced/expert lifter). You should hit a muscle group 2-3 times a week. Let me clear something from the start. You might bench press multiple times per week with ³https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/training-templates/ ⁴https://renaissanceperiodization.com/rp-store/rp-templates?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters_ selected%5B%5D=&filters_selected%5B%5D=215 ⁵https://www.strongerbyscience.com/periodization-history-theory/

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

17

Training

a single “heavy session”. Other sessions might include incline bench press or dumbbells with a different rep range. Have a look at those articles for more info: • Training Frequency for Strength Development: What the Data Say⁶ • Training Frequency for Muscle Growth: What the Data Say⁷

How long should you rest? 3-5 minutes on heavy sets (RPE 7 and above) on compound exercises (squats, presses, deadlifts), and 2-3 minutes on isolation exercises (bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, flyes, lateral raises). Most (if not all) work as a beginner should be composed of straight sets - with a lot of rest in between. Don’t reduce your rest times (along with the weight)!

Training hard Unfortunatelly, exactly how hard you train is difficult to measure. Additionally, your performance will differ on different days. You might be able to bench 225lb for 10 today but only 215lb in a week. One tool to solve this problem is RPE. In a resistance training context, Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) measures how hard a set is perceived to be. It was popularized and modified by Mike Tuscherer⁸.The RPE scale goes from 1 to 10. For example: if you aim at RPE 8, you should end the set with 2 reps left in the tank. ⁶https://www.strongerbyscience.com/training-frequency/ ⁷https://www.strongerbyscience.com/frequency-muscle/ ⁸https://www.reactivetrainingsystems.com/Home/AboutUs

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

18

Training

Unfortunately, you will not be good at estimating RPE at first. You might no be good after some training too. See Self-Selected Resistance Exercise Load: Implications for Research and Prescription⁹. Well, you should train hard!

Progressive overload You have to make your workouts harder over time. You need more stress, not less! You don’t need more recovery time! You need to go harder over time! This should make sense. Adding another inch of muscle to your bicep, after training for 5+ years, can be done (if possible) by doing much more stressful workouts (drop sets, giant sets, metabolite work). And no, it’s not as simple as adding 5lbs to your lifts every workout. This will not be possible every week/month. You can use volume and intensity to get more stimulus (more stress) from your workouts. • Volume - number of sets x number of reps • Intensity - how close your set to failure is (RPE 10) Unfortunately, going balls to the wall all the time is not a sustainable strategy. You accumulate too much fatigue and your performance drops dramatically. Those types of situations might require deload or pivot weeks. Most good programs will try to balance the volume and intensity based on your goals. Its both art and science. When building muscle, you can stay at the 60-75% weight of your 1 rep max for a couple of weeks without the need for a deload. However, getting stronger might require a higher intensity. ⁹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29112055 Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Training

Excercise selection Obviously, you need exercises that target the muscles you want to hit. Are some exercises superior to others though? Not really, there are no magical exercises. I know, you are sitting there still, shocked. Let me explain. Your body doesn’t have a magical switch for more muscle growth when you do deadlifts or squats. You can replace every exercise with something similar as long as you are training a similar pattern (squatting, picking stuff from the floor, pressing, rowing). With that out of the way, I would like to defend the compound lifts. There are extremely effective and proven in time. You can train for a year doing only squats, deadlifts, presses, and rows and become a beast. They give you an unparallel amount of growth stimulus but also incur a lot of fatigue. They are also very time-efficient - train a lot of muscles with a single exercise. I am not here to tell you that the strength of squats and deadlift will transfer to your daily life. You can do your workouts using only machines and still be huge. Heck, you can just go for 5 jogs/week and be healthy and fit. My point is - if you want to be big, strong, while not spending hours and hours in the gym, basic compound exercises are proven way to do it!

How to warm up? One of the easiest and time-efficient ways to warm up is to do the exercise with almost no weight (using the bar). Let’s say you’re warming up for a squat set of 100 kg for 6 reps. You can warm up as follows: • 6 reps x 3-5 sets with an empty barbell Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Training

• • • • •

6 reps x 1 set with 40 kg 6 reps x 1 set with 60 kg 6 reps x 1 set with 80 kg (about RPE 6) 6 reps x 1 set with 90 kg (about RPE 7) 6 reps x 1 set with 100 kg (about RPE 8)

This helps you warm up your joints and muscles. You’ll also prepare your nervous system for the heavy loads. NEVER attempt to lift anything heavy (like 1 rep max) without warming up. You should rest for about 20 seconds between empty bar sets. No more than a minute on sets below RPE 7.

How to choose your weight? Selecting a good weight for your workout session is both art and practical skill you can master. In the beginning, you will overshoot or undershoot your RPEs. But in a couple of weeks, you will get better. Perfect accuracy is not required! You should prefer to undershoot your RPEs since you’ll not accumulate fatigue too fast. Still, there should be days on which you feel strong and do some serious progress. Strength comes into waves. You should ride those!

Should you do cardio? Absolutely, but don’t go too hard on it! Doing cardio is one of the proven ways to keep you healthy and fit. Also, you get the benefit of keeping your body fat in check. You might have the belief that doing weight training burns a lot of calories. WRONG! Going for a 20-minute walk will burn many more calories than the heaviest workout you can imagine. Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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So please, do the damn cardio! Not fasted, not at the start of your workout. 20-40 minutes at the end of your workout(s) or on off days.

Should you hire a coach? Yes, if you can afford it. He/she must be good, too. And that can be something you can really tell. Second best option is to purchase templates done by people who understand how to build a program. Again, here are my program recommendations: • Barbell Medicine Training Templates¹⁰ • RP Training Templates¹¹

Can you build muscle without lifting heavy? Not really. But heavy is a relative term. For you, a single rep at the bench press of 225 lb might be heavy. For a trained athlete - that should be a warmup set. You need to work with weight at above 60% of your 1 rep max. And you should absolutely push the weight over time.

Will you be stronger? Yes, but strength is specific. You’ll build strength only in the movement patterns you’re exercising. I know this might be a shocker, but deadlifting will probably not increase your standing overhead press by much. ¹⁰https://www.barbellmedicine.com/shop/training-templates/ ¹¹https://renaissanceperiodization.com/rp-store/rp-templates?utf8=%E2%9C%93&filters_ selected%5B%5D=&filters_selected%5B%5D=215

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High bar vs Low bar squat/Sumo vs Conventional deadlift It DOESN’T matter! Just pick a style that you’re comfortable with. And stick with it (progress with that style). You can try things out, how does it feel, etc. Personally, I do low bar squat and conventional deadlift. Just for the sake of it, you can start with these.

Equipment When starting, you shouldn’t need anything except probably squat shoes. Squat shoes elevate your heel, which also helps you get lower (below parallel). Having a hard surface allows you to balance the weight better and keep everything over your midfoot. I would recommend you get a proper powerlifting belt after a month or so. After a couple of months of serious lifting, you might look for high-quality equipment that will last you for years: • • • • •

Squat shoes Belt Wrist wraps Knee wraps Straps

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Diet Calories in, calories out Nutrition can be a squishy subject. You might be a vegetarian, vegan, or doing keto. Nutrition can be easy too! More or less, you can follow this advice to reach your goals: Eat 3-4 times per day, enough protein and enough calories to reach your goals You can follow those 3 simple steps to get your diet in check: • Define your goal - cut weight, gain weight or maintain • Calculate the calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fats you need per day • Measure your weight daily and adjust accordingly The good news is that when you build some muscle, you’ll be able to eat more and not gain fat (more muscle burns more calories even when resting).

How to calculate your macros? You can use the following table to calculate your macros depending on your goals:

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Goal

Calories (kcal/lb)

Weight 11.4 Loss Muscle 15.5 Building Recomposition 12.7

Protein (grams/lb) 1.2

Carbohydrates Fat (gram(grams/lb) s/lb) 1 0.3

1.05

1.8

0.5

1.12

1.22

0.35

Let’s say you’re 220 lbs individual and want to lose some weight. The calculations come up to: • • • •

Calories: 11.4 x 220 = 2508 kcal Protein: 1.2 x 220 = 264 grams Carbohydrates: 1 x 220 = 220 grams Fat: 0.3 x 220 = 66 grams

Let’s say you would want to build muscle and again weigh 220 lbs: • • • •

Calories: 15.5 x 220 = 3410 kcal Protein: 1.05 x 220 = 231 grams Carbohydrates: 1.8 x 220 = 396 grams Fat: 0.5 x 220 = 110 grams

You can see that the difference is significant in the number of carbohydrates and fats you’re consuming. You should always strive to keep your protein levels high!

How many calories are in one gram of fat, carbohydrate, or protein? You might’ve noticed that the amount of the recommended fat is not that high. Here is why: Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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• 1 g. of protein: 4 kcal • 1 g. of carbohydrates: 4 kcal • 1 g. of fat: 9 kcal Fats have a high amount (double that of protein and carbohydrates) of calories. Of course, you need enough to function properly. Should you go high on fat (looking at you, Keto)? Show me a reason why!?

What your goals should be? For the average person, you might want to target a range of body fat percentages to be considered “athletic-looking”. Let me be clear about this. You are beautiful! Most of the society associates these body fat percentages with athleticism. Males want to be in the 10-15% body fat range. This means visible abs (not just definition). Here’s an example:

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Diet

Man with body fat in the 10-15% range

If you’re female, you might want to be in the 20-25%. You want to have a flat belly with some abs definition. Here’s an example look of that:

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Diet

Woman with body fat in the 20-25% range

Being in that of body fat range allows you to perform at or near your optimum athletic level. The average person will benefit from reducing the calories and Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Diet

increasing the protein intake. If you’re outside the body fat ranges - calculate your macros using the weight loss goal.

How fast/slow should you change your body weight? Want to lose weight? Reduce calories and lose about 1% of body weight in a week Want to gain weight? Increase calories and increase body weight by 0.25% in a week

How can you tell you’re making progress? You wake up, take some quality time for yourself, and weigh in. You do it every day. You’re on the third week of your weight loss journey. Everything went great so far. But today your weight went up - by a full pound! What should you do? Change your diet? Do more cardio? Reduce your calories? NO! It’s all about the trend (daily data points almost don’t matter). Having one or two bad days is not enough to change anything. If the situation doesn’t change (or goes worse) for 4-5 days - start with walking more (doing more steps through the day), then decrease the calories, and as a last resort - increase the cardio.

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Diet

Eating healthy vs eating for results You can lose weight eating McDonald’s. You have to eat fewer calories than you burn. Should you do it? NO! You can and should eat both healthy and targeting your goals. And come on, you know what this means. You already know that eating chips and fake looking meat are not good for you! You already know that eating lean meat, veggies, and fruits can’t be beaten. Those types of foods are timeless. Proven in time! It might be a good idea to find good sources, too! Also, your food shouldn’t be something you don’t like. There are no magical foods! You should aim for variety and something you like. You don’t have to eat chicken, rice, and broccoli to get jacked! Personally, I can’t get enough of some types of food. I love eating beef, Bulgarian yogurt, cheese, eggs, oats, bread, apples, oranges, bananas and multiple types of nuts. Can I get lean using those foods? Yes! Can I get fat eating those foods? Yes! Are those healthy? Absolutely! What are your favorite foods? Can you eat those for months? Are they healthy? Are they (mostly) low on calories and high on protein?

How often should you eat? You can generally trust your body on this one. Eat when you feel hungry. You should aim for 3-4 meals per day. Space them out evenly. If your body/mind fails you, leave between 3 and 5 hours between each meal.

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Diet

Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time? Yes and no. As a beginner, you’ll look transformed every month. Losing fat and building muscle will occur in the same period. As an advanced lifter, the rate of muscle building will slow down significantly. You’ll need a caloric surplus (or some of the special sauce) to make some gains.

Its all about the calories The way (proven by countless practitioners and some studies) to gain or lose weight is to change your daily calorie intake. Of course, you might also change the number of burnt calories per day. The famous “calories in, calories out” is the real deal! But please, keep your protein intake high and do not go too fast when losing weight (go for 1% of your body weight per week). Do not gain weight too fast too (go for 0.25% of your body weight per week)!

How to count calories? There are a lot of tools out there that help you count calories. Still, the process is laborious and error-prone! The good news is that you need a rough estimate of your macros! The bad news is that it takes time to get rough estimates. My favorite calorie counting tool is Cronometer¹². Of course, you can use something like MyFitnessPal or whatever you find comfortable. Make sure to keep track of your calories rigorously ¹²https://cronometer.com/ Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Diet

for at least 3-4 weeks (if you eat somewhat similar meals). After that, you’ll build some intuition and probably get away without tracking on most days.

What food should you eat? Ok, getting to know your macros was easy. But a dieting person knows that choosing the actual foods you’re going to eat is the most important part. Devil is in the detail. You should aim for foods that are healthy (as raw as possible), filling, low in calories and are high in one of the macronutrients (this one is important). Avoid foods that are high in fats and carbohydrates! All the sweets and junk fall into that category. Be warned. Eating junk and sweets is addicting. You’ll find that after you’ve eaten clean for 2-3 weeks, junk food will not be that attractive. The start might be tough on you, be prepared. Here are some good (the list is not exclusive) choices: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Lean beef Chicken breast Chicken tight Tuna Yogurt Carrots Bananas Walnuts Tomatoes Cucumbers Spinach Cottage cheese Eggs Blueberries Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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• • • • •

Popcorns Dark/protein bread Raw/chunky peanut butter (careful with the calories) Strawberries Apples

You need that protein Whatever your diet is, you need to eat enough protein. Aim for at least 20 grams of protein per meal. Supplements might help you get enough throughout busy days.

Should you cycle between bulking and cutting? This is a mistake that I’ve done countless times in the past. You get in shape, showing some abs, the performance in the gym is great, you keep building muscle. “Oh, I should bulk up now”. Next thing you know - you’re fat. Then you start “the cut”. Your gym performance goes to shit, you have to do more cardio, you’re feeling hungry. That sucks. NO! Don’t go through bulk and cutting cycles. Once you’re lean enough, increase your calories by 100-300, and continue to do so, until your abs start to hide (visible abs for man, ab definition for women). That way, you can keep the athletic look all year round.

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Diet

Should you go Keto (or another diet)? For the regular gym-goer, any famous diet is full of shit. You don’t need to endure any torture required by some crazy diets. Whether or not you want to eat animals and animal products is an ethical decision that only you can make. I respect your choice on that one. Eat healthy, stay in target protein, and calorie range. That way, you’ll achieve your goals!

How much water should you drink? The average person might benefit from increasing their water intake. It might be especially beneficial when losing fat. For some, drinking water lowers their hunger. Here are some general recommendations: • Men - about 4.2 liters / 1.1 gallons • Women - about 3.7 liters / 0.98 gallons

What supplements should you take? NONE! Supplements might give you something like a 5% improvement. Also, some of them might be not healthy for you. In general, humanity hasn’t been using supplements for long enough to have a definitive conclusion(s) about their safety. Supplements have a positive side too. They can be used as partial meal replacements (mostly protein powders and gainers). A protein bar might save you some time when you’re on the go or got some work to do. Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Do you want to take some? Ok! Here is a list of some that might work for you: • • • •

Protein powder Creatine Citrulline Malate Beta-Alanine

That’s it. Most stuff they sell you don’t work. Don’t waste your money on it!

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

Consistency Slow and steady wins the race. Like every time! I was talking with someone at the gym (after a set of squats): • Person: Whoa, you train 2 times a day. That’s why you squat so much, right? (actually, my squat is pretty weak) • Me: Well, I train 4 times/week. How often do you train? • Person: Oh, I train every day. 3 months later • Me: Hey, haven’t seen you around for a while. How is training going? • Person: Oh, haven’t trained for the past 2 months. Life just happened. The moral of the story is: don’t do a weak start. You need to build the habit of hitting the gym. That takes some time. Start with 3 times/week and ramp-up to 4 or 5 times. Catch yourself smiling after a hard set. Hit some PRs. Make a friend or two. Talk to a hottie. Just never stop!

Motivation I don’t care if you want to go Keto. You maybe want to do fasting cardio. Choose a strength-focused routine or hypertrophy-biased one. You might want to follow 5 full-body workouts per week routine. You might dislike the gym and love riding your bike!

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Consistency

If that is the thing that keeps exercising, progressing, moving, keeping your body within acceptable body fat percentage, and keeps a smile on your face. KEEP DOING IT! Find the thing that keeps you happy and going in the long run. Do it until the end of time, and don’t care about others’ say. Except if you’re harming yourself. Signing up for a local powerlifting meet might help you stay motivated too. So, you might want to give it a shot.

Dealing with injuries Getting injured in the gym is extremely unlikely. Unless you do something really stupid you, you’ll be fine. But, there will be aches and pains. Your lower back might start hurting, all of a sudden. Your knees might start making strange noises during squats. You might experience some pain, too! Should you declare yourself injured, get out of the gym, and never come back? Highly unlikely that this might be the correct approach. Please, understand this - you’re tough really tough. Your body can endure a lot! It can heal (repair) itself, so you can continue with your life. And of course, always consult with your doctor ;) Watch/read the injury management resources at the end of the book to learn more about the nuanced topic of pain.

Hitting a plateau Your gains will slow down as you progress. They might even halt altogether.

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Consistency

At times like this, you might have to try out something different. Of course, do not freak out when a single week doesn’t pan out. There are a couple of things you might try when you stop lifting more weight (or even start lifting less): • Get more sleep (for at least 3-4 nights), if you aren’t sleeping enough • Increase the volume and/or the frequency on the lift/muscle group • Increase your calories • Do a deload/pivot week Stress (from your life) can have a huge influence on your lifting sessions and diet. Extremely stressful periods can take 20+ lbs on your lifts and put some water weight on your body. Relax, this will not last for long!

Keep your diet going Put all the junk food you have in your house into the trash. If somebody else is buying it - tell them to keep it hidden from you. This will help a lot! Do not give in the temptation of just trying out something sweet. When was the last you ate only 1 Oreo biscuit? You’ll eat 2-3 packs once you start. Remember, sugary stuff is addicting. High fat and sugary stuff is something like a drug for your brain. Grab an apple and avoid the addiction!

You will fuck up It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. You must be prepared. You might start having much more cheat meals, slack of the gym, and skip whole weeks. Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Don’t get me wrong. You must absolutely try to prevent this from happening. But when you screw things up - just continue where you left off. Trying to lose weight and ate so much ice cream that you have no calories left? No more food for you on this day. You can also do 30 minutes of extra cardio.

Keep learning The fitness industry is filled with a lot of BS. That’s one of the reasons I decided to write this book - filter out the spammy ideas. There are scammers (ahem influencers) everywhere - selling you some magical fat burner, CBD oil, warmup routine, personalized workout templates. But hey, you need to learn this on your own. There is no substitute for building your own BS detector/filter. And please, write to me when you find some BS in my writing. I would love to learn more, too!

Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

Your journey starts now Thank you for reading this book! Can you do me a favor? Get your ass to the gym and grocery store! And keep doing it! No amount of knowledge will help you transform into a magical beast. You just have to get it done! Workout out will help you clear your head, stay humble, and unleash your inner beast! Sometimes, you need to be a beast! You’ll love it! Always be skeptical. Even the fundamental truths described in this book can change. But training hard (with care) and eating relatively raw (after cooking) foods are time tested! You might hear the new, most amazing supplement that comes up. Should you try it? NO! Wait for a couple of months or years. Wait for more research, more people trying it out. Fads tend to die out. Stay safe, and keep training!

Got more questions? You’ll learn more by doing than any other way. But there will be times you might feel clueless. Have a look at the “People to follow” section to dig into some good resources. You can also send me a question directly. Ask me any training, diet, and motivational question at [email protected]¹³. ¹³[email protected]

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Your journey starts now

Practical tips • The most jacked person in your gym might have no clue about what proper training is • You should probably not listen to the most non-jacked person, too! • Never give unsolicited advice (no matter how good her/his booty is) • Never make excessive noises (respect the other people that train) • You might reach a point when the whole gym stops and looks at you doing a heavy set. This should never be your motivation to train.

People to follow There are a lot of fake experts in the fitness community. In the beginning, your BS detector might not be well-calibrated. Fortunately, you can quickly learn some fundamentals and start thinking from first principles. Here are some of my favorite amazing people: • • • • • • •

Jordan Feigenbaum¹⁴ Austin Baraki¹⁵ Greg Nuckols¹⁶ Mike Tuchscherer¹⁷ Greg Doucette¹⁸ Mike Israetel¹⁹ Eric Helms²⁰

¹⁴https://www.instagram.com/jordan_barbellmedicine/ ¹⁵https://www.instagram.com/austin_barbellmedicine/ ¹⁶https://www.instagram.com/gregnuckols/ ¹⁷https://www.instagram.com/miketuchscherer/ ¹⁸https://www.instagram.com/gregdoucetteifbbpro/ ¹⁹https://www.instagram.com/rpdrmike/ ²⁰https://www.instagram.com/helms3dmj/ Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Resources Training The Complete Strength Training Guide²¹ How to squat How to Squat: The Definitive Guide²² How To Squat: Low Bar²³ 3 Common Squat Errors feat. Austin Baraki²⁴ How to bench press How to Bench Press: The Definitive Guide²⁵ The Bench Press Prescription: An in-depth guide on how to BENCH²⁶ How to Overhead Press (standing) How To Press (Overhead…)²⁷ How to deadlift How to Deadlift: The Definitive Guide²⁸ How To Deadlift: Starting Strength 5 Step Deadlift²⁹ Common Deadlift Errors ft. Austin Baraki³⁰ RPE RPE Explained (part 1/2)³¹ RPE Explained (part 2/2)³² ²¹https://www.strongerbyscience.com/complete-strength-training-guide/ ²²https://www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-squat/ ²³https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmNPOjaGrVE ²⁴https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtX8GGbDCuc ²⁵https://www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-bench/ ²⁶https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FWDde2IEPg ²⁷https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNFXEEdfQp4 ²⁸https://www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-deadlift/ ²⁹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYREQkVtvEc ³⁰https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYN3UGCYisk ³¹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXQaEq4_2lY ³²https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xEYSsfiWIE Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!

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Your journey starts now

Workout program design Training Program Basics³³ Optimal Rep Ranges³⁴ Growing Stubborn Body Parts³⁵

Injury/pain management Dr. Feigenbaum on Low Back Pain at Fort Irwin (Part I)³⁶ Dr. Baraki on Low Back Pain at Fort Irwin (Part II)³⁷ Exercise for Persistent Pain Populations w/ Dr. Michael Ray³⁸

Diet Unhealthy Body Fat Levels³⁹ Nutrition Basics⁴⁰ Top 10 Things To Avoid When Trying To Lose Weight⁴¹ Top 10 things to AVOID When Trying to Build Muscle⁴²

³³https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdCxO3_H3C4 ³⁴https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9xP8P-LhOs ³⁵https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XmKyu4ruwc ³⁶https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9poXGU11ms ³⁷https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS5ZCCOv07c ³⁸https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL-nL-hVKGY ³⁹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcOaL9NM99g ⁴⁰https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKTfuI_fpFM ⁴¹https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACS7a6Khmuo ⁴²https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9cTB1HFRY0 Thanks for reading. You’re awesome!