Update May 1st. - Examples updated for the new fat guidelines
Update Apr. 29th 2013 - Fat intake guidelines.
Update Aug. 15th 2012 - My thoughts on automatic spreadsheet and calculators.
Updated Feb. 3rd, 2012. - Emphasis added on the importance of using the simplified counting rules, and explanation of how this affects calculations.
Important foreword for my leangains friends
There are endless training forums, Facebook ‘wall’ comments, and ‘Tweets’ all over the internet with people screaming out for help with their macros. I am sure you have seen them, or perhaps even posted one yourself once.
It is my sincere hope that this guide can inspire people to give it a try & help them on their way, and this is just my humble effort to do so. I’ve tried to keep what is a complex topic simple, concise and manageable for the novice, without short-changing those that are more well studied on the method.
Click for more –->
I know there are a lot of you out there whose knowledge far exceeds what has been written here. Truth be told, if that’s you then you are probably one of the people that has inspired me on my never ending educational journey into nutrition, through your blog posts, Facebook comments, ‘tweets,’ or forum posts. Thank you.
At the end of the day, if this article encourages more people to try IF, leangains, or just generally helps to make some people happier and healthier, I am sure we can all agree this is a good thing. So if you think sharing this guide or the simplified macro-counting rules will get more people using the system or trying it, then please do so. Your help is appreciated.
Thanks.
-Andy.
Calculating your Leangains Macros
This is just my interpretation of how a person may go about calculating their macros according to the principles written for us by Martin on Leangains.com. The only person that knows how Martin calculates things for his clients is Martin himself. Real-world experience, study, passion for what he does and really hard work are what make the results he gets for clients so seemingly magical.
While the method for calculating the macros and fine tuning them can be a little complex, the implementation of the diet once have your macros is very simple. Don’t be put off by the maths below.
Firstly, the calculations I have outlined below will work best if you follow the simplified macro-counting rules that I used to achieve this 7 week transformation. It’s a short article, please read them.
Secondly, the guide below will set you going in the right direction, however it will be up to you to monitor your progress objectively, and then fiddle with your macro ratios and overall macro intake to get your physique to the level you want.
Thirdly, I cannot possibly write everything down in one article, there are too many variants to consider, physical, hormonal and otherwise. There can never be a “one formula fit’s all”.
If you do not want to, or don’t feel you can do it then I offer you two options:
- Try the Basic Set-Up of the diet. If you’re new to leangains it will work, you will get leaner but probably not to the point of abs lean. At that point you will be much more in tune with your body and more motivated to give this a go yourself, so come back then. It can be fun and rewarding to try.
- Hire me, or better still hire Martin (if you can get your hands on him) for a consultation.
Remember, lean but no six-pack —> six-pack can be merely a matter of weeks with most people as you can see from the client pictures on the top-page, leangains.com or countless other places on the web.
The Steps
Step 1. Calculate your BMR.
Step 2. Adjust for Activity
Step 3. Choose to ‘Cut’, ‘Slow-Bulk’ or gradual ‘Body-Recomposition’
Step 4. Calculate a Training-Day and Rest-Day Calorie Figure
Step 5. Calculate your Macro Targets for Training-Days and Rest-Days
Step 6. Make your Menu from these Macros.
For results in the fastest time you need:
- The right calorie cycling, timed with your Training-Days and Rest-Days.
- The right timing of meals. Read Martin’s excellent guide here.
- The right macro ratio & cycling for your T-Days and R-Days.
Step 1. Calculate your BMR
I like to call BMR your ‘coma calories’. – The energy intake you need, should you fall into a coma, to maintain your body weight. There are a variety of formulas, all of which produce a guess at best, however we need a figure to work with. Please choose a different formula if you wish.
Metric BMR Formula* (*Harris-Benedict)
Women: BMR = 655+ ( 9.6 x weight in kilos )+( 1.8 x height in cm ) – ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66+ ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) – ( 6.8 x age in years )
If you’re obese then the above formula will overestimate your BMR, and if you are very lean then the above formula will underestimate your BMR. If you have an idea of your body fat percentage then you’re best using the Katch-McArdle BMR Formula.
Katch-McArdle BMR Formula:
BMR (men and women) = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
Step 2. Adjust for Activity
Guides to BMR usually recommend that you use an ‘activity multiplier’ (x1.2~x1.9) depending on your lifestyle/training.
If you’re planning on sticking to just 3 workouts a week, and have a desk job, and you are going to use my simplified counting rules then experience tells me you might want to be careful when doing this and make appropriate adjustments accordingly.
- Activity multipliers usually screw people into setting calories way too high. I see it everyday on forums. People often over estimate their category.
- Most people over-estimate the calories burned for exercise.
- By tracking progress and keeping the diet consistent, it is easy to make modifications after a month if things are not going in the right direction.
- Use of the simplified rules tend to underestimate things by 20~30%. So if you are then try taking x0.2-0.3 off. If you would like a reason of why I use the rules and why there are underestimations then the article is here.
Have a look at this info on activity multipliers. Choose one. Evaluate progress over 4-6 weeks. Adjust as necessary.
Step 3. Choose to ‘Cut’, ‘Slow-Bulk’ or gradual ‘Body-Recomposition’
The calories and thus macros you choose will depend on your goals.
If you have training experience unless you have striking abs already, I highly advise you to go for a cut first, as starting a ‘slow-bulk’ when ‘abs lean’ gives you significant hormonal advantages for gaining muscle with minimal fat. It also means you can eat a lot more when slow-bulking and yet still keep your abs, which is fun. This means that many people reading this should go for a ‘cut’.
The exception to this is very light framed and/or weak people, whom I would recommend choose ‘body-recomposition‘ calories, then increase accordingly. With the implementation of this diet and a barbell training program your first year will give you the most dramatic changes to your physique in your life. You should be excited. You will need calories for this. (If this is you, I have a special message & offer in the first comment box for you below.)
If you are adverse to losing size, for sport reasons, or ego reasons, then go for a ‘body-recomposition’. Just remember the results will be slower.
I’ve recently written in much greater depth about this topic in the article, ”12 Weeks on Leangains: Identifying Where You Are Now, Setting Realistic Goals, and Your Best Course Of Action.“
Step 4. Calculate a Training-Day and Rest-Day Calorie Figure
These calorie figures are just a guide to help you calculate your macros. We’ve already recognized that these calorie numbers may be a little low to be taken literally because of the simplified rules.
‘Body-Recomposition’: Martin himself refers to a +20%kCal and -20%kCal rule for T-Days and R-Days respectively.
So if you came out with 2000kCal from your calculation, then make a T-Day 2400kCal and R-Day 1600kCal.
‘Cutting’: You need to be lower than this so as to create a weekly energy deficit. Even so, you must eat a surplus of calories on a training day in most situations*.
Your numbers might look something like 2200kCal and 1300kCal. (+10%/-30~35%kCal)
(*Obese/Very fat people are at less risk of losing muscle when on a calorie deficit if protein is kept high, so they can get away with a deficit on both days.)
‘Slow-Bulking’: So you are already very lean and looking to do a bulk? (Skip to Step 5 if it’s irrelevant to you, because I go into a little more detail here.)
If you are new to leangains I would highly recommend that you do ‘body-recomposition’ macros (or slightly less) for the month first while you adjust to the system. This way you will keep your abs and have a base-line for increasing your macros after. Once you’ve done that, try the advice below.
If you have already used leangains to get lean then you’re in a perfect situation to try this.
The key to keeping abs with slow bulking is quite simple, make sure you have enough of deficit on your rest-day so that you burn the stored fat* from the training day.
Your numbers might look something like 1800kCal and 2800kCal. (+40%/-10%kCal)
This is a way of putting on quality muscle without the fat, and as such is a slower process than the usual ‘eat everything!” approach some people take to bulking.
(*The complicating factor here is that fat stored on a training-day is not just is that the fat you consume, but also any spillover of carbohydrates that your body does not shuttle into your glycogen depleted liver & muscles after training, or use for recovery, as any excess glucose can be converted to fatty acids and stored as fat tissue. If you can get your carb balance right, you can decrease the deficit on your rest-day. – Track your progress weekly, in detail so that you can make adjustments objectively.)
Step 5. Calculate your Macro Targets for Training-Days and Rest-Days
There is not one perfect macro-ratio. (i.e. 40% Carbs, 40% protein, 20% Fat) It varies from individual to individual, and depends highly on a persons conditioning. It can still take a few weeks of close monitoring to get a good ratio for a client, and even then, this ratio changes as a person progresses. This is why I monitor the progress of clients, I don’t just give them 3 numbers and send them on their way. You need to do this too.
Protein
Your protein needs to be kept high on both days, for satiety and muscle preservation. Research suggests that with maintenance calories there is little benefit to >2g/kg lean body-mass (LBM). On a cut, to preserve muscle mass this may need to be higher, i.e. 2.5g/kg LBM. There is no need to go higher than this. However, for personal preferences you can choose to go higher, & protein will give you the feeling of being fuller for longer so I sometimes go with 3g per kg of LBM*.
If you are 95kg with a lean-mass of 75kg, and love eating meat, then you might put this number around 225g on both days. This can get a bit expensive so there is no harm in going with 2.5g/kg LBM, so go with 190g of protein.
Otherwise you would choose 2-2.5g/kg LBM on workout-days and 2.5-3g/kg LBM on rest-days. It is fine to keep protein consumption the same on both days for simplicity for now. I do.
(*Please just guess lean body-mass. Don’t get all worked up over it.)
Fat
Consumption of dietary fat is important for hormonal regulation, especially testosterone production. It should never be eliminated from a diet.
Training Day Intake: When eating above maintenance calories, the fat we consume is easier to be stored, so it is best to keep fat intake lower on this day. For a cut, the ‘average’ male client will typically have an intake somewhere in the ~40-65g range.
Rest Day Intake: You’ll have a calorie deficit on this day so all dietary fat consumed will be burned off. Increase your fat intake on this day to balance out the lower fat intake on the training days. For a cut, the ‘average’ male client will typically have an intake somewhere in the ~60-95g range.
Notes:
- Those carrying more body fat will do better with a higher fat intake on training days than leaner individuals. This is to do with insulin sensitivity, which increases when you get leaner.
- If you eliminate fat from your diet, the most obvious change you will notice is a decrease in sex drive. If this happens, consider increasing your fat intake, or decreasing your overall calorie deficit, or taking a diet break.
Carbs
For your initial calculation think of carbs as just balancing the equation as per your T-Day and R-Day ‘calorie’ targets. Let’s not go into more detail than that.
1g of: P = 4kCal*, C = 4kCal, F = 9kCal
(*Latest research suggests this to be more like 3.2kCal because of the energy required for digestion, however I suggest you keep it simple and call 1g of protein 4kCal.)
Let’s consider a man called Tom, 95kg, 20% body-fat (~75kg LBM), choosing body-recomposition (+20%/-20%) whose BMR calc+multiplier gave him 2000kCal. (Remember what I said earlier, I know the number is a little low.)
So the Training Day Macros are:
P = 190g, F = 60g, C = 275g
Calories from Carbs = [T-Day Target calories] – [Protein calories] – [Fat calories]
= 2400 – (190 x 4) – (60 x 9) = 2400 – 760 – 540
= 1100 (kCal)
Carbs in grams = 1100 / 4 = 275
Rest Day Macros
P = 190g, F = 80g, C = 30g
Calories from Carbs = [R-Day Target calories] – [Protein calories] – [Fat calories]
= 1600 – (190 x 4) – (80 x 9) = 1600 – 760 – 720
= 120 (kCal)
Carbs in grams = 120 / 4 = 30
Step 6. Make your Menu from these Macros
Really this is up to you. If a food fits your macros for the day then go for it. I’m not classifying any food as good or bad. This ‘If it fits your macros’ (IIFYM) policy is gaining popularity in fitness circles. (IIFYM google search)
Tom’s Training-Day macros are: P190/F60/C275
If a food fits your macros for the day then you can eat it. No exceptions.
Which according to my simplified rules means eating means consuming:
950kg of leanish meat/fish, 385g of rice and lots of green vegetables.
Tom’s Rest-Day macros are: P190/F80/C30
Which is something like:
475g of fattier meat/fish, 475g of lean meat/fish, 40g of rice, lots of green vegetables.
Simple! You’re done!
A Final Note:
I’ve included my own simplifications into this guide which I believe will benefit most people. Any mistakes are my own, and should not reflect negatively on Martin Berkhan or his system in any way. These are merely my ideas, using his system. I have no doubt there are other excellent guides out there and I encourage you to share links to these in the comments below so people can check them out for themselves.
While I have done my best to give you the information you need here, there are certain things that cannot be put into formulas that only come from experience of working with clients. -Sometimes I ‘just know’ what will work.
If you have any questions I will be happy to answer them in the comments, as long as it is not, “Here’s my stats… what macros should I use?” or “I calculated [macro numbers] for myself, what do you think?” I will not do that. It takes time, is a little more complicated then the above and it’s just not professional.
The primary goal of the site is to help battle diet myths and in Japan. One of the things I hope to do is make the leangains method famous here, & Martin has been very kind in helping me out with a few things. As a non-native Japanese speaker, writing this in English first helps me to collect my thoughts better than going straight to Japanese, hence the English half of the site. I do not want to detract from the awesomeness of the leangains site in any way. Your thoughts for improvements are appreciated.
Lastly, I’m not interested in an energy equation debate. I know that sometimes the math doesn’t work out on paper. However if the rules work in practice, that’s enough for me, and the smiles of clients let me know it’s enough for them.
Thank you for reading. I wish you the best of luck.
-Andy.
PS: Want to know when I publish a new post about this? Put your e-mail address in the box at the very bottom of the page. Don’t worry I hate spam too.
- Click to go back to The Guide: Using IF / Leangains to Get Ripped
- Use the tabs under the banner to find other articles I’ve written on the subject.
- Click for the Simplified Counting Rules.
- Not sure whether to cut/ recomp/ bulk? I wrote this article to help people decide.
im a little lost on how to do the calc in step 5. i see the protein is 2.5g/kg of LBM. then you give guidance of 40-65g of fat for an average male but how does a female figure out fat?
Hi Andy.
Thanks for the article. I have one question…
For the BMR calculation are we supposed to be using our Lean body mass or total body mass (I.e what the scales show)
Thanks
Andy,
I know you have stated in the past how it’s best to count macros and not calories but is that still reccomended when you have reached your macros for a particular day and are still shy a few hundred calories? Also, what of the opposite when you are nearing your alloted calorie count and are shy macros, is it reccomended to exceed calories until numbers are reached?
A little clarification on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Andy!
Would a recomp still work without IF? Got a mate who is wants to try it, but doesn’t want to fast.
I had a very scary experience today with this. I was seated at desk, got real quick heart palpitations, and felt like I was going to pass out. CRAZY anxiety came on and I had to go walk outside to calm down. I ended up eating a banana and orange and it was odd b/c it was if my body was forcing me to do so. It’s to be noted that yesterday was a workout/carb day, and I did train legs. I’m on day 4 of IF and have been feeling fine, although sleep has sucked.
Is this something that happens normally and will pass after my body acclimates?
No. See a doctor Mark.
Went to the Urgent Care last night, and the doctor actually snickered at me. They took vitals/etc, and said I was fine. He did tell me, “So you started an intermittent fasting diet, this happens the first week, a couple pieces of fruit fixes it, and you’re worried that something is wrong with you? He slapped me on the back and said I was 100% fine – blood sugar just went too low. He did say that the workout the night before may have pegged my metabolism to burn up more calories than a rest day, therefore using up more calories during the fast, hence my blood sugar crashing.
So, if this happens to you, you’re probably ok. I do feel better that based on Andy’s advice, I went to the doctor just to be sure. It *was* kind of embarrassing though
Thanks for simplifying everything in an easy to implement fashion.
Just started a week ago and I’m running into a snag with calorie count conflicts. The rice I have (basmati) says it’s 36g carbs per 1/4 cup, but most websites have it around 40g per 1 cup.
Could this be error in labeling or perhaps cooked vs. uncooked. Any insights are welcome. This disparity could mean significantly under or over consuming.
Never mind. I found out that it is, indeed, the difference between cooked and uncooked weights.
A question regarding BMR though: I know you say not to sweat it too much, but I do have access to a “Bod Pod” which gives me a RMR at around 100kcal less than your formulas. Would you say to use this instead?
No. Stick with how you are and then adjust accordingly. Calculations are all fine and dandy but then large and unpredictable variances in NEAT mean that tracking and adjusting accordingly is the only way to do things.
Thanks for the reply. Do you have a criteria for when to adjust? No decrease in weight/ no change in appearance after a certain period of time?
Go by the label.
Andy,
Quick question. When I calculate my macros, it looks like the easiest thing for me to do would be to keep both protein and fat the same on training and workout days, 207 grams of protein and around 65 grams of fat. On training days, I’d eat around 200 grams of carbs. On rest days, I’d eat around 50 grams. So, I’d be cycling carbs and thereby cycling calories, but fat remains constant. It would be relatively high fat for a workout day, and low fat for a rest day.
The specifics of my macros aside, I was wondering whether I would be missing any benefits by not changing the amount of fat? Is it necessary to cycle the fat too, or in certain circumstances might it be appropriate to simply cycle the carbs and thereby the calories.
[By the way, I mean this to be a general question about cycling calories, not a question about my specific macros, so I hope it doesn't violate the rule in red. And thank you for this website. It's an excellent resource.]
Oh, and a related follow up question… even though you cycle carbs and fat according to whether it is a training day or rest day, under certain circumstances (if you’re cutting a lot of calories on rest days and eating above maintenance on training days) could it sometimes turn out that you actually eat more grams of fat on training days than rest days? The fewer fat grams on rest days would comprise a much greater percentage of your total daily calories on that day, but because you are eating so many more calories on workout days, you still end up eating more total fat grams, even though these comprise a much smaller percentage of your total daily calories on your workout day, due to the addition of many carbs… I hope that question makes sense… Thanks for your help!
Al please read this post.
Andy,
Thank you very much for your reply, but I think I was unclear. I was not trying to improve the program or change anything. Let me try to explain more clearly.
When I calculated my macros according what you recommend (for a cut, -35% / +10%), it looked like my macros for rest days were roughly 207 grams protein, 70 grams fat, 50 grams carbs. For training days, it turned out to be 207 grams protein, 105 grams fat, and 250 grams carbs. On a cut, because I eat so many more calories on training days than rest days, I end up eating about 45 more grams of fat on training days, in addition to the 200 more grams of carbs. This gave me pause, because I know one should cycle fat and carbs.
So, I was just wondering whether this is to be expected on a cut (since there is such a difference in total calories for rest days vs training days), or whether one of the rules is that one should always eat fewer grams of fat on training days, regardless of the situation. In my case, this would mean cutting out 50 more grams of fat from the training day and replacing it with another 100 grams of carbs or so (for a total of around 350, which seems like a lot) to make up the difference.
I guess the basic question is: on a severe cut, might you actually end up eating more fat grams on training days than on rest days, because you are eating so many more total calories on training days? Or should you always be eating fewer grams of fat on training days (which might necessitate eating a VERY large number of carbs on training days)?
Sorry for the confusion. Like I said, I don;t want to change anything; I just want to make sure I understand the basic recommendations. Thanks again for your help.
“I guess the basic question is: on a severe cut, might you actually end up eating more fat grams on training days than on rest days, because you are eating so many more total calories on training days?”
Should is a strong term. Usually the way I personally set it up for people their fat intake will be higher on the rest days.
Cool. I’ll aim for that and see how it goes. Thanks for the info!
Hi Andy! I was considering switching from the “early morning fasted training” protocol to the “One pre-workout meal” protocol. However, I have my first meal à 12:45 and training occurs around 5:30pm. Is it really preferable to have a second pre-workout meal around 4:00 or I could skip it? If it is OK to skip it, would I benefit from taking BCAAs prior to working out?
Thank you and have a nice day!
You could skip it. BCAAs will not be necessary.
Great article! Just a thought I had. Could you speed up the fat burning results whilst still having strenght gains if you have a +20%/-30-35% approach or would that just lead to less archievements in either direction? I look fairly muscular (for female standards anyway) but don’t want to do a normal cut because I would like to regain my strenght I lost after being injured
Whether a recomp is possible depends on training status mainly. If you have significant lifting experience then it’s generally better to choose either a bulk or cut.
Hi Andy
I can only get to the gym to do a full body workout every 4-5 days, how could I arrange calories for a slow bulk? Should I keep the 10% deficit on rest days but increase the surplus on training days to put me in a weekly surplus or should I do something else??
Thanks,
Luke
Work to maintain the calorie balance for the week that you would have had if you’d been doing the standard set up. Then track and adjust upwards or downwards accordingly.
So glad I came to this website. Friend of mine had great success using your methods and I wish to do the same. I plan on losing fat and I just finished calculating my macros. I came up with 2500 on Training days and 1900 on rest days( rounded up).
I’m 6foot, 193lbs, 34inch waist, 14% bodyfat according to Katch-McArdle formula.
2475( rounded up to 2500) on Training days
Protein 190g
Fats 45g
Carbs 310g
1925( rounded down to 1900) Rest days
Protein 190g
Fats 65
Carbs 150
I’m not sure if these calculation look right or not. I did this like 4 times to make sure and came up with the same numbers. I’m just curious about my rest day and training day carb intake. They seem kind of high on both days. Does this look right? Any feed back is greatly appreciated..
Ciani, please see the sentences in red at the bottom of the post.
After setting my macros/etc, I show a negative -410 calories available on rest days. I’m estimating myself at 40% fat at 254lbs. Following 30% reduction on rest days, I’m at 1690kcal, with 300g protein, and 100g fat. Did I miss something? Used the “Light activity multiplier” as well which puts training day cals at 2410kcal.
Does this mean zero carbs on rest days? Yikes
Hi Chip, please see the note in red at the bottom of the post.
HI Andy! I have a question that- Is it possible to do a recomp while training 4-5 days a week? Would you in that case only eat the training day macros for the tough lifting days and the one or two that aren’t that hard, eat the resting day calories, or do I risk wasting muscle like that?
Thanks!
I should clarify a bit I think- I am doing olympic weightlifting so I have training 5 days a week. Some weeks I only make it 4 times because of work constraints, but I don’t find all 5 days to be particularly taxing. 2-3 of the days are really tough and the others have become so-so with time. I would like to get less fat to go down in weight so I am wondering if you think it’s ok to do the two *easy* days in a caloric deficit, or if it would be better to only have 2-3 days in the caloric deficit and treat all 4-5 training days as training days as far as diet is concerned.
Thanks again
It would depend, but that’s not what I generally recommend.
Hey Andy,
I noticed you changed your grams of fat recommendations from 20-50g to 40g and above. Could you explain the reasoning behind this?
Skip down a few comments, I answered this there.
Question about the activity multiplier, is that before or after you factor in the 3 day training routine you recommend on your site.
I don’t understand the question. Can you clarify? Perhaps you need to re-read that activity multiplier guide that I linked to.
Hello Andrew,
– I’m still battling on with back injury, slightly depressing still – physio is fairly useless, doesn’t seem to be doing anything, but as my weight loss has “kind of” stalled, I have a question.
Seeing as my workouts now don’t consist of squats/deadlifts (I still workout 3x a week), I replaced them with assistance work, for example on Deadlift day I do weighted chins, then Rear Delt Flyes, Bicep Curls etc – should I be lowering carbs BECAUSE of not doing DL/Squats alone? I was reading through this site as I do and I’m concerned maybe I’m consuming too many carbs (I take in around 200g on a training day) and I’m worried they’re not all getting used up because I’m not doing DL/Squat.
Any thoughts?
Richard
You need to get a concrete plan of action from your physio on how to rehab your back, within the context of your greater training plan, rather then randomly trying to work around it on your own. Only then can you consider adjusting the macros. I wouldn’t do it based on a change of training style though, that’s a little too pernickety for my liking.
Okay, well my physio she said in 3 weeks time there would be a difference, there is not, It’s kind of a scary thought as if its ever going to get better which I guess is why I do work around it, because I’m so close to my goal now that I don’t want to give in, and yeah, it probably can be done by diet alone now but I love lifting. I miss the feel of doing squats and deadlift because it really did feel like you’d done something harder than ever in the gym when performing them.
I will stick to what I have got now, I’m not exactly going to get overweight ever again I’m in control of that so it’s not really an issue as such, just more of being so close to that final point, once again, thanks for the response.
Great article. If I’m 5’7 148 lbs at 20-22%, that is, very skinny fat…
Do you recommend a recomp or straight cut?
If recomp, what +/- on training rest?
How’s +30/-50 ?
Apologies, I just saw your note about these types of questions. Thanks for the info.
Hi Andy,
Re: Protein Fluff as discussed on Martin’s and other other places around the web: I’m trying to make it as easily as possible with just casein and water. I would love to hear from you or from other readers detailed, specific info on mixers and/or blenders, model no., and wattage, as well as ingredients.
I’ve successfully made thick puddings using both a blender and hand mixer I have, but not quite fluff so thick it doesn’t fall off the spoon. I’ve seen a few Youtube videos and read postings on various sites, including Martin’s, but they either 1) use somewhat expensive mixers Martin suggested ($100 on Amazon) 2) make a pudding like mine but not a fluff 3) seem to take a lot of effort.
There must be some $20-$70 blenders or mixers that can make an excellent fluff, not pudding, from water and casein, and i would love any detailed input on what works. Thanks!
‘ve never made it but others feel free to jump in.
Reblogged this on Angry Nutrition.com and commented:
This is an excellent guide to figuring out how to eat to get to a specific goal. Leangains itself can be confusing at times, but this is an excellent straight forward way of figuring out what to stuff in your mouth!
Thank you.
Andy,
After my diet break should I continue with the original cutting macros you set up for me and use them until I stall and then begin to cut out carbs? Or should I begin to cut carbs in the amount you mentioned in the email? Thanks.
Continue with previous macros first. I believe I said that but there was a lot of information so no worries if you missed it.
Hi andy
I did a bulk.. heck still doing it… gained a little fat too but gonna keep going a few more weeks, BUT my question is:
after I reached my desired weight/muscle gains, what should I do to keep the new gained muscle, but to get rid of the also gained fat… should i get rid of the fat through recomp or a cut?
After the bulk, keeping the newly gained muscle is offcourse priority nr 1
Thanks in advance
Chris
Reduce your calories systematically. Use carbs as the main manipulator.
Hello. I am currently 165 lbs. To keep my weight with my activity level i need 2800kcal. So i understand to do the cut first putting me around 3100kcals with 210 g of protein 50 g of fat and 450 g of carbs on training days and on rest days 1820kcals with 210 g of protein 75 grams of fat and 75 g of carbs. When its time to bulk, using the 2800kcals for the would mean 3920kcals which it think would be 210 g of protein still but what do i do as far as fat and carbs for the bulk? 3920 seems very high for calories being 165 pre cut and will be lower after the cut
Eddie, sorry buddy. Please see the sentences written in red.
I’d keep fat the same on training days (around 50 g) and up the carbs to meet requirements. On rest days it depends on what type of food you like, because ultimately you can eat whatever you want as long as you’re at the right calories and hit your protein. Most people prefer to take the opportunity to get some fat, but it’s completely up to you. From a health perspective it’s probably a good idea to increase fat as well and give your pancreas a rest from the carb binge the previous day! (My intuition, I’m not a doctor lol)
Hey Andy!
I’ve tried eating any food that fits my macro but I found that I tend to go over my BMR
Additional information…
I am trying to cut and I am having a hard time to meet my protein macros without going exceeding my daily calories needed.
Please tell me what I should do.
Thanks!
Choose leaner sources.
If I have been making good progress for the last two months on your earlier, lower fat estimations, do you recommend switching to your new, higher fat numbers?
I’m getting close to being lean enough to start bulking, and since I’ve had so much success I hate to mess with it. The old adage, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
Thanks!
Give it a go and drop the carb numbers a little.
Hi Andy, checking in again after quite some time. I’ve been on a slow bulk where I train around 7pm and my feeding window is 1 to 9pm. Where I eat 60% of my cals at around 8pm.
I’ll be trying to start training fasted at 12nn and have my first meal at 1:30. How would you suggest I split my meal macros post workout?
50/50. If the carbs PWO make you feel sleepy in the afternoon then have a more at night.
Andy,
When we were working together you mentioned adding a few servings of fruit on my rest days because I started doing “cardio” for sport. I assume this would stay the same for the latter part of my cut? I am starting by cutting out 50g of carbs on training days and kept the 25g on rest days from fruit (plus the extra servings from what is burned from sport..if you think that is wise). Thanks
Marc
Yes definitely. Doesn’t have to be fruit, as towards the end of a cut satiety becomes more of an issue, but it does make the counting a lot easier. Potatoes seem to be one of the best to keep people full.
Potatoes on rest day!?…heck yea! that will definitely keep me satiated!
Hey Andy-
I see you have revised the fat intake guidelines. Just had a question about it if you dont mind..
You say “For a cut, the ‘average’ male client will typically have an intake somewhere in the ~40-65g range.” Is this guideline the same when bulking? Or would it need to be less?
Cheers
It would be more.
So how much fat would you recommend for an ‘average’ male on bulk on a training day??
That really depends.
Is the 40-65 a good place to start on training days for a bulk? Seeing how it goes, and if testosterone is down, increasing it further?
Sure try that.
So the training/rest day fat guidelines have essentially gone from 30g/60g to around 60g/90g? This certainly allows for a bit more leeway on training days in terms of food choices and physical ability to consume the required amount of carbs – the extra 30g of fat equates to roughly 70g less carbs, or 400g of potato for instance.
I’ve definitely noticed a drop off in libido after being on LeanGains for about 8 months now. I’ll be interested to see the effects that adding some fats back in will have.
What prompted the revised fat figures, new research paper, or just personal experience?
I’m curious about this as well. Is yousowould calc on carb reduction correct with the increase of fats?
1g carbs = 4kcal
1g fat = 9kcal
Experience with clients.
Hello Andy.
With this (new) experience, by which factors to you judge this to be a better choice? Clients adherence, how lean they can get, better food choices, other?
Thank you!
Mood and horniness.
Hello Andy,
) – which is really not what we’re looking for here
About TDEE – you’ve mentioned in the article as well as in many comments – that it’s easy to overestimate it. I won’t ask for a figure of mine, but would like to get the hang of “theory” myself, so i can estimate it in a more appropriate manner for myself.
Is there a better way to estimate the TDEE than the online calculators? I mean – overestimating would lead to 2 things in case of a body-recomp => strength gains + fat gains
I feel like i’m eating a bit too much, i’ve used 1.5 as a multiplier, yet feel like adjusting a bit after a few weeks of tryouts….
Thanks a lot
“Is there a better way to estimate the TDEE than the online calculators?”
Yes, adjust your food so that your calorie intake is at a level where your weight does not change. Obviously this involves trial and error but is better in practice than any calculation.
Hey Andy, first and foremost I would like to just thank you for all your knowledge and guides for IF. I did my macro nutrients to find out what my PCF (g) should be; however, I’m confused because you mention on training days to eat lean meats and rest days to lean/fattier cuts of meat, but if I’m trying to keep my Fats around 25g, then meats would only make my fats go up. My protein is suppose to be like 190g on training days, so I just had a question regarding that issue. Any help is greatly appreciated.
See the recent changes to the fat section William.
im looking to start the cutting phase and im very overweight, is -35% the lowest you would recommend on rest days and how much of deficit would you say not to exceed on training days? so should i say eat my daily calories and just have training calories as my deficit? is it important to use the approx 3500cals per lb of fat rule?
Firstly, try being conservative with your macros. Then adjust based on your weight loss for the first 4 weeks. If obese you can tolerate more fat loss then per week that a leaner person. Try and limit it at ~2lbs a week to prevent skin sag issues.
I will be following a cut very soon and you say very low fat on training days. Does that rule out my regular choice of 10 eggs w/ brown rice post workout? According to calorieking, an egg has 8g of fat… Am I stuck with chicken as being my only real source of lean protein? I do not have fish as a consistent source.
I think you’re being a little unimaginative here Austin.
Hi Andy, I am currently cutting on -30% / -10%, getting good results weekly, I am working out 2 days a week. I am planning to go back to MMA training soon, I would be training once a week on weekends for about 1h-2h, should I count it as my training day and it training day macros or rest days macros? As it will be similar to HIIT workout I think it supposed to be count as training day, however after some research, most people on IF, who trained in marial arts were counting it as rest day and they saw better results in fat loss (while on a cut) and didnt loose muscle, however I dont know how many days a week they have been working out and how much below maintance they have been eating. Maybe to treat it as a rest day I supposed to lift weight 3 times a week to be -10% high carbs 3 times not only two? What do you think?
In most cases I’d add in extra carbs on this day according to training intensity as an estimated calorie expenditure match, rather than just calling it a t-day/r-day.
Andy, what’s your take on homemade yogurt made from adding a little bit of yogurt to a lot of milk? Supposedly, the resulting yogurt made has the same macros as the milk used, but the carbs are changed from lactose to galactose and lactic acid, which are very low glycemic, much lower than lactose. From a leangains cutting perspective, does this matter – i.e does cup of yogurt still have 13g of carbs(which is the amount per cup of milk) or does it now effectively have a lower amount?
If so, my thought was 1) never mind the yogurt or 2) use non-fat milk to yield nonfat yogurt and keep it to training days only. However, If you think these low-glycemic carbs do not need to be counted in a 1-to-1 ratio with the original milk, then it might be something i could have on rest days. Curious about your thoughts on this as I’m exploring additional foods. Thanks.
Eat whatever food you like and make it fit your macros. See the point on carbs.
Hi Andy, your website has inspired me. Great work! I have done some calculations below for the ‘slow bulk’ but eating 2,080 kcal worth of carbs on a training day and 361kcal on a rest day is throwing me off scale. Do these calculations look ok?
Also, this Is a stupid question but; would you intermittent fast with this? So get all the calories in within the 8 hour feed? Your website is confusing me a bit between ‘lean gains’ and intermittent fasting’
LEAN GAINS;
+40%=3,242
-10%=2,085
Protein = 130g = 520Kcal
Fat = 30g training day = 270Kcal
Fat = 50g Rest day = 450Kcal
Training day carbs = 590g = 2,080
Rest day carbs = 90g = 361
Many thanks
Mitch
Up your protein to 2,5-3 gr. per kg bw
Up your fats on resting days
And up your fats to 50gr on trainingdays
And yes intermittent fast!
Cheers man. Appreciated
Hi Mitch, please see the sentences in red.
Hello Andy, when you said that a fat/obese person can get away with eating at a deficit everyday, does it mean it is detrimental to have a refeed every training session if you are not really considered lean? If i would estimate, i would say my body fat is around 14-16%. Am i allowed to eat at a surplus on training days 3x a week? My point of the question is basically is can everyone refeed 3 times a week if they are not overweight? I am a 5’9 male, weighing 155 pounds. Would really like to know what you think!
I am reading a lot of reddit forums and many people are saying you do not need to refeed more than once a week. They also practice leangains so i am getting very confused here because you suggest we should refeed every training day.
I believe that the refeed after every training session is to ensure that you fully replenish muscle glycogen stores, thereby giving yourself the best chance of hitting your max lifts, and therefore preserving lean muscle mass during your cut.
Also, mentally, knowing you have 3 days in a week when you can have a decent meal makes you far less likely to go off the rails due to trying to diet to too much of an extreme. Marathon, not a sprint.
You only have to look at the results on this site to know the system works if you stick to it.
Thats exactly what i was thinking! I put up a forum on reddit to ask people what they think about my macros on the leangains group and some were saying why not just do a straight deficit every day? I thought to myself that isint leangains, thats just regular dieting. They made me question if doing refeeds 3 times a week would be detrimental to my diet cause ive been on leangains for almost month now and really love eating at a surplus on workout days. Mentally it feels good and physically, i do not feel weak in the gym. Im guessing the people who are saying you do not need to refeed more than once a week are not really doing leangains.
That’s my understanding. The LeanGains cut is specifically designed to preserve strength and lean muscle mass whilst at a calorie deficit, which will not be possible as effectively with a straight-up daily deficit. Hope it goes well, I’m on to a bulk now!
I am by no means an expert on this subject, but if there is one thing I know, it’s that this type of lifestyle is meant to be simple. You need to train your brain to not over-think as much as you’re training your body to accept a different lifestyle. That being said, I think it’s outrageous that someone at 5’9, 155, and a max of 16% bf thinks themselves obese. You’re not obese champ – not even close. Also concerning re-feeds: these aren’t re-feeds, per say. They’re just feeds. You need to feed your body for what you’re doing to it, and if you’re trying to gain muscle, you need to eat more than your maintenance, plain and simple. You will still have a deficit at the end of the week if you’ve followed the plan, so you should still be burning fat and sparing muscle.
Thanks for the reply! i know i’m not obese but i was just trying to make an example of how an obese person can get away with eating at a surplus haha. I think by me saying “refeed” people are assuming i am eating a lot more than i should be on training days in the reddit forum.
At 15% you’re not fat/obese and the standard advice will work perfectly fine.
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on Wikipedia, there’s a paragraph about BCAA that i find highly disturbing. it says:
“Certain studies suggested a link between sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, specifically in athletes, and a diet enriched with BCAAs.[10] BCAAs, a common dietary supplement among athletes, cause cell hyper-excitability resembling that usually observed in ALS patients. The proposed underlying mechanism is that cell hyper-excitability results in increased calcium absorption by the cell and thus brings about cell death, specifically of neuronal cells which have particularly low calcium buffering capabilities.”
Any thought on this topic?
SOURCE: ~> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branched-chain_amino_acid
original article referenced by Wikipedia: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3049458/
Do you have a link to the edited, peer-reviewed and published version of that? It says in the disclaimer at the bottom that at the time it was published as a draft version. I haven’t heard of this from either Layne Norton, Alan Aragon, or a couple of other places I would have expected this to come up on the web if it were an issue, so I would guess there is a study error somewhere, it didn’t pass review and the wikipedia link is old.
Here it is: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3049458/
The article is published in the peer-reviewed journal of the NIH (National Institute of Health), you can’t get any more official than that.
And both authors seem very reputable with over 100 publications on PubMed each. The main author, Marin Manuel, runs the department of Physiology of Northwestern University in Chicago. He can be contacted at marin.manuel@northwestern.edu for further info on the topic. He doesn’t definitely establish (yet) a link between BCAAs and ALS disease (would require more studies), but provides some clues on to why they could lead to it. As far as I’m concerned, as with GMOs I’ll apply the principle of precaution and will avoid them.
Thank you. I’d be interested to hear Layne, Alan and Martin’s thoughts on the evidence so far and practical recommendation.
hi Andy, a quick question:
When you calculate your carb macros, do you include fiber and non-digestible carbs like sugar-alcohol or the type of non-digestible carbs used in pasta like Dreamfields’ ~> http://www.dreamfieldsfoods.com/low-carb-pasta.html
I personally ignore all veggies. I count other carbs. That’s not because they don’t count as such, it just makes it easier to count things overall and it doesn’t matter as long as I adjust everything* relatively. (*i.e. the main carbs sources eaten daily.) The systematic error means as long as I’ve fairly consistent I can ease up with the counting.
Thanks, but I was actually rather referring to dietary fiber coming from grains, such as oat bran for example.
I tend to count that.
I am currently cutting, training is RPT. On a day where I accidentally go over my target calories by say, 200-500 calories, should i just pay them back the next day or two by eating the equivalent amount UNDER my target calories while still respecting protein minimums?
I wouldn’t recommend it ad this is a slippery slope for the subconscious if you start thinking you can always correct mistakes.
I see your point… But If it happens on an infrequent basis, would you recommend making adjustments to other days to still hit weekly targets?
If you are on a deadline then yes.
Hello, I’ve got a small question. Does taking creatine ‘normally’ differ from taking it while doing Leangains? I always train fasted around 6 p.m. so how should I take it? 5g after waking up and 5g after doing workout? And 5g on non- training days? Thanks a lot!
No difference. ~5g a day. Take your pick which theory you subscribe to as to when to take it. I think anytime is fine.
Hey Andy, great article! i would like to know how lean you have to be to be able to eat at a surplus on workout days during a cut? Can a person at around 15-20 percent body fat eat at a slight surplus or would this make my results slower or should i just do a straight deficit?
There is no set rule.
Hey Andy-
I have ordered Stuart McRrobert’s New Brawn Series: Book 1, and think am going to do course 1 when the book arrives (cant wait to read it!).
Being that it has you only lifting 2 days a week, I was wondering how to set up my macros??
Say I’m doing a recomp, do I take the left over day of +20% and make it a rest day (-20%) and add those extra calories (40%) to my training days, or spread them out evenly throughout the other rest days??
Im guessing the best option is to spread them out on my rest days, as adding them to my training days might make my intake a little high.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Just adjust to maintain the weekly calorie balance.
Hi again Andy-
The book has arrived! YAY!!
Going to start a slow bulk (-10/+30), but had a couple of questions, if you had the time..
1) I know it is best to just adjust to maintain the weekly balance, but is there any harm on eating the +30 on the 3 days as normal, even though I’m only working out on 2? (rather than adding to the -10 on rest days) or will this most likely cause un-necessary fat gain?
2) Have you had any experience with Stuart’s 2 day routines? If so, how did you find them?
I have to admit, I am very excited to see how only 2 days training effects me physically (and how it effects my ego haha)
Thanks again!
If you’re working out on two, then it makes sense to have those as your surplus days. Just work to maintain the weekly balance by having less of a deficit on your off days.
I haven’t.
Hello,
the amount of carbs you suggest seems insane to me as I naturally follow a high fat diet with moderate carbs 100-150 grams and sometimes pushing 200 grams… Can I succeed with a higher fat and lower carb approach?
I find that when I try to eat lean I end up hating eating overall and just fail and it just seems unnatural. I hate seperating the white from eggs or eating leaner cuts of meat that just dont taste as good. I love cheese and full fat milk.
I am relatively lean I would estimate by BF at 12-13% but not too much muscle. I really want to bulk without gaining too much fat. I still wanna see visibility of my abs. But I just cannot compromise my fat/carb ratio.
Thank you. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Suleyman. Some people prefer higher fat diets and do well on those. However, there is a whole range of points between 40g and 200g of fat intake a day. It doesn’t have to be black and white like you’re trying to make out.
Hi Suleyman. Some people prefer higher fat diets and do well on those. However, there is a whole range of points between 40g and 200g of fat intake a day. It doesn’t have to be black and white like you’re trying to make out.
Hello Andy, great articles! I have one question however. Once protein/fat macros are reached, how do you continue to eat carbs without going over your fat macros (most carb foods other than fruits add to your fat count)?? Many thanks in advance!
I think you’re just looking at a fairly narrow range of carbs then. Not much fat in rice, pasta, potatoes, cereal, etc.
Hi, on a bulk what is a fair amount of weight to gain per week/two weeks or whatever, like a rough ball park of what I should be aiming for, I’ve only ever done a cut and now I want to bulk but I am unsure how much weight I should be gaining, could you provide any insight to that? Thanks
That depends on the way in which you decide to bulk. This is going to be the topic of a future post.
Well andy I’d (and many many more) also be very interested in this since I want to bulk up.. really looking forward to that post I then.. will it come shortly or take a while. ?
I have no idea I’m afraid.
Well, ideally a slow bulk, keep it as low fat as I can, but not worry TOO much – my point was more, how much weight gain per week is too much?
Hello Andy,
I am doing Leangeans since 1 year now, with +-20% kcal on T- and R-Days.
I fit my macro to the protein intake.
For example I eat X grams of meat and fish until I filled my dialy g of Proteins.
The rest of the day I eat what I want. Then I often eat cookies / cake or other sweeties.
At the moment I am stucked at 11 % body fat.
Do you think I can get under 10% with sweeties (cookies, cakes etc..) if I keep my dialy kcal limit ?
Yes, but that misses the point. You are what you eat Marvin. Don’t abuse the IIFYM principles.
Hey, one question that has always confused me about macros – if you have your final numbers, (using random numbers here, not mine).
160protein, 300g carbs, 60 fat – the calories you used to work out those numbers so 160protein would be 640 calories – does that mean you should only be eating 640 calories worth of protein? or is this 640 calories irrelevant once you have macros and you just hit the protein/fat/carbs/calories and those individual calorie numbers are irrelevant?
I hope you understand what i mean, thanks
Just aim to hit your macros.
According to the math, I should be consuming 230.63g carbs on training days and 163.89g on non training days. This seems like a lot of carb calories for little old me, (female, 5’2 at 136lbs). 922.52 carb calories, leaving me with just 252.14 calories to divide between protein and fat. This tells me to eat more carbs than protein on training days, is that right? Or am I just confused and need to find a dumbed down version somewhere else on the Internet?
Ashley … first calculate protein, then fat and what’s left over are for carbs
Amazing. I will try it tomorrow. Thank you!!!!!
Andy,
At what point should one consider re-working their numbers and more specifically is there such thing as TOO many carbs on a training day if protein intake is high and fat intake is low? I am into week 5 of a cut, and although I have noticed significant changes such as loss of body fat and an increase in musculature, I don’t seem to be leaning out as quickly or as significantly as expected. Would that have more to do with lofty expectations as you have explained and less with calories and macros? On that note, if changes are to be made should they be made on all fronts i.e. Calories and macros or should one focus on changing one before the other? Sorry for the long winded-ness.
Cheers.
Yes bud. Just keep reading. Start going through the articles linked at the bottom of this guide.
I agree with everything that has been written as far as expectations and patience but I cannot shake the feeling that perhaps my numbers are off somewhere. Although I have dropped weight considerably I am not as cut as I would expect to be at this point. In looking back at the
activity multiplier I see that I had
estimated moderately active as I
work out three times a week but my desk job would have me set as sedentary; which do you think would be most advisable to follow?
I am convinced the problem lies in either calories or carb intake; thoughts?
“Which do you think would be most advisable to follow?”
Choose either of what you can’t decide between. Then track your progress and adjust according to the data after a few weeks. No point in getting stressed about any mythical perfect calculation.
Agreed, ever since I committed to this sort of program, I have been battling with dialing in the numbers to perfection;blame my closet OCD for that. I realize that at some point I will need to just let go and see what will
be…thanks for the input. Cheers!
Hi Andy,
I’ve been following your suggested cutting macro calculations since January (-35%/+10, higher carbs/lower fats on training days, higher fat/low carbs on rest days), and I’ve lost a good 10lbs of fat from it. Awesome stuff, many thanks for your excellent articles.
HOWEVER, it seems recently, not sure if it’s due to stress or some other external factor, I’ve hit a plateau where I’m stuck around 167lbs, and I can’t seem to lose anymore (my target weight is around 150-155lbs). Carbs, fats on rest/workout days, what do you suggest I modify in attempts to break past this plateau? I’m almost tempted to throw in some cardio at this point, but I know you and Martin don’t encourage that for fat loss. I’ve also readjusted my macros during every 5lb drop.
Much appreciated, and thanks in advance.
Jack
Could be any number of things. Have a read of the articles listed at the bottom of this article Jack.
Hey Andy,
Thank you for taking the time to write up such a great guide! I have a small question though, does the macro/carb cycling apply to someone if they are at a bodyfat they want to maintain?
Thanks, Jake
Depends on context. It makes sense to consume more carbs on the days that one trains. So it depends if you’re still training first and foremost.
Hi Andy!
Hope all is well.
I was wondering…what is the lowest amount of carbs I can get to for a training day? Like I mentioned previously, I deducted my training day carbs by 50 grams (eating only 150 grams/day), and I have kept my rest day carbs still at 25 grams. How much can I keep cutting carbs? At what amount do I stop reducing carb intake?
Thanks again as always
Harry
That’s quite an open question Harry. If you’ve cut down to 150g already, then at your current body fat that’s pretty low. You need to take a diet break and then resume. I know you know that, but sometimes we just need to hear it right?
Like me for example. Shoulder hurts but I wouldn’t quit the pressing and let it heal. See the doc today as my knee check up (torn MCL after snowboarding accident) and ask him, and the first think he tells me is rotator cuff exercises and rest from the pressing. I know it, but needed to be told.
Thanks Andy
You are right…I guess I needed to hear it again.
After the diet break, do I resume with the 150g of carbs per workout day?
Thanks again
Harry
Try that yes.
Hey andy on my resting days I got two options of high fat: one where the fat is higher (almost double my bodyweight
or two where the carbs area bit higher but fats are still high..
What would you recommend for a rest day
-95 gr fat and 150 gr carbs
-135 gr fat and 100 gr carbs
YOu dont have to calculate, just say which of the two you would prefer.. since t
Fat is minimal 1,25 times higher dan my BW
That depends Chris.
Not satisfied with that answer I would guess? Ok allow me to give a vague one: If you’re fat then go with the lower-carb option, but even that has caveats.
Hehe thanks andy, yeah I was afraid that it would be something like that
NOt fat anymore, think I’m around 10-12 percent bf , now I wanna get bigger and minimize bf gain… playing around and and gonna keep monitoring my slowbulk … just wondered if tgere was a li mm it of too much fat or too much carbs on the restdays, but I guess that also differs per individuals.
THANKS though
Chris
Hi Andy, I have just calculated my macros and ended up with <10g of carb on my rest days, I have (for now) reduced my protein (from a high level) AND fat intae to mae it balance up. Would you suggest that this is a good way to move forward? Or would reducing fat and retaining the protein be a smarter move?
Also, thanks for all the great information on the site, it has been my bible for over a year now. Keep up the good work!
After 3-4 months of bulking, should I just switch back to my old cutting macros from when I weighed several kilograms less or should I slightly increase carbs to factor in the newly added body mass?
Hey Andy. On a cut. I believe I kept fat too low on training days for several weeks. You mention this messes with hormones and testosterone. Any idea if there is lasting negative effects or do things go back to normal pretty quickly as fat is inserted to more normal levels. Thanks as always.
It does, but how quickly I don’t know.
Also, think more in terms of your average daily fat intake and not just the training days – they will be low by nature.
Hi andy, with the simplified counting rule u say fruits are usually not worth counting…how many pieces do u think b4 u need to count them ( i usually have 5/day)
A medium sized piece of fruit can be counted as 25g of carbs. Make up your own simplified macro counting rules, be consistent, track and adjust objectively and you will be successful.
The only thing I’m unclear about as someone that is “weak fat” you seem to suggest either a cut or a recomp would work well.
Would utilizing recomp macros with a single fast day (eat stop eat style) be a good idea or would using mild cut macros make more sense for the “weak fat” person to continue growing muscle while shedding more fat than a straight recomp?
Did you read this article Robert?
My apologies, that is where I meant to pose my question as that is where the question arose.
In Section 4, you state that weak fat is in a similar position in terms of muscle gains and the associated requirements for growth as the skinny fat person for whom you recommend recomp macros. So whereas the muscled fat person should go for a cut, the weak fat person should have a less severe cut.
What qualifies as less severe or perhaps too severe? Should I just try something like the +10%/-30% example until I stop adding weight to the bar and then make adjustments or does it make more sense to assume I need more calories to fuel muscle growth?
Thanks in advance for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated.
“What qualifies as less severe or perhaps too severe?”
In the situation of the skinny-fat guy, if the macros are not allowing for the predicted and desired strength increases, which is relative/dependant upon their training status.
I apologize if this has been asked before!
I’m currently slow bulking, but I’ve always found that increased frequency (4-5 days a week training) yields more mass. Perhaps not for everyone, but I seem to respond best to it.
Would you still recommend a cyclical diet such as this? For instance, if I train 5 days a week that would be 5 days a week I am at “low fat”. I was not sure if this was optimal.
You’d want to maintain your fat intake levels for good hormone balance, but that shouldn’t be a problem as you are bulking anyway. 40-60/60-90 fat gram ranges for the two days respectively as a general guide if what I have been using recently for most males. You can go higher of course when bulking.
Hey Andy,
I got question on carbohydrates, you said in article that it is better to have them instead of fat on training days to prevent to much fat storage, but i remember in some other article you also said that carbohydrates can turn into fat cells into our body as well if we get to many of them, so why are they better during training day?
Are they better for muscle recovery or are they just less likely to turn into fat?
There is quite a deep and detailed answer that I could give, but I worry that my fingers may be typing in vain. Why? Because I doubt this is the question that you need to be asking to get results. So forgive me for taking the easy option this time.
Sure. Don’t worry, I was asking to learn more rather then to try to force any changes to my diet, i am fine with how it works now.
From what i found i guess it might be related to insulin(which is anabolic)level going up which is also good for our muscles.
Hey Andy, I’ve been reading through your website and comments a lot lately. Just wanted to say that it really helped me understand better about nutrition and training, and basically how the body works. I have a question though, I have trouble keeping up with my protein macros as after I calculate I need about 188g protein, (doing a cut with 20% BF) and I am considering eating a supplement, either whey or casein to help. I work out at night around 8PM, and have my post workout meal at 9.30. Since I go to bed around 12-1am, should I take whey or casein during my final meal (ive read that casein is best before bed, but better with a meal)?
Also, Since Im eating my lunch at around 12.30-1pm, is it better to consume whey before around 30min before workout? ive read somewhere that since its been long hours since my last meal, it’s better to eat or drink something before workout.
See here.
Whey in the day, casein at night.
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Andy, Great site! I’m at 191 pounds, around 13% BF. By the calculations, I estimate my BMR at around 2500 calories. At 200g protein and 50g fat on training days, that leaves me with 375 or so carbs. Does this seem correct? Before I was eating too much fat I realized after reading your site, up to 140g on training days. So I basically need to swap those fat calories for carb calories, correct?
Hi Andy, I Work as a labourer and work out 3 times a week. Im 18. 6’0 and 168 i figured my maintenance calories to about 2950. In the 12 weeks I’ve been recomping, I went from 170-168, eating 3550 calories on training days and 2350 on rest days, adjust for days when i work by adding 500 calories. My main compound lifts are all increasing and I suppose i am seeing favorable results in the mirror. Is this to be expected? body fat puts me anywhere from 6.5-10.5 depending on the tool and my abs are relatively visible. What would you reccomend i change? or should i just keep going and see what happens.
Thank you for any response you may give
If your lifts are increasing and you are seeing favourable results in the mirror then don’t change things.
Hi Andy, just a little confused, I’ve worked out all my Macros, been doing Leangains since last November, trying to do a slow bulk as want to put on some lean muscle, but everyweek I weight myself I seem to be loosing weight. I have lost fat, but seem to be struggling to add any Muscle, not sure if I am better off going back to 6 meals a day to bulk up as seem to be struggling to add any mass. If I up my Macros too high I just seem to add fat.
Cheers Andy.
If you are getting stronger then you are gaining muscle. If you are losing fat then that’s good also. If you wish to gain weight then you need to eat more. Whether you eat 2, 3, or 8 meals it doesn’t matter¥ but do what is simplest. Don’t simply tell me that when you add more to the macros you simply gain fat. It’s not a quick lose/gain with a small change to them. Experiment.
Would someone still see results if they are using the macros very loosely? I am a vegan and adapting this diet is a bit difficult. Any suggestions?
Hey I was just wondering if anyone could help with my question, current in week 2 of IF and absolutely loving it its so much easier than I expected it to be but was wondering I fast from 8:30pm to after gym the next day which is anytime from 12:30pm-2pm depending on when I finish work I have 500ml of water upon waking at 3:30am, cup of black coffee at 4:30am then consume around 1.5 litres of water and a cup of green tea before gym then have a cup of black coffee pre workout (while I’m driving to gym) and have my 10g BCAA intra workout, should I have anymore bcaa earlier or is it fine to have it while I’m at gym and then have my first meal whenever I get home? Thanks peeps!!
Take your bcaa 5-15 minutes BEFORE fasted training… then do your workout and then go home and eat !
Cheers for getting back to me dude, so coffee pre work is no good I should have bcaa? The coffee gets me jacked as shit and I find the bcaa helps with fasted training intra workout, it’s bcaa before a main protocol of IF?
BcAa 5-10 minutes is standard protocol when it comes to fasted training with IF .. it’s a MUST…
You can still also drink your coffee though, I drink it also pre-workout
So I can’t have it intra workout instead of pre workout?
Just stick to how it’s done… why change things, ofcourse you COULD, also COULD drink coffee during your workout. They looked into it, tested it and concluded that the 5-15min. Pre workout bcaa has the best effect, if ya want to change things, go ahead..
I’m not meaning to change things just before I started IF I took 10g of bcaa and 2.5g of glutamine during my lifting sessions so I was just thinking it would help with the fasted training by making me less light-headed and maybe give me a bit more strength
Nope, take creatine for strength though
Clearly that will be a function of how loosely they follow them and how shit their diet was before.
I love eating until I feel so stuffed I can’t swallow another bite. If I were to extend my fast til 5pm, then weight train, and then eat all my calories between 6pm and 10pm – are there any downsides? Is it possible for my body to actually absorb and use all the calories from the protein and carbs in that length of time, or would some go to “waste”?
Hunger is not an issue. In fact, I usually have the other problem – once I start eating, I can’t stop, meaning if I have my first meal at 1pm, by 9pm I’ve frequently overeaten. Hence the plan to squash all my food into a 3-4 hour window.
Also, if I’m going out to a restaurant to eat a fatty 2000-2500 calorie meal once in a while, is it better to do this on a training day (fats will get stored) or a rest day (less fat storage, but will go well over BMR)?
Thanks for taking the time to keep answering questions. The length of this comment thread is testament to the amount of work you’ve put in!
1. See here.
2. Training day.
Andy great stuff…pls help with my macros and calories.
Im 54 yrs old
5 foot 10.5 inches
80 kgs with love handles and about 20-25% body fat Id hazard a guess.
I calculated my stats as needing
1500 for maintenance
so im guessing
Work Out days 1800 and rest 1000 to drop the fat.
P40% C40% F20% on both days is that okay ?
Please help with this and siuggest what to eat, cost isnt an issue
i have been leanfaining with IF for a week and am seeing some results….
Thanks a million pal
Richard in Hoing Kong
Hi richard, please read the sentences in red at the bottom of the article.
Cleg Burris here. I really wonder if a calorie is a calorie when they all go to the same place. My TDEE is high so do that mean that the protein content should be also? I’m also wondering about my carbs and whether they should be eaten first or second during the day.
Hi Cleg, this article by Lyle McDonald will be a helpful starting point. If that’s too complicated then don’t worry about it – it’s not necessary to understand the science to follow the plan. Macro guidelines are above.
Hi Clegg.
1. I would guess from your latter two comments that your desire to dig deep into the science of things is made redundant by your current training status. Focus on practical application of things first.
2. Not necessarily, increase your carbs mainly.
3. Split them evenly if in doubt. Depends on your training though. See Martin’s Leangains Guide.
Hi Andy!
Really nice webpage and article i love it!!
I’m 180cm height and 74 kg weight and my calculated BMR is 1811,8kCal. I decided that at first I want to go for ‘cuts’. I have a question about activity multiplayer. I’m a football referee and i must have 2-3 cardio trenings(60 min) and one game a week + 3 fitness trainings as you said. Should i use moderate activity factor (BMRx1,55)?? Then on my TDEE should be 2808kCal, isn’t this number very high?? Then on my TDay 3082kCal and RDay 1825kCal.
Sorry for bad english
Thanks, Mihael
Read the BMR calc linked article. Choose one multiplier, track and adjust accordingly. Don’t stress it.
Hey Andy. Love all the info you have here. You seem to posses the organization gene that Martin doesn’t! I love this program. It’s pretty much the way I eat everyday anyway so it works perfect for me. I only had to make a few minor changes and actually calculate my macros as well.
I have 2 questions for you. I like to run half marathons and do mountain trail races so cardio is something I rather enjoy. Part of the training involves occasional long runs and 30 to 40 minutes of HIIT cardio. I’ve chosen to do the cut protocol but rather than use the +10/-35 option I’ve chosen to do a +10/-25 to help compensate for the lost calories burned during HIIT and other runs. Do you think that’s sufficient or should I maybe even go to a -15?
The other question is this: how often should I re-calculate my macro values? obviously as your body begins to change so do your nutritional needs. That being said how often would you recommend recalculating: every 2 weeks? every 4 weeks? or some other duration of time?
Thanks again for all the effort you put into this and any help you can provide! I really appreciate it!
Ben, thanks for the comment. Glad you’ve been finding the site so useful.
1. How you adjust the split really depends. If I were you I’d not stress it too much, just pick one and then track.
2. Never recalculate. Just adjust up or down according to the tracking data. – That’s how I do it anyway.
Hey Andy, i am kind of confused with the activity multiplier. I work out heavy 3 times a week and i am a college student. I move around during the day only to walk to classes or walking from school and walking back home. Would my activity multiplier be considered sedentary or lively active? Let me know about what your opinion is on this!
Follow the link to the BMR calculation. Read the notes on activity multipliers. Track your progress and adjust accordingly.
Hi Andy,
I have been very paranoid for a long time with my calorie-intake. I was fat for a long time and when I moved to Berlin, it did get worse because of the superficial view. Anyway, for a couple of years I have been down to a calorie-intake of about 1500kcal/day. Now I’m at least up again on about 2000kcal/day.
I’m 25 (male), 178cm, 72kg and should have a daily kcal of 2400. If I decide myself to go on a cut or Body recomp. should I take the calorieamount my body is used to since years? (my bmr has certainly been lowered due to the long deficit)
Best,
Pascal
Yes.
Hey Andy, what happens if your fat is way too low on workout days? is there anything wrong with this? i tried making my fat macros on workout days really low so that i could have more carbs. my current macros are 210 protein, 380 carbs, and 25 fat. Should i increase my fat to 30-35 grams and decrease carbs to 360-340?
Hormonal imbalances, lowered testosterone.
So it seems fat intake is imperative for hormone functioning. I’m eating at a sizable deficit on rest days, so it’s hard to fit a lot of fat in. Is there any particular minimum fat intake that is recommended to maintain hormone levels?
Is it?
Try salmon or other fat fish, peanutbutter, chicken (with skin), pork, whole eggs. All high in protien and fat
I’m not having trouble finding the fat sources, it’s just so calorie dense that it makes me hit my total calorie limit too quickly.
Yeah it is,
May I ask how much calories you consume on your rest days…
And how much you consume as protein
I keep my fats on restdays around 1gr per kg bodyweight, that would be around 78gr.. thats my minimum on restdays. It goes up to 100gr .. so 78-100 gr. On restdays.
I also try to consume NO carbs on restdays. Max 30 grams
On trainingdays I keep fat always under 30 gr. And my carbs sky high ..
My cals are
restday 1800 cals
Trainingdays 2800 kcal
There is no specific, singular answer here John I’m afraid.
Hello Andy,
When you work with your clients who are slow-bulking, what increment amount of carbs (i.e. 30 or 60 grams) do you recommend once they have got their “optimal” amount of carbs? Thanks!
That really depends. 50-100 is the typical range but then there are fat/protein considerations in some cases.
Hey Andy, I had a quick question on the macros i’m running i’m currently doing a -30 -10 cut and my macros are
Workout day
Protein 170
Carbs 222
Fat 33
Total cals 1861
Rest day
Protein 170
Carbs 46
Fat 61
Total cals 1406
Im wondering if this ok to use for my cut i’ve been using this for about two weeks and the scale has been going down and im getting mor ab definition but i’m concerned about being in a deficit on my training day. I’ve done some searching and notice others have done similar cuts being in deficit on both days and wonder what your opinion is.
Thanks Alec
See sentences in red.
Andy my apologies i thought you said to post this question here in the email you sent me. My fault. Maybe you can help me by giving me your opinion of having a deficit on training days as well as rest days While cutting
Obese, yes. Otherwise, it depends. Too many grey areas, no concrete ‘rules’ that I’ve coined.
hey mate just calculated my macros im 180cm and 85kg probably around 15-16%BF, looking to cut it says my BMR = 1865cals i lift 4 times a week so its Moderately Active so X1.55=2892cals do i minus 500cals from that? macros worked out to be 250g Protein training and rest days, 30g fats on training day and 60g rest days and carbs was 250g training days and 60g rest days so ill be consuming around 2290cals training days and 1800cals rest days does that sound about right? any help will be much appreciated
Please read the sentences in red Josh at the bottom of the article.
Hey Andy I have a quick question about the whole “spiking insulin” thing which I keep reading about over on Ian McCarthy’s page, what exactly is it and if I eat in an 8 hour window (all types of foods) do I need to worry about it? If so what am I supposed to do to avoid spiking my insulin and when should I doing it/not doing it – thanks!
Insulin is really not something you need to worry about. Ian states that very plainly also.
Hi Andy.
Before I started my weight loss (cutting) using the Leangains protocol, I was 260lbs, presently I am 196lbs about 17% – 18% body fat.. My goal is to get down to 10% body fat and maintain as much muscle as possible during this process, then start a slow bulk program. I used the http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ to setup my cals/macros using a (-10/-30) setup should I continue using this setup being on a deficit both days? or use what you suggested in step 4 (+10/-30-35%) to build muscle and lose fat?
“Cutting’: You need to be lower than this so as to create a weekly energy deficit. Even so, you must eat a surplus of calories on a training day in most situations*.
Your numbers might look something like 2200kCal and 1300kCal. (+10%/-30~35%kCal)”
Thank You
I recommend using the method I have written above, not that calculator.
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Hey Andy mate, hope all is well. I have re-done my macros (not asking you to check them) – but I know the macro’s over-estimate (or so I believe and have read here and elsewhere)
1) Do they over estimate if you choose Sedentary multiplier (x1.2)
2) Would you recommend ever doing: -35% / 0 (rather than +10%)
3) I’ve been cutting for a while now (2 months), would a day or two of maintanence eating help me out here? I read that in buckybean’s reddit page he wish he had – and if so do I just eat to hunger and not worry about hitting protein/fat/carbs?
Cheers mate, and thanks for insulting my chav ‘rap’
I’d recommend that you don’t try and re-calculate, but adjust things up or down based on the tracking data you have with the current macros you have been using.
Alright, but by adjusting what step do you take? Like, keep protein the same, and lower the carbs on training days a bit and lower the fat on rest days a bit? (which in turn obviously lowers the calories)
And do you have any insight to the 3rd step I mentioned?
Mostly via carbs but it really depends Richard.
Hi Andy, seriously excellent stuff (and really appreciate the alcohol article!!) just a couple of really quick questions.
1) I want my feeding window to be 12:30-8:30 and I train at 5pm. Is that a big long to go without eating pre workout? I can’t really have another large meal between lunch and training as I’m at work. Would a whey protein shake or low fat cottage cheese be ok to keep me going? Maybe at 3? And maybe the same post workout before dinner? (I guess my question really is do the size/frequency of meals have a big impact on training days)
2) following on from 1, I don’t think I can afford all that meat, are protein/carb powders a good way to bump my levels up?
3) my girlfriend’s interested in starting this diet too but is really not up for weight training (but likes pilates). Would this work for her?
Thanks a lot! Seriously looking forward to trying this out!
1. Fine (to first part),.
2. Yes absolutely. Casein at night; whey in the day.
3. She doesn’t need to do this diet then.
Wow. Thanks for the speedy reply! For part 3 I kinda just meant the fasting period for her rather than the numbers but I’ve been doing it for only 3 days and seen a decrease in my stomach size so I’m pretty chuffed!
I’m Gonna see how I get on over the next 4 weeks (mainly with the carbs). I’m 160lbs ~17% BF and have started a strength training programme 3xweek but 300+g of carbs just sounds like such a high number. Poliquin and Chad Waterbury advise 40g/day if you’re trying to lose weight and keep your strength up!
So, I’ll give it 4 weeks and if I’m not happy I’m gonna give you an email about a consultation! The way you write your articles I know it would be a benefit. Would just like to try it myself first.
Thanks again!
PS with regards to carbs should I just increase on training days if my strength plateaus and decrease if my BF plateaus?
How you adjust depends largely on the situation on balance, overall. There is no simple: If A then do B. I can’t make a blanket statement like that.
Hi Andy! Thank you for a great page! I’ve been looking for a leangains macro calculator and this is by far the best one! I have some (unnecessary?) worries regarding my feeding during the 8 hour window. I calculated my macros for workout days to be (180,500,30) I’ve been doing leangains for a month now and have never been able to exceed 300 carbs no matter what. I cooked 1kg of potatoes which I ate during dinner and the last 2 hour of window, but this is not more than 150g carbs (or some). Would you recommend to eat more carbs before training in order for me to reach this target? Let’s say I workout at 5pm, should I eat as much carbs as possible before workout?
And because of the 30g fat limit on workout days, and the lack of carbs I always tend to eat aprx. 800 calories less than my target which is somewhere around 3200 on WO days.
Hope you find the time to answer my question!
Best regards Lars
While hitting your carb macro totals if you eat more carbs in the window after your workout then before your workout and you’ll be fine. Yes, you are free to interpret that as loosely as it is written as the outcome will be the same.
Hi Andy, first of all let me tell you im from argentina and im not the best english speaker of all,,,,,
i found your website and im really amazed, im reading this for about 1 week, and i still have a lot to read!
I’ve calculated my BMR, i weight 58 kg, im 164 cm tall, and i am 21 years old. (i train 4-5 times a week)
I will go for cut, so my BMR IS 2391,34 Kcal…
That means in training days, 2630,47 kcal.
P:175/F:25/C:426,37
And rest days, 1673,94 Kcal
P:175/F:50/C:108,48
Is that ok? Cause in training day 175P, means i have to eat like 850 g of meat, and i think is too much, but im not sure… the and in the rest days its ok 50 F ?
Thanks a lot! i really like ur website
Lucas thank you for the comment, I appreciate it. As a non-native speaker I can understand if you didn’t see what I have written in red at the bottom of the post. Basically: I don’t answer questions like this.
Sorry bud.
i miss that part! sorry! but thanks anyway!
Hey Andy— we don’t need to worry if the rest day calories are below our BMR, because our lifting day calories are in a surplus… correct? (If someone is doing a cut)
I’m not sure why you should be worried about this either way James.
Just curious. I kept reading in a few places that going below your BMR could make you sick, or could chew up too much muscle. So that’s false? It’s okay to go below then, because we’re eating more food the next day… ? (I just wanted to make sure
Hi James. Not if you go under BMR per-se however you will lose muscle if you continue to be in a calorie deficit that is too far below your energy needs for the day. The extent you can take it is relative to your body fat level, training regimen, length of time continued for.. few other things. However, I strongly suggest you stress the science less and focus on the practical application more. Continue reading the guides on the site and you’ll find all you need. I’ll be in the comments if you have questions, but please read first.
Hi Andy!
When calculationg calorieintake,should I choose my current weight(80kg’s,overweight) or my targetweight (70kgs) when I count my bmr?
Thanks in advance!
//Per
Just re-read the calculation section Per.
Hello! I calculated my BMR to be 1,444.82, and modified for activity= 2,239…. But that’s when I’m working out a lot and I’ve bad mononucleosis so I haven’t been able to. Started lean gains today after a 17 hour fast.
What would good macros be for me???? Fat/protein/carbs?
I am 5’8, 140lbs and would like to cut and get leaner, lose a little fat %
Please see the sentences in bold red above.
Hi Andy,
Hopefully you are fine. I am in the middle of my second month and notice that when I eat only fish as a protein source on training days I am really much ‘flatter’ than having lean meat. How is this possible? Would it be smarter to always use fish on training days because of the low fat? And so avoid the bloated feeling/looks and be more efficient in the fat burning? Further I am happy to tell you that finally things are moving into the right direction: scale down, strength up.
Keep up the good work Andy and talk to you soon!
Michael
Likely this is just in your head. Don’t worry about it.
Hey, Andy.. I watched one of the videos you posted, it was either you or Ian, of Layne talking about IIFYM, he mentioned a lot about fiber, which I get, yeah, it should naturally be in your diet – but only recently have I been eating more vegetables than I should to get more – but the issue II have is, it doesn’t seem enough still – rest days it is becoming an issue with a 1300-1400 calorie limit – as it stands I’m only really mainly getting fiber from Broccoli.. what is the lowest my fiber intake should even be? I think its something you should maybe add into your FAQ because i’ve noticed a lot of the people around me and people in gym’s just avoid veg, because they are stupid I guess, I was one of them, not that I don’t like it, it was just the hassle.
Cheers mate.
Eat a reasonable amount of veg with each meal. For those that are lazy, they can cook it in advance. There’s no need to count it as long as their consumption is consistent, and there is no need to over-think what “reasonable” is, which I say because I know someone reading this will do.
Hey andy,
I calculated my macros etc and made my menus,
My feeding window is 14:00-22:00 and I train at 18:00
Currently I have one pre workout meal @14:00 hrs
This meal only consists off protein (200gr. Turkey and 5 egg whites) 60grams total of protein about 240-280kcals
Is this okey or MUST I include some carbs ( honestly I don’t feel like I miss them during the first ‘meal’
Don’t notice being any less powerful so..
Am I mimicking a fasted state this way towards the training? ( not intentionally doing that) if so should I take some bcaa beforehand of training, like you need to on fasted training?
Thanks for your time
If you don’t enjoy them then that’s fine. If it’s just that you don’t feel like then I’d suggest you experiment; try both no carbs and a few carbs and see how you feel when training.
Okey, thanks Andy,
So no need for bcaa before my training even if I stick to my pre workout only protein meal?
(Since I workout almost 4 hours after that little meal) not hungry till after my workout though :O
No need.
Awesome blog! I’ve been doing Leangains since Dec ’12 and have noticed great increases in strength, but also love handles! I now see that my purpose for “cutting” should have been set at Day 1. I also should have been consuming less carbs on rest days. Thanks for clarifying and making this very easy to follow. One small success is that since implementing the above formula I had a “flush” a couple days ago of 6 lbs. I know it’s mostly water weight but encouraging nonetheless!
Shout out to Leo for the BMR spreadsheet too, very helpful!
Hey Andy, I calculated my TDEE etc, I used a activitielevel of 1.4 though, cause I can’t live on 1600 kcals
Since it’s a lifestyle thing and not a diet it should be a not to strict 
Seriously though, I got a job where I have to do the occasionally lifting of wooden floors( delivery, truckdriver) etc, and I do a workout 3 days a week, so I thought the activity of 1,4 would be appropriate, or do you disagree?
Also another question, how low should the carbs macro be on cuts, I weigh 78 kg and if I use the 90gr of fat ,
I got about 50gr over for carbs But if I push my fat to 100gr , I have 27 gr leftover for carbs. .
What is the mininmal and max grams for carbs on cutting?
Which of both would have better results or doesn’t it matter?
Thanks in advance Andy!
Hi Chris.
1. Try that multiplier, track and then adjust accordingly.
2/3. “Min/max for cutting?” No set rule. Read the guidelines above and apply if you are a recreational trainee.
Thank you !
Keep up the awesome blogposts Andy, your blogs helped me a great deal in understanding Leangains better!
Hey Andy, on a bulk does it matter what kind of carbs you eat? If so could you tell me roughly what I need to do, I’m more focusing on if I can consume brown or white rice or is there any difference? Should I be eating White rice/potatoes PWO and brown carbs later or does it not matter?
See in the FAQ here. Just updated for you.
Thanks, it’s just I’m not a fan of brown rice/pasta – so I assume I was meant to read that link and watch the video (which I did) and what I got from that was… the difference between white/brown rice is so minimal it won’t really change the outcome even on a bulk, correct?
Right.
Hi, i have a question about food categories.
When deciding what to eat for carbs do you consider onions (cooked) and garlic as carbs? Onion has 10gr of carbs for 100gr and garlic has 30! almost like fruits. but until now i ate then as “vegetables” and didn’t count them.
I do consider to start counting them for my carbs macros. What is your opinion?
*And also, when checking carbs for food like cabbage/cucumber/fennel/broccoli/cauliflower and other vegetables, are the number of carbs comes from real carbs humans can digest or are they basically cellulose? I know you say “don’t count vegetables as carbs” but it adds up if it is truly carbs…
Thank you.
Hi Dany. For such non-starchy, staple carb sources choose to count them or don’t. Whichever you choose keep it consistent. You’ve read about my “consistency rule” right?
The latter paragraph is irrelevant.
Pingback: Macros
Hi again Andy!
Hope things are well.
I recently injured my lower back doing squats
I’m going to take 2 weeks off and eat at maintenance.
My question is, after you work out your protein macros, is there any ratio of fats to carbs for the remainder of the calories?? Like 50/50?
Cheers
No set ratio.
Andy
Wonder if you would be so kind to answer another question of mine. I have worked out my macros and I usually eat them over two meals. On training days I usually break fast at 1;30pm with 40% of my calories (900kcal) then workout at 7;30 then eat my remaining calories after (1700kcal). I have read comments from people saying that should avoid carbs in your pre-workout meal but if I did this I would not be able to get that near my 40% from the first meal. At the moment having about 120g carbs before workout and 300g carbs post workout. Does this seem ok or should I reduce down the size of my preworkout meal to reduced carbs?
In many cases avoiding carbs in a pre-workout meal is impractical. You may have read comments that people say they tried/do that, but you won’t see any from me writing that.
Thanks. You are right on both counts, impractical and you certainly havent said it. However might try reducing carbs slightly and increasing fats pre workout see if I notice any difference. Thanks
Hi Andy,
Thanks for all the great info. I am wondering if a +10%/-20% plan is enough of a cut to be effective for someone just starting out with a lot of weight to lose (about 60 pounds). My thinking is that avoiding too large of a deficit in the beginning will hopefully help with adherence, and I can get more aggressive once I have the hang of things a bit better. Do I need to push the deficit to 25% or 30% to see results?
Thanks,
Ben
The fatter you are, the higher the deficit you can tolerate without muscle loss. – Your body’s ‘pantry’ is full and plentiful at this stage. Whether you personally can stick to this is partially in the set-up and food choices and partially psychological. If in doubt then take it steady at first.
“The exception to this is very light framed and/or weak people, whom I would recommend choose ‘body-recomposition‘ calories, then increase accordingly. With the implementation of this diet and a barbell training program your first year will give you the most dramatic changes to your physique in your life. You should be excited. You will need calories for this. (If this is you, I have a special message & offer in the first comment box for you below.)”
Hi Andy, I’m looking for the special message/offer you describe in this paragraph. Thanks for the useful information.
Well Andrew. I wrote it, and so I don’t doubt it is here somewhere, but I’ll be damned if I know where mate. I would guess somewhere near the beginning though there are 968 comments here now. If anyone can help or if you find it I have gold stickers to give.
Hi Andy,
excellent site! You’re doing really great job.
I’m on leangains since June (but there was a month travelling as well). I’m cutting since November but I’m stalled for 2-3weeks now. I’ve managed to get from 101kg to 93kg (183cm) and I needed to lower my caloric intake three times. Now I’m on 2650kcal training day and 1900kcal non training which I think is very low. My guess is that I could be around 15% BF now. For three weeks I’m on RPT as well. I have a long experience with strength training, now I’m able to lift 230kg-145kg-235kg in raw squat-bench-deadlift.
My question is: is it crucial to be in caloric surplus on your training days???
If so then I see this as my big mistake because I’m in caloric deficit on both days and I think because of that I can be stalled. My plan is to eat around maintenance for next 2 weeks (+-3000 kcal)and then recalculate my macros and eat more then now and be in surplus on training day (something like 3100kcal training and 2100kcal non training).
Thanks again for doing a great job!
Jakub
You probably need to take a diet break. See the post on tracking progress.
Thanks. I’ve already read this post. I take regular measures and there’s no change there either. I will try a diet break by eating around my maintenance level for the next two weeks and then recalculate it and start over.
Hey Andy loving your posts as per usual, just a quick question, Im currently pursuing a PhD and Im at a Japanese lab so we work crazy late, and I cant workout until 10 pm, which means postworkout meal will be around midnite. This messes with being able to keep the TD and RD feeding windows consistent. The Konami sports gym doesnt open til 8 in the morning and our lab is nazi-like about being on time in the morning, ruling out any chance of a morning workout. Any advice would be great as this is really frustrating.
Cheers for changing my view on training and nutrition.
Hmm… you’re kinda screwed. Working out very late will cause you to lose sleep, which will affect recovery (for growth), and fat loss.
You could try pulling the gaijin card and negotiate with your boss to leave earlier. Or you could just give it a go anyway and have fruit and casein protein just after your workout (as it’s quick) before bed – the rest of your food will obviously have to be earlier in the day.
It’s a tough time in your life and unfortunately not the ideal opportunity to be pursuing physique goals. If this is a simple case if you needing to lose some weight (obese or fat) then consider the “Eat.Stop.Eat.” method and do one barbell workout on your day off. Otherwise it may be a case of putting the vanity aside for now and just getting on with your PhD.
I wouldnt call myself obese, 88kg 185 cm tall, havent actually changed weight for a year, but put on a ton of muscle by skipping breakfast and eating carbs on training days (8-10 hr feeding window) and trying to eat less on non-training days. You are probably right though, not the best situation to be pursuing this haha, Ill give it my best still, cheers.
Woah, I have been surfing online reading for months on getting macros sorted and am so happy to have finally your blog. Clear, concise, easy to understand. Thank you! I have a Health Science background so I have some knowledge of body mechanics. This is my first year of committed training & diet. I injured my back & figured at 40 years of age(Female) I needed to act now….this all led to weight training & diet. I have done the sums and decided to do the body recomp. I would like to build some muscle but also lean a little. I am 125lbs at approx 20-21%bf. My training days works out to 2333cal and my rest day works out to be 1724cal (I used 15 rather than 20% + & – to start out). I am a little freaked out by the 2333 on training days but wil give it a go and monitor my body. Thanks again for the info! Def bookmarking
Good luck Tara.
Hi Andy!
So I’m thinking of doing a 10 day meditation retreat. I can use this time to do a deload/ and or do bodyweight exercises.
There is only one problem….. the food…. Its all vegetarian…. (sucks, I know!)….
They dont allow you to bring food (especially meat), so what should I do for my protein?? Is it okay to live on whey and casein for 10days??
Eat to your hunger and you will be roughly at maintenance and you won’t lose any muscle in such a timeframe.
Okay cool. So the protein numbers don’t matter as much as I thought for the 10 days? (being such a short amount of time). Do you think it is worth doing body weight stuff? or just take 10 days off and ease back into it when I get home?
Up to you mate. It’s not a big deal.
Thanks again for the reply mate. Iv read your views on cheat meals/cheat days and have learned alot from you regarding this. I just wondered what your views would be on if i had a cheat day once a week on a training day. Say for example I had a day where id eat 5000 calories or so but I was still in a weekly deficit would this be ok in your opinion. I realise this would not be ideal to do every week and i wouldnt do that. But if i did let go and had a day of junk food eating but i was still in a weekly deficit would I ruin my whole weeks worth of dieting or not?
Cheers
Just relating to that, my maintain calories are 2100 so you can see that 5000 on a day would be a big binge, ha! but based on the weeks overall calories id still be in a deficit.
Luckily I went through all the FAQ yesterday to make sure it is tip-top and up to date or I wouldn’t have remembered I wrote about it there. [Direct link]
Andy, I’m really struggling in terms of deciding which steps to take! I have read the article on determining where you’re currently at, but I’m not sure wheer I am! I have been training 3 years with poor results (constantly changing from cutting and bulking thus getting nowhere). I’m 5’11 and 170 with about 12lb overweight and only 14.5inch arms and weak!
I KNOW i need to get bigger and stronger but at the same time feel slightly overweight (probably about 16% right now)
It’s driving me mental!
If you are weak then you’ll likely achieve both fat loss and muscle gain when starting a solid barbell routine. Consider recomp macros.
Thank you so much. Just what I needed to know!!
OH one last thing, I have a bad lower back and thus cannot deadlift and my gym stupidly only has one barbell which is always occupied. Would weighted chin ups and weighted dips twice a week suffice in replacing these movements, so long as strength is still going up?
See a doctor and get referred to a physio so you can get your back fixed. Chins may not cause you pain but are not a replacement. If the barbell is always occupied at the time you can get to that gym then…
Think I will attempt to ease myself back into deadlifts, however is it ok to replace bench with dips and pushups and keep back with deadlifts and chins?
“is it ok to replace bench with dips and pushups”
Fine for now but not in the long term.
Hi, I’ve been in the cutting macros for 2 weeks now and I’m actually seeing visible results despite a weight gain, but I feel like I’m starting to plateau, how do I progress? Go I recalculate the BMR (even though I’ve gained weight but am leaner) or do I just reduce the calorie goal for rest days?
“I’ve been in the cutting macros for 2 weeks now and I’m actually seeing visible results despite a weight gain, but I feel like I’m starting to plateau”
Feel nothing. Your feelings are irrelevant. Measurements don’t lie. I presume you are taking none. Your impatience threatens to be your biggest downfall. Keep reading the blog and you’ll find all the answers there, in very recent posts.
Hi Andy, Thanks for the quick reply on my question earlier, yeah ill keep track of my progress and see how it goes.
Just another quick question regarding the training (its 3 day split i do) Monday is squats, Tuesday is bench press and Friday is Deadlifts and Chins. Im training this way using the RPT system described by you and im keeping it intense and brief to prevent any more stress on my body as you say. Iv noticed that im not really targeting certain muscles such as triceps, or rear delts and just wondered if i may lose size or definition in these muscles due to them not being trained directly or will this routine be enough to keep all my muscles looking sharp?
Also is there any benefit is reducing my carbs to any less than 50g per day on rest days? iv heard that the brain needs around 50g to function properly and going below 50g would mean going into ketosis aswell? The reason i ask this is because im 10% body fat at the moment and aiming to get down to around 6 or 7% (im 155 lbs in weight at present) So i wondered if you thought id need to drop carbs as low as possible on rest days, or would it not matter too much because id be in a decent calorie defecit this day i could even afford to eat 50 to 100g carbs?
Thanks again Andy, looking forward to your response
David
1. Will be fine. But better to have one day of rest in-between workouts.
2. This depends on the individual.
Mate, great job! I’m so happy I found this information. It cleared up alot of grey areas that Martin did not seem to cover on the website and everything you wrote seemed to follow all of his/my beliefs.
GREAT WORK MATE. GREAT WORK.
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Hi Andy! Love this site im really grateful to you for putting it together! Iv used all the info on it to work out my training day and rest day calories for my goal of cutting. The query is- my training days are on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. So because I cant do the typical monday, wednesday, friday training days it means my calories wont be quite cycled as it suggests as in a low calorie day then a high, then a low. iv got 2 consecutive training days so that means for myself 2 days in a row of 2300 calories (high carbs) and then 2 consecutive rest days on low calories. Will i still get the same fat burning benefit of this diet even if im not cycling my calories from a high day to a low day?
Thanks
David
If you are doing full body workouts then you need a day of rest between. Drop a session. If you do that then to maintain the calorie balance for the week and shuffle things around is a good starting point. If a split routine and you figure you can get away with back to back training then it’s probably easier to not change things and just track and adjust from there.
Separate the training for a second. Is she still gaining strength? Is she a beginner? If so then strength gains clearly are an option, and may be possible despite cutting. RPT is a rep pattern scheme, not a training routine. Choose that as per her recovery capacity.
Hi Andy, I’ve read through your articles pretty thoroughly, and I’ll be trying a -30%/-10% rest/training split for my calories (in order to cut). However, you said that there must be a calorie surplus on training days, so will the -10% caloric deficit on training day result in muscle loss, or less fat loss than a +10% caloric surplus?
See If it ain’t broken…
Thanks. I’m kind of getting the gist from your response. So is what you’re saying that having a -10% caloric deficit on training days won’t necessarily lead to better cutting results?
Yes.
Do you think you should only lean bulk from a ‘ripped’ body?
I’m 5’11 and 173lb atm and still have another good 10lb to lose only I dont want to look drastically skinny. I would rather get lean-ish then bulk before getting ripped.
What do you think, Andy?
Wrote an article to help you decide this here.
Hi Andy!
I’m working out some macros for my Grandma and Auntie- best gift you can give someone in my opinion. They are very unlikely to workout due to physical limitations (and if they do it will be walking, swimming etc). Should they still cycle macros and have +10/-30 days? or would a consistent daily deficit work better??
Thanks a lot in advance mate.
Get them to do eat stop eat. Your grandma and auntie are not going to want to count macros long run, and you shouldn’t be doing a rdaytday split if they aren’t training bud.
Good stuff. I think it will work out better for them as well. Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it.
No worries.
Hi again mate,
They are not keen on the idea of fasting. Any suggestions?? Maybe run a -10 deficit every day (or something along those lines)? And some very general counting guidelines (obviously your simplified macros)?
So don’t. Nothing changes, you just partition out the food more evenly in the day.
So if they are not training, should I not bother with the surplus days and just even out the deficits so its the same for the week? So instead if -30/+10 I could run a -15 everyday and even out their fat and carb macros?
As a starting point you could do that yes. Calorie restriction works for the most part perfectly fine.
Cheers guys.
Is this diet plan doable while also following paleo guidelines? Ie no rice, pasta or potatoes for carbs. I’m guessing I just have to find substitutes like sweet potato??
Yes eat your sweet potatoes. They’re denser than the regular ones so less of an issue with fullness.
Hello Andy,
I calculated my BMR to be 2155 and then used an activity factor of 1.55 to get 3,340. I lift pretty hard 6 days a week and rest one day. My goal is to cut and I am confused as to how many calories I should be eating on lifting days. Should I be eating 10% more than 3,340 (3674)? I feel like I wouldn’t cut very fast eating that much 6 days a week.
Age: 22
Weight 211lbs
Height: 6 ft 1 in
Thanks.
Brandon, buddy. Come on now, think about what you have just written. Spot your mistake?
Is it +10% of my BMR then -30% on R days of my BMR? This is what I am confused about man. I have very little knowledge of nutrition.
No, TDEE.
Ok so what was wrong with my original post? My TDEE is 3340.
At a guess… LeanGains cutting macros are designed around working out 3 out of 7 days in a week, so that when you combine the +10%’s and -30%’s, you are at a decent overall deficit for the week.
You are going to be in excess if you are going +10% 6 days out of 7.
So in essence, I need to be at roughly a 13% deficit for the week? As that is what the excess and deficit averages out to be in the plan outlined above. Would this work for a person who is lifting 6 days a week?
Then you will be in a calorie surplus.
Andy, this is really helpfull cheers.
Just one question regarding the example above. Tom’s Training-Day macros are: P210/F30/C320.
1kg of lean meat/fish, 450g of rice and lots of green vegetables.
Was just wondering how it goes from p210 to 1kg. Good chance I’ve missed something and just want to clarify. Cheers dude
Have a read of the simplified rules I use. Linked to at the top of the post.
In case you cant see it!! The simplified rules says 100g of Raw Meat/Fish is 20g of protein. So you need 1kg of meat to give you 200g protein to meet your macros. The 20g/100g protein is lower than what the actual figure would be but is a good catch all figure to use.
Are your food amounts (ex. 100g) based on the pre-cooked or cooked weight?
Uncooked.
Andy
love the site and use it all the time to answer pretty much any question I have on leangains.
Just one thing I am not too clear on. I have been doing a recomp for the last 3 months I have now got down to around 10% BF and really want to start trying to put on a bit more muscle. So was going to go for a slow bulk. +40/-10. The thing is I only train two days a week mainly due to time and family commitments (I do the big three excises squat, chest press, deadlifts and pullups each session)
Anyway to get my surplus of calories to give me a weight gain of 0.2kg/week I need to do +60/-10. Which also means having to consume around 627g of carbs on a training day (guess I will be getting the custard and cereal out to meet that macro!!). Does this seem right or do I need to change something else as am only working out twice a week?
I wouldn’t do any calculation from now on, just increase things gradually while tracking.
Hey Andy,
The only question I have is in regards to the macro numbers for fat. With the simplified rules in effect, and the idea that things are sometimes less/more than we assume, are the fat macros more of a buffer-type number or an absolute number that is to be aimed for?
Example: On T Days, I know that my fat is usually around 25g-35g of fat, so should I carry on with those numbers and have a 15g-25g buffer since I usually don’t get up to 50g or should I switch up the food choices a bit and always aim for 50g of fat on T Days?
I know that you slightly touch on this in other articles, but I just wanted to double check so I’m not aiming too high.
Thanks!
You can aim for a range 45-55 for example, or you could aim to be exact. Either way, I recommend that you count your fat macros.
Hi Andy,
On a cut I started with, as suggested, a +10%/-40% set up. However in time, as my weight reduces, it comes down to +17%/-29%. I still have a few more weeks to go until I get to my target of 10%bodyfat.
I read another post somewhere on your site that someone simply kept going and 6 weeks later he suddenly hit his target.
My question is: do you recalculate the calories at some point? if so, at what point and what indicators to you use to decide on whether a change is required?
Some people need adjustments and others don’t. The latter is the minority The reasons vary. BMR is largely dependent on lean body mass so your percentages are incorrect unless you’ve calculated a lean muscle mass loss, or done something very clever regarding TDEE (fat% and it’s effects on BMR, or NEAT).
G’day Andy,
Happy new year. A non-specific question to break the monotony of ‘calculate-my-stats’ enquires.
Lots of people seem afraid of accepting a low TDEE. If people choose a TDEE that is too conservative on a cut, such that their +10% is actually 0% or less, are there common tell-tale symptoms? Such as – perhaps weight will not be lost until the TDEE is increased, or perhaps one would just get excessively skinny (losing muscle and fat)?
What have you observed as a lower BF limit using leangains cut, does it greatly vary according to the individual? Martin quotes his 5.5% BF as happily maintainable. But as seen from his modelling photos, he can easily shift his BF (that pic of a fat-skinny kid he uses as an example ‘before’ image isn’t actually him, either).
Cheers,
Peter
If you’re going to try and call someone a liar then take it up with that individual rather that leaving comments scattered around the internet.
Back up, I think Martin says that, Andy. I’d call him a liar if I thought he was.
http://www.leangains.com/p/my-transformation.html
“I don’t have any good pics from this phase, but I basically looked like a slightly leaner and more muscular version of the above picture on the beach. I looked big in clothes, fat with my shirt off, and I wasn’t very pleased with my appearance either way. So I decided to go on a diet.”
I initially assumed the picture was him after the first line of that section, but reconsidered once I got to the above part and figured he was stating in the first line that a natural ectomorph wasn’t him.
Apologies. To answer your questions:
1. Weight loss will be faster than expected but it’s very difficult to determine this on a week to week basis.
2. I’ve only taken a handful of individuals (20-30?) to complete shreds. I’m referring to the difference between sub 10% and 6-7%. Most people are perfectly happy with just under 10% body fat, or then they want to bulk. However, of those I have worked with that wanted to get to the extreme levels, there hasn’t been a noticeable difference. Just patience and time really.
Thanks Andy, very interesting and helpful in tracking and settings expectations. Sorry for the confusion on the Martin comment, will try to be clearer and more PC in future posts.
Hi mate!
I know your guideline is 25-50g of fat on a training day for most, and I’m not arguing, but do you think that 15g is too low on a training day?
Yes.
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If you train 3 days a week, but completely sedentary for the rest of the 4 days do you change activity multiplier or always keep it 1.375?
For example If I’m training 3 days a week do I do it x1.375 and then for the other 4 days do it x1.2?
The activity multiplier is to be applied across all days. The fourth question for the day has been deleted. Think before you write and keep your questions concise in future please. The comments section is long enough, I don’t want it untidy too.
Great website you have. I’ve started the IF this week and like it a lot thus far. Any advice on what to eat if you don’t eat meat/fish or dairy? Thanks for any help.
The main thing is that you hit your protein macros. Further to that amino acid profile content overall as you are consuming limited sources may be something to consider. You’ll have to search around some vegetarian sites to get the details.
Hi Andy,
I am loving IF! Fasted training is awesome! I have been at this for about a month. The 1st week I lost 7lbs which was probably mostly water weight, but since then I have stalled. I noticed that I didnt include the energy multiplier to my calories which would make my calorie intake about 400kcal low on training day and 300ish on rest days. Could this be the reason for the stall? My strength is good I went up 10lbs on bench
Or since my strength is going up and i dont feel depleted at all in the gym should I cut carbs back say 50g at a time until i start losing again. I am doing the 3x a week barbell training. lol calories up or down? The only reason i ask about going up was because of hormones. like maybe they got low i feel great though
If it’s been an extended period of time with a significant deficit then metabolic slowdown is a very real possibility. A diet break and then possibly increasing calories could be the answer.
Having your calories too low won’t be the reason for a stall. It might just be a case of needing patience.
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> (If this is you, I have a special message & offer in the first comment box for you below.)
Where is it?
Dick Talens recommended your site. I have started lifting “in earnest” in August, and I need to tackle nutrition. Body recomp it is! Thank you for putting this guide together. It is well structured and easy to follow. I am excited to see how this will work for me.
I am a bit wary of “no breakfast”. Most days I work out at 6pm, but some days I have to work out at 10AM because of work schedule. I’m not sure how that would work without breakfast. I suppose I can just move my feeding window to AM on those days.
Don’t move your feeding window, just do this.
Thanks, I had found that recommendation in an FAQ, as well. I worked out fasted yesterday, and did not like it one bit. I missed some of my lifts, and I am wondering whether that is because I was fasted. Very few carbs the previous day, none the morning before working out, makes for a weak feeling.
I can try BCAA and see how it goes. But if I continue feeling weak, and really, really hungry during the workout, I may just have some oatmeal an hour before I lift. In the end, the nutrition has to enable the work.
Give it a few goes first, your feeling is not uncommon.
I wan’t to go for the lean-bulk approach(RD-10%/TD+20%), but when i calculate my macro’s like you explained i end up with:
almost 300gr of Carbs on R-Day’s and 600 on T-days.
This can’t be right, right?
ありがとうございました！
I forgot to mention:
1.5/lb(lean boby mass) Proteins. 50g fat on T-days and 100g on R-days
Jimmy, please respect the sentences in red at the end of the post.
Reblogged this on Мускули.мк.
Thank you.
How do you say in Japanese no problem.
Nice to see your blog
如何いたしまして／どうも (Doitashimashite/Domo) – Depending on how polite you would like to be.
I’m very polite to all people but sometimes it depends how much they deserve my trust and time
Actually this is more about a “status” thing, you don’t really get to choose. In this situation you consider me your teacher in a way so you would use the former most likely.
I have a good knowledge about nutrition,working out and the lifestyle of bodybuilding.
.
But i need a plan to follow,because it’s hard without a mentor or a goal.
I set my goal to compete but i don’t know if I’m out of shape or not enough experienced
Currently I’m around 12 % body-fat and can’t get the down to 10% and tried IF but man i was fatigued and got some cravings.
I like the eating but the fatigue is killed me…
Sure, here.
Hey Andy, just about to switch on to a slow bulk in a few weeks.
Is there any reason why I couldn’t adjust the macro split to -10%/+50% or +60%? Will some of the carbs go down as fat on a training day if so?
Eating that much really isn’t a problem for me, I love eating.
If -10%/+50% isn’t viable, what about something like -20%/+50%, to keep weekly calorie intake roughly equivalent?
Appreciate I’m asking you a lot of questions, I’ve got a ton more – if you would be willing to make yourself available for 30 mins or so on a live chat, I’d be more than happy to pay for your time.
Thanks
I would take things more steadily. Try something more standard first. Your impatience will otherwise likely lead to fat gain.
Hey Andy. I need some help calculating my macros. Im actually on a cut as of now. It’s been nearly 5 weeks but the thing is that ive lost a lil bit of muscle together with some fat. Im starting to see some of my abs. I only take in complex carbs and protein and as much healthy fats as i can. Im 179cm , Total Mass – 66Kg and have a LBM of 55kg. Im aiming to reach a bodyfat% of 10% , im at 11.4% now. I’ve realised im eating too little which is why i lost muscle. I don’t really understand when you multiply the activity multipliers to my BMR. My BMR is 1736kcal/day. So i take 1736 x 1.55 = 2690.8. So if i wanna cut do i take off 35% off this amount on a rest day and add 10% to this amount on a training day? So in another words, i gotta eat 10/100 x 2690.8 = 269.08kcal. Therefore, i gotta eat 2690.8 + 260.08 = 2959.88 kcal/day on a training day? Is the calculation correct, seems a little high to me :/ Thank you for your cooperation Andy i just wanna know if im doing it correctly. Thanks again , i really hope you could help me .
Rajah, respectfully, read the sentence in bolded red at the bottom of the article.
OH okay. Im sorryy i din see that. Uhm, when you meant on training days and rest days for calories, does training days include cardio too? or just weight training.?For an e.g , if i workout on 2 days and do cardio on 3 days . Means, i gotta eat what my T-DAY calories states for 5 days in a week ? Thanks in advance.
“Training days” in our sense means weight training days. My thoughts on cardio are here.
Hey Andy! Great information !!!
I’m really new to this so I might be asking a dumb question.. but I’m trying to cut and you said above that even when we’re cutting, we should be consuming a caloric surplus on training days? I’ve always thought that a caloric surplus will last in weight gain?? I know that we’ll be burning off some of the calories, but is it completely necessary to go on a surplus? If yes, why?
Other than that, again, awesome info
thank you!!
The weekly balance is the most important thing.
Andy,
I’m still confused about the proper activity multiplier
The multipliers are confusing because they assume that the more you exercise the more intense your exercise is and the more active you’re outside of your training. So for example “moderately active” means 3-4 days a week of moderate intensity plus a moderately actively job.
So what if you train everyday but it’s light intensity? What if you train 3 days but it’s very high intensity but you sit on your butt 10 hours a day?
I know some people think that 1.35 is for people mdoerately active
But the FAO has a paper showing that even a sedentary person has an activity multiplier of 1.7
I’m very confused and I’m sure everyone else as well
I’m your experience someone with a desk job, whose activity is strolling, coooking and at most clubbing on saturday plus 3 lifting sessions a week like in your protoco, what activity multiplier needs to choose? 1.35? 1.4? 1.5? 1.8?
Choose one. Then track your progress for 4 weeks. Then adjust upwards or downwards based on those results. Don’t stress the initial choice too much.
I have a burning question. And being a brat, I’d rather be told then experiment myself haha ^.^ question is on the total amount of calories. These equations are for a day’s expenditure. Should the total week be factored too? The fast is important on Sunday, but i was precisely wondering if I should use the total calories of Sunday and divide it to the other days. Example: 2000 cal is calculated for one day. Times 6 for 6 days out of the week, that is 12000kal, but 7 makes that 14000kal for the entire week without fasting. So instead of 2000kal a day, it’d be approximately 2333kal per 6 days with fasting on 7th. I’m not sure of the degree this would have affecting cut/slow-bulk/body recomp. I didn’t see this mentioned on Martin’s site or any others through google. Thank you in advance if you answer this or have any input! And thanks a TON with the macro help for LG!!
Haiden I’m not sure what you’re talking about mate. “The fast on a sunday”? I skip breakfast every day.
Andy, Thank you for writing this guide, may I ask what you mean by not going to low on fat? Can you please link or explain? Thanks
Not too low to affect yourself hormonally.
Hi Andy!
How important is it to hit the macros versus being under? Reason I ask, is that sometimes I get really full. And instead of forcing myself to eat it all, I just stop eating.
I’ve been losing weight and gaining strength, it’s only been a few weeks though. I still have 15-20lbs to go.
Thanks Andy!
Hi Andy, I’m a Lacto-ovo- vegetarian and I eat quite a lot of rehydrated soya protein, is that something you would recommend?
Thanks
Krishn
Soy as part of a mixed protein diet is fine. As a main source it can lead to problems. Regarding the specific issue: I don’t have the books with me currently to refer to but I think it is to do with estrogen. Perhaps someone can jump in a correct me if I am wrong.
Hey Andy, I’m 190 cm, 100 kg, abt. 25% bf. I train 1-3 days a week with kettlebells both strength and endurance exercises. Do you think this macro breakdown would do it for body recomp? T-Day: P-210 F-50 C-485 (3230 kCal), R-Day: P-210 F-100 C-100 (2140 kCal) Thank you, Gergely
Gergely, thanks for the comment. Please see the point above in red. Sorry.
Quick question mate – since getting into single digit bf, i’ve noticed the effects of water retention a lot more. The “whoosh” the morning after a night on the lash (cheating LeanGains style of course) is a good psychological boost.
If, on my training days, i stick to the lowest GI carbs I can find, whilst still hitting my macros, will this minimise water retention overall?
Probably not.
At 180 pounds my R day figure is 1200 calories, with 200g P that leaves 55g F and zero carbs, Should I add activity to allow 60-80g carbs or so? I’m worried about mood swings from switching in and out of ketosis every day. Can I just take some of my carbs from my T day figure and add them to my R days?
Respectfully, see the sentences in red.
Any advice on good & quick sources of fat? for the diet? How about peanut butter?
That depends, what types of fat do YOU like?
I OD’d on PB when dieting broscience style so its a no go for me.
Go with what tastes best, for me its usually various full fat cheeses (I come from a family of foodies and cheese snobs) I also love greek olives. 1 gram fat per olive, that’s 30 olives for a meal!
Whole eggs and fattier meats are always a good option.
Usually you can saute your veggies and stir fry your meat with cooking fat.
Also nuts suck. A tiny handful fills your macro requirements but not your tummy.
You got that right Chris, nuts just don’t fill you up very good. If I’m not mistaken, Martin doesn’t recommend nuts as well if you’re trying to get through a fat loss plateau. Really calorie dense and it doesn’t even have a complete amino acid profile. No hatin on nuts of course. im a sucker for PB. 2 tbspn on my rest days. 3 if I’m in a good mood!
If you’re dieting and healthy then other than trans fat it’s not worth worrying about.
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Hi Andy,
1. I calculated my macros recently using your website as a guide. On rest days after accurate calculations I came up with 220g carbs (with 45 fat and 165 protein), this figure seems a little high to me considering rest days are supposed to be low carbs, does this mean I should up the fat or protein amount? ( protein is 2.75* LBM atm)
2.In your training guide you recommended training the first set of exercises in the 6-8 rep range to failure… does this mean I should be dropping the squat bar every first set? Its kinda embarrassing and stuff with the whole gym looking at you after dropping it so just wondering how beneficial it really is to train to complete failure on the squat (not as much of an issue with dead and bench)
1. If the energy requirement calculation is correct you will be best off increasing your fats and reducing carbs.
2. Absolutely not. Failure in this sense means form failure, i.e. stop after the last rep you can do with good form.
How would you go about setting macros for somebody who is currently injured? I can do very light upper-body workouts, but lower-body is out of the question. I do not want to gain weight and believe that I can still lose. Any thoughts?
Probably best to simply eat to your hunger.
What calories counts when you track your daily caloric intake? For example- in the “fitday” website they claim that 300grams of cauliflower has 132 cal, 8.8 gr fat 5gr protein.
My question in general is- when you count your macros using this site, do you pay attention to calories, fat and protein from this kind of sources? (broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, tomato…) or are they like “air” to you and you only consider meat for protein (and fat), fruits and sweet potatoes for carbs (i am going paleo), and fat as just fat…?
My concern is- going too low on calories if i count veggies as well, or maybe go too high on calories if I don’t count them (I eat allot of veggies!)
Help would be appreciated.
Everything counts, it just depends on what you choose to.
Andy, what ratio (training vs. rest day calories) do you recommend for a cut? I’ve been doing +10/-30, is that sufficient? It only puts me at a 0.5lb defict at the end of the week..
It’s all very well do debate ratio splits with some fine maths, but without actually implementing it and seeing what happens you won’t know. The real world doesn’t work out so smoothly. If that’s all it produces, then adjust downwards from that point.
Hi
can you do my calculation for me? I’m 47yo male, 182cm, and 75kg looking to cut first.
Thanks
Peter
For free I presume yes Peter?
I have spent hours putting that post together and modifying it, and then answering over 400 comments. Tell me why you expect me to reward your laziness cause you can’t be bothered to put 4/5 numbers into an equation for a total of 3 minutes of effort?
Hey first of all thanks for the writeup it has worked great i did a cut from 207 to 157 and now feel an look great and share with everyone your article and have converted at least 5 people into LG. My question is now that im lean and transitioning to a slow bulk, when i figured my macros i came up with 210g protein,410 carbs, and 50g fat on T days and 210g protein, 42g carbs and 100g fat on R days. I also dont follow the 3 day per week training as my body responds well to volume, so i am currently doin Layne Nortans (PHAT) program which is 5 days a week. Am i eating too many carbs? I considered uping fat and prot. On T days to lower carbs but dont know if that would be best. Thanks again this article has changed my eating style for life, i love it!
That question would require a calculation and more detailed information which I don’t do in comments. This is the stated in the red, bolded sentences.
I basically just wanted a yes or no you dont have to go in depth, is it normal to see that high of a carb level with a slow bulk?
Pandora’s box Walter.
How do i get i touch With you for personal coaching and prices for the service?
Just here bud.
I just came across your website and absolutly love it! Great info Andy.
I just started doing leangains about 2 weeks ago and I train fasted in the morning, absolutly love it! I used your set up to calculate my macros and I just had a question regarding macro ratio on Training Days. More like an Idea.
Since Fat intake on training days is meant to be low as possible as you suggested, could I compesate for more carbs if I was only intaking 10-15grams of fat? I believe it works out to be a 50/50 carbs/protein ratio and the only fat im getting in is from my chicken breast.
I take in 2400 on Tdays( -10% below maintenence). I basically eat 16oz( Dry) Jasmine White Rice with a 12oz skinless , boneless Chicken Breast( Cooked Weight) and a zero carb/fat 2 scoops Protein isolate shake.
Its alot of carbs, but I’m assuming if fat is really low, it should have no issue to be utilize to refill muscles. Would there be any issue or hinder my fat loss to keep fat that low or carbs that high?
Rest Days is just 1550cals(-35%) with fatty meats 2 pieces of fruit and veggies.
I’m 6foot 172lbs 11% body fat 32years old looking to get to 7% or lower. I use your training set up and love it, I don’t think I’ll do any other training regime ever again. Reverse Pyramid is amazing. I love your website
Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Andy and keep up the amazing work.
Fat is important for hormonal balance. Do not sacrifice it for carbs.
Hi Andy,
I got an issue with eating large quantities of food especially in a short periode of time. I tried to eat like Martin recommend 80% after the training, but my body just can’t handle it. But even when I spread it during the the day, my body starts to protest
I really wanna gain weight so I am over eating at these days but I feel much better when I eat less.
I would like to hear what you would have for suggestions.
Andy, was reading over the site, but hope you don’t mind me throwing a comment in here.
Marco, I’m a pretty skinny thin guy, and I really struggled at first to eat the amount of food needed. My advice is, there ain’t no shortcut. I cooked the amount of food I was supposed to eat everyday, whether I ate it or not, and forced myself to keep going until I got to the stage where I could eat it. It took three months to get there, which I’m sure is slower than most, but I got there. I’m now nine months past working with Andy, and I’m easily eating more than my initial advice from Andy (within reason!) I am currently having a problem with being hungry, which is absurd really.
Keep at it. Just like pushing up your lift 2kg a week, I think you just have to push the food with it.
Good luck.
Hi Matt, thanks I appreciate your time in replying!
But I should have been more clear perhaps, the thing is not forcing me to eat more, I can do that. I didn’t want to to go into many details at first but let me just say how it is, I get stomach pain, diarrhea, gas, stuff like that. Its pretty bad, had many medical exams because of this, and I stopped eating any dairy products (just a personal trail and error), I got it pretty much under control now, but only on the resting days.
Oh for more then one reason, I lost faith completely in the healthcare here, so right now I am doing trail and errors my self.
As soon as I start to overeat, I got this issues almost instant, it sucks and I just over eat 20% above my BMR.
Marco, It certainly sounds worse than anything I have experienced. Getting gas and needing a twenty minute toilet break is fairly common I would have thought with the amount of food we’re eating, but if it’s causing stomach pain and real discomfort I’d hate to offer more advice in case of making things worse for you.
I guess all I can say again is good luck, and maybe back over to Andy….
80% after training?! Think you have read wrong there mate. What is your fasting window and when do you train?
Hi Andy, thx for replying.
From 14pm till 22pm, train from 18 – 1930pm. Take a carb + whey shake after exercise then a meal at about 20pm when I get back home.
So how about a two meal split, 40/60. Good-sized lunch, larger dinner. No need for 80% PWO.
I am doing that now, because the 80% was a no go, but the amount of kcal during the day are still too much. My body is better in taking kCal’s from fat then from carbs, but on training days thats a no no.
Eating slightly above BMR for 7 days in a week, would also solve my issue, but then the idea about the split in exersize days and rest days are gone.
Hi Andy. Just to jump in, over at Martin’s site he does mention a huge amount of food post WO.
Quote———-
* The majority of your daily calorie intake is consumed in the post-workout period. Depending on setup, this means that approximately 95-99% (fasted training), 80% (one pre-workout meal) or 60% (two pre-workout meals) of your daily calorie intake is consumed after training.
———
I do fasted training and find it hard to get close to that figure. Even 80% would be a struggle.
“In the post-workout window” means in the period after training and bed. So if you train at lunch fasted then you eat 99% of your calories PWO. Common mistake to think this must be one meal.
Thanks for clearing that up. I appreciate the quick reply, and the detailed answers to others questions which have been incredibly helpful. I’ve been Paleo for about 2 years, so attuning myself to having so many carbs (at the right time, of course) has been different to say the least (there was a bagel sitting on my kitchen counter, and for the first time in months and months I was tempted). But it all makes good sense, and even Paleo people are realising that Paelo does not necessarily mean low carb all the time. There’s an interesting post by Rob Wolff on it. http://robbwolf.com/2012/12/19/carb-paleo-thoughts-part-1/
One final question though. The Paleo approach is all about the impact on health markers, but the lean gains approach is about looks, on the whole. You do mention using ‘real food’ is by far preferable, but how do you feel about your approach as it affects overall health and longevity, energy levels and so on?
Get leaner and your blood work will improve. IF tends to improve it also.
So Andy, when we adjust our BMR for the activity multiplier of 1.2-1.3, is that number then what we use to figure out what +10% and -35% macros equal? Or do we use that multiplier just to figure out Training Day calories and macros?
The multiplier goes across all days.
These two BMR calculations give me odd results. I let my sports physician measure my BMR using spirometry and I’m off by more than 30% for both your formulae. I don’t know how accurate spirometry is in regards to plethysmography, though. I already wrote my doc an email asking her that very question. Question is: Should I interpolate between your formulae results and the measured value?
For step 2, using my HRM is sufficient to adapt my intake, right? Or is this adjustment only for the non sportive activities?
As vegetarian I’m having some trouble getting proper amounts of protein, not just with white cheese. And calories. And not carbs. Can you suggest anything?
1. These are two standard and accepted industry BMR calc equations. The figure your doc gave you is probably not BMR. TDEE perhaps?
2. Are you a national level, weight class athlete in peak condition? No? Don’t look to adjust your daily food intake based on that monitor. Just the thought of being so anal has my face all scrunched up.
3. I could, but there must be hundreds of other sites out there that have detailed information about protein sources for vegetarians. Google.
Hope that helps.
I know the numbers are off the chart. I had to lie on a couch, not even allowed to lift a finger, HR down to 45 bpm avg. She couldn’t tell me much about the fluctuations of this method, though. Measured in the morning for just 25 minutes and linear extrapolated to cover the day, this I find a rather strong assumption to even be the minimum of the day.
2. It is my job to be a pain in the a** :-p You know Durano? “The details are everything”
Thanks, will do.
Hi Andy,
First off, I want to thank you for all the work you put into your site and for answering questions in the comments, I’ve spent the last week reading and rereading your posts, and I have picked up a lot of useful information and tips.
I have a few questions, I started a LG recomp in July and am now down to 2% bf. I had been 169lbs consistently as my fat was going down, but have lost a few pounds since hitting 2%. I want to switch to a slow-bulk now and as I know my lean body mass, I used the katch-mcardle formula.
Using +40% T-Day and -10% R-day, and 1.55 multiplier my calories came out pretty high, (4144 T-Day, 3256 R-Day). When I worked out my macros, 2g/kg LBM for protein, 30g fat, and the remainder as carbs, the carbs seem crazy high, 823.5g.
From the comments I gather that you would lower the fat on T-Day as the carbs increase, but you say not to aim for 0g. So is it just as low as possible? I’m thinking if I decrease the fat on T-Days, I’ll have to increase the carbs even more.
Obviously it will depend on the individual, but in general, is there an upper carb limit on training days and an upper fat limit on rest days? Does that carb number seem crazy?
Thank you.
You’ll want to increase your fat intake as you slow bulk somewhat, but use carbs as the main manipulator. Instead of making a calculation, from now just adjust incrementally upwards, track and make changes based on the data.At 2%bf you have a greater problem of being dead though.
Thanks for the reply.
Yep, I planned on slowly upping the carbs to give myself a chance to adjust, and track any changes. I had been eating 50g fat on T-Days and 100g on R-Days, so I think I’ll keep it the same on T-Days and increase it on R-Days and see how I get on.
I actually want to increase my body fat, to bring me up to around 5%. I’d like to do it gradually though rather than just pile it on as I increase calories. So I’m hoping the slow-bulk will help me do that.
Thanks again.
Jared, you are not 2%, and no-one “brings themselves up to 5%”. You’ve underestimated this, which means you will be over-eatimating protein needs, which means you’re wasting money. Which if you have plenty is of course fine but I thought I might be nice and point it out. Here’s a good article: http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages
Hey Andy
I’m down to 8.4% body fat now on the cutting macros, almost at my target of 6%, when it will be time to begin a slow bulk.
Since fat is kept at a constant 60g on a rest day, the extra calories on these days during my bulk will have to come from carbs.
My question is – wouldn’t it be better for fat burning (and therefore to minimise fat gain whilst bulking) on rest days to keep my carbs around 50g, and get all the extra calories from fat? Or are the extra carbs needed to provide energy for protein synthesis for muscle building, even on rest days?
Thanks for any info
If only it were that simple mate. Increase your carbs as well as fats a little also. Don’t worry about the mechanisms unless you want to get book deep.
Ok cheers mate, understood.
I am actually interested in really understanding the science behind all this better – can you recommend a good stating resource/book that deals with some of the physiological processes that relate to LeanGains?
Leangains is basically a way of organising several factors in our favour that the science supports. Thus, you don’t need a book specifically on leangains per-se, none exist anyway. A good starting point is bodyrecomposition.com. Get through 180+ articles on there and you’ll have an excellent grasp on things.
Cheers, that’s what I was after. A bit of light reading for my lunch hours!
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Andy, quick question. Gone on a slow bulk after plateauing for four weeks. Been on slow bulk for about four now too. Carbs up to 300g a day work out days. This is leaving me very hungry on non work out days though. Should I throw in more protein, more veg for volume, or up carbs on non work out days too? Or, should I keep it as it is for non work out day and man up? Cheers Chief
You’ll probably want to increase carbs/fats on your rest days too. Hunger shouldn’t be much of a problem, if at all on a slow-bulk. Don’t make the mistake of keeping your rest-day intake the same always.
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Hi Andi Thx for your work!!! I stuck a bit in my plannings. Iam doing Leangains already since 2 months and my abs are now visible the 4 higest ones and i can see the progress! But i could not find something about the right macros. Now i found it
I worke Shift, Early 06:00 to 14:30 and Late from 15:00 to 11:30. It change every week. So my plan is to get food every day at the same time. I Can do it like here ( it works with my brake times ) I work in a car plant so my macros are high i thing.
Iam 178cm, Hight 73Kg, Age 21 my boody fett is lower then 13% and iam working out since 8 months. Before i did MMA, Kickboxing, Ju-Jutsu… for years but never got a proper six pac -_-
I was doing a Body-R. -20 / +20
Would be cutting better ?
Trainning Days are: 219g Protein, 350g Carbs and low as pssebil 26g Fett.
Rest Days: 219g Protein, low as possebil 30g Carbs and 26g Fett.
Earlyshift 12:00 One pre workout meal restday 12:00 First meal after fast 100g P.
15:30 training
18:00 post workout meal 18:00 seconed meal
21:00 last meal 21:00 last meal
Lateshift 10:00 10g BCAA and Workout restday
12:00 Post workout meal 12:00 First meal after fast 100g P
18:00 Seconed meal 18:00 seconed meal
21:00 last meal 21:00 last meal
My problem is that my Macros are in Protein to high.
On workout days my post work out meal is 375g turkey + 500g wohlgreen Nudels.
Thogather 157,7g Protein 315 Carbs and 10,7g Fett.
On Lateshift Wheyshake 500ml after workout 24g Protein
On Earlyshift Wheyshake 200ml before workout ( becose Iam hungry ) and after 300ml. 24g Protein
Preworkout meal and seconed meal was 100g turkey or chicken + veggis.
about 20 – 25 g Protein.
Last meal was allways 500g farmer chees + one scope casein
90,5g Protein, 12 Carbs and 1g Fett
Togather is it:
298g Protein 328g Carbs 13,5g Fett
Waht do you thing i should do? Skip wohlegreen nudels because of to high Protein? 100g = 12,7g Protein 62g carbs and 2g Fett.
Or Whey and Casein but i love it tast so good -_-.
I eat no sweets or unhalthy things.
On rest days is it not a problem for me Iam allways at the right Macros
One funy thing, I was ripped then i was younger and i didnt ate brakefast!!!!!!!! I thing that was the reason.
Sorry for my bad English
I hope u can help me thx
Oli
Sry hope this one dont move^^
Earlyshift:
12:00 One Pre workout meal
15:30 Training
18:00 Post workout meal
21:00 Last meal
Rest day:
12:00 First meal after fast 100g protein
18:00 Seconed meal
21:00 Last meal
Lateshift
10:00 10g BCAA and Workout
12:00 Post workout meal
18:00 seconed meal
21:00 Last meal
Looks fine.
Hi Oli.
Thoughts on setting up your feed/fast schedule for shift work is on the FAQ.
Macro thoughts are written in this post. Note the sentence in red.
A post to help you decide whether to cut, etc. is here.
Thank you very much!!!
Grate wroke
best wishes Oli
Love your website Andy, wish I found it sooner.
I’ve worked all the numbers out and I’m good to go.
Just got to get over a limiting belief in my head -
I’m 5’10 170 pounds anywhere between 20-25% body fat. Skinny fat.
If i go with a +20%/-20% recomp will my body fat eventually go down, over time? I’m willing to wait years
I just hate being in too severe of a deficit (~1500 cals) as it messes with my libido and concentration too much
Cheers
If you’re just starting a barbell training program then it is likely that you’ll make significant muscle gains and fat losses while doing that recomp if you get it right. Make sure you track your progress.
Thank Andy.
I’ve been training for 3 years but my protein intake has been inadequate this whole time which I feel has been the reason for my lack of success but I still love life! (coming from being overweight/borderline obese)
Would the implied “yes” to my body fat decreasing with a recomp still apply to me given this new info regarding my training status, in your opinion?
Much appreciated again
Hi Andy!!
Hope things are good! Working the plan to the letter- loving it. Hey I have a comp in about 5 weeks and need to drop a little bit of weight (perfect time to do a mini cut I figure) and have a couple of questions if you dont mind…
1. When eating at maintenance (diet break) do you still cycle macros and calories? If so, what are the percentages? -10/+20?
2. If I decide to do a recomp instead, is there any need for a diet break? or can you just ease into and out of a recomp over a week or two?
Everything is going good, minimal fat gain and broken 100 for all lifts
Thanks in advance buddy!
Cody
Hi Cody, 1. No, eat whatever you like. 2. No need.
Hey there Andy,
Is there any benefit/ harm to going as low as 5-10g of fat on a training day? (just thinking about hormones and all)
I am doing a lean bulk and want to minimise fat storage as much as possible so as to prolong the bulk for as long as I can.. I know you say keep it as low as you consistently can, but is this TOO low? Best to keep it around 30?
Yes, don’t, for the reason you just said.
Hi again Andy,
I have a suggestion for a blog post/research topic. Simple/starchy carbs vs fibrous carbs and their affect on postworkout insulin and subsequent fat storage. I have found lots of conflicting information and am struggling to come to a conclusion, and you’re one person who’s research I’d appreciate.
Again on the Vegan front, I wonder if it would be affective to increase fibrous carb intake past that which you recommend for LG whilst still limiting simple/starchy carbs. The macro guidelines for carbs on your blog post feel vague, I get the impression that they only apply to things like rice, potatoes, etc. and not so much fresh vegetables.
Hope you can work your magic and clear things up for good!
Cheers
Basically, as long as your macros are right for the day then fat storage will be the same regardless of source.
Great website. Really informative. I am a 25 y/o male 5’9 and 147 lbs. I am about 12% or so. I started lifting in 2006 at 145 lbs and bulked to 220, I then cut down to where I am at now. I normally lift weights 5-7x per week. I have been reading your site and decided to tryout the LG method. I want to try the lean bulk idea because cutting right now or recomp would keep me too small. I’d like to be around 170 lbs. or so. Would you recommend me trying out the RPT training? Can I add a day or two of HIIT to it? Also, I calculated my macros out and calories and came out with:
Workout Days:
Cals: 3051
P: 170
C: 442
F: 67
Off Days:
Cals: 2288
P: 170
C: 202
F: 89
Does that look good? Thank you for your website and your time.
1. Yes, have a read of my training articles.
2. You could but I don’t suggest it.
3. See the sentence in red at the bottom of the article.
Hi Andy.
Great site and great article! Seriously, tremendous help.
So I’ve calculated my BMR and macros, but I remember you saying that the numbers might be low. I feel my numbers are quite satisfactory so maybe I’m a bit high (no pun intended).
BMR(1) – 66x(13,7x88kg)+(5x184cm)-(6,8x32years)=1974kcal/day
BMR(2) – 370x(21,6×77,44kg)=2043kcal/day
Total these up and divide by 2 for average BMR yields 2009kcal/day.
Multiply this with 1,55 (moderately active) and I get 3114kcal/day which I feel is a high value compared to your example with the 100kg guy having a 2000kcal/day. I might be right in my assumption though since I work out 3 times a week (have been doing so for 13 years) lifting weights and I run/cycle occasionally.
Does it seem correct to you?
Regards Carl G.
Please re-read the sentence in red.
Hehe, yup. I noticed that one after i posted my comment. My bad.
Jelly Babies, Bassett’s
Calories in 100g of Jelly Babies
Calories 335.0 cals
Carbohydrate 79.5g
Protein 4.0g
Fat 0.0g
Fibre 0.0g
Possible work out day afternoon treat, or too much sugar? I’m a chocolate fiend and I am trying to find an alternative. I can’t make protein fluff at work
I know that you know the answer to this question Matt.
Hey dude. Thanks for all the advice, I’ve dropped from 14 to just over 9% bf in 12 weeks. When I hit 6-7%, I want to switch to slow bulk to get some muscle on.
I’ve been doing RPT 3 days a week in a similar fashion to Berkhan’s Fuckarounditis article whilst cutting. Is this a suitable programme to keep going whilst bulking, or is it worth switching to something else with higher training volume?
Cheers
Firstly, great to hear. Congrats. Would love you to share the photos on the facebook page. Make sure you progress in poundage in the main compound lifts week to week. If you do that then you’re fine.
Hey Andy!
SO last we spoke after finishing up our 12 weeks, I was taking a 2 week diet break and then continuing for another four weeks on the cut. So I’m in the 3rd week of 4 and I can’t seem to get the scale and measurements to go down! They obviously dropped the first week after the diet break, but now its slowly creeping back up. I’ve been trying to stick to the Macros HARDCORE, so i can’t figure out what else to do! My carbs are at 25g on RD and 180 on TD. I want to get WAY down before starting the slow bulk, so i can have a shape to keep. Should I bring in some cardio? What is my best option to bring the body fat way down before the slow bulk? Can’t tell you how much i appreciate ALL your help!
PS my weights have still been increasing too, all except Bench.
Presuming you executed the diet break as instructed then… Relax, be patient and you’ll be fine. Recall that quote by Martin in that welcome mail.
I am about to start a leangains cut (+10/-35) and have calculated my macros (rest) at P=170 F=60g C=40g, 1300kal.
I’m vegan and have been my whole life so I know reasonably where to get my proteins and so on. My only problem is 40g carbs a day – for me that is impossible. I can limit my carbs, i.e. no rice/starchy foods but I get my protein from things like lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and so on – and these things make me go way out of my carb limit. I also eat a fair bit of fruit, and that alone is pushing the carb number a fair bit, do I count fruits or can I just eat them within reasonable limits? I can have vegan protein powder but I prefer to not rely on it.
I know you don’t advocate, suggest, or perhaps approve of a Vegan diet but this is one variable in my life that will never change.
So my question is, being vegan, do I really have to limit my carbs that far and eat only things like Tofu (i.e. 3 blocks a day, that much soy can’t be healthy!) rather than varying my nutritional sources as I prefer to?
As you’ve already said, it’s pretty impossible to keep it as low carb as you are trying. Vegan eating and Leangains is possible, but not particularly well suited.
Could you point me in the right direction where I can learn exactly what detrimental effect higher carbs on rest days will have on me? Thanks!
It’s about the overall macro balance. You need protein to stop muscle loss, you need fats to regulate hormones. There are lower limits to this. Whatever carbs you have in the mix also eat into the deficit that you can create.
I understood what the protein and fats were for as you went into it in the post above, but for carbs you said ‘lets just keep it simple’ and didn’t go into it at all – hoping you’ll update it with an elaboration at some point.
See the FAQ for carbs.
Andy,
I just came across this site on Reddit and thought you may be interested. It seems pretty legit and helpful. It allows you to search restaurants for meals that fit your cal/pro/carb/fat criteria. Check it out: http://www.rippedrestaurants.com/
I can’t see that idea taking off due to the sheer complexities of getting all the restaurants and food items on a restaurant menu down, even in one city.
Two months in to the split routine and IF ‘diet’ and I finally dropped a waist size in jeans (38 to 36). I’m not much lighter (still in the low 220′s) but I’m not complaining. I had to experiment a lot at first to get my calories right – eventually going below maintenance after working thru the activity multipliers that I think are way off. I’ve gotten consistently stronger but it also feels good to make some real progress on slimming down. My strength has slowed down now probably because I’ve finally hit the right calories for a cut and I’m looking forward to finally achieving ‘ripped’ status. I can build my strength up again later. Thanks for the great site Andy.
Just to clarify – I meant I finally had to go below maintenance calories on Training days (not just rest days) in order to start losing weight.
Good luck mate!
Hello,
For those who are Pizza lovers like me I would like to give an example of how to use Andy’s guide to eat lots of pizza and be happy. Recently I got addicted to making true Italian pizza. The recipe for the dough is simple: 500G flour, 325ml water, 3g active yeast and 10g of salt. This creates 3 pizzas. There is 23g of carbs and 3g of protein in 30g of the flour so in 500g we get 383g of carbs and 50g of protein. So 1 pizza would contain 127g of carbs and 16g of protein. In addition we add 40g of mozzarella cheese which gives 10g of protein and 8g of fat. Finally 1 pizza is: 127g carbs, 26g protein and 8g of fat. We have some leverage here for the little olive oil to match the ratios.
As you can see you can easily eat two delicious pizzas and laugh. You made it and you know what is inside and you are 100% sure that you comply with your ratios. So, don’t be afraid to eat pizza. With Andy’s style of eating you cannot go wrong even with two post workout pizzas. And don’t forget you still have lots of room for extra protein!!! Is not a genius diet!!!
The only question I have for you Andy is if the flour consumption is good? I am talking about real italian flour called “caputo tipo 00″. (it cannot hurt if you do it once or twice a week)
P.s: Sorry Andy, I could not resist to put a comment like that.
It isn’t the best thing to eat but it certainly isn’t the worst. As long as you eat it in moderation and have a varied diet you will be fine. However this ‘real Italian flour’ you speak of is actually more refined than standard flour, it being Italian doesn’t make it any more nutritionally valuable. I suggest you work at incorporating some unrefined flours (integrale) into your dough, a mix with tipo 00 won’t be too noticeable.
Unless you have striking abs already, I highly advise you to go for a cut first, as starting a ‘slow-bulk’ when ‘abs lean’ gives you significant hormonal advantages for gaining muscle with minimal fat.
Could you explain/provide sources supporting this claim?
Thanks in advance.
Google “p-ratio”.
Andy, one thing im a little unsure about.
you say it is important to eat over maintenance on training days, but by doing this I can only lose a maximum of around 1lb a week and my BF is close to 20%, if not higher. My rest day cals are already at 1500 so i cant really lower them
doesnt 1lb a week seem slow for someone with my BF level?
1-1.5lbs a week is reasonable for your bf%. May need a diet break. May need to adjust your macros.
Great website and super interesting reading. I have one question. Do you get any feedback about people with Gout problems. I.e. who would probably have a problem with eating 1 kg of meat every day? Any proposed alternatives??
Thanks
Amin
Amin, thanks for the compliment and comment. Not being a doctor I can’t really advise on medical conditions. Sorry mate.
Great information! Thank you! I’m primarily interested in losing the last 15-20 pounds of fat so I run a deficit every day (rest 1500 cals, workout 2200 cals). Given that I try to run a deficit every day, does it matter how much fat I eat as long as the calories don’t go over the limit? I keep protein high (210 g/day which is 1 g/pound of bodyweight).
If you’re going so far as to cycle your calorie intake then you may as well go the extra little step and make sure you’re having the right macros too. Doesn’t have to be exact, just generally more carbs on the training days and less on the rest days. Don’t skimp on your fats for hormonal reasons.
Thank you for the response! I was actually coming from the other direction…I limit fat on workout days, but am wondering if that’s necessary given that I am running a deficit. My diet is closely aligned with Primal/Paleo so limited fat isn’t something I’m all that jazzed about. My understanding is that we limit fat on workout days if we are running a surplus.
Having a Paleo diet doesn’t prevent you from consuming less fat a few days a week, “less jazzed” though you may be. I am of course assuming that you’re getting your carb intake in from potatoes or some other source you deem acceptable and thus are following the macro guidelines.
Andy,
What do you think if almost all of my carbs come from fruit? Too much fructose?
My BF is about 15%, reasonably built.
Thank you,
Dan.
Fascinating topic this actually. If you’re cutting then eating the majority of your carbs from fructose probably won’t be too much of a problem. Let’s call that ~70% say for example. If slow-bulking then it’s not likely to be ideal, you will want at least half of your carbs to come from non-fructose sources due to the sheer number of carbs needed.
If you’re after specifics then google “Alan Aragon, Fructose”. There isn’t one answer though. Be very weary of other sources of information on fructose on the web. It’s a highly charged topic and Alan is one of the few that’s impartial and just sticks to research findings. Others seem to BS the research or take half-truths to further their agenda.
Thank you, Andy. Yes, I am trying to cut.
but to your point about 50 pct coming from from non-fructose, bananas are are about 50 pct glucose if you count sucrose as 50/50.
Andy,
What’s the best way to get your fats in on rest days? I typically eat rice (no fat), chicken breasts (no fat), bbq sauce (no fat), veggies (no fat). Turkey burgers have like 6g fat but I’m supposed to have 60g on rest days. Just curious what you do to get those 60 fat grams or if you just concentrate on carbs/protein and let fats fall where they may.
Don’t worry about that, just hit that number. If you’re not getting close then you probably should be eating more delicious things. There is more to fats than that, but when dieting particularly, in terms of results you will experience, it’s not worth worrying about.
Andy,
I am 5’9″ 176lbs around 13-14%bf. I have been doing the macro counting for about a month now with little to no cardio and my abs are starting to show just a LITTLE! I feel like ive hit a plateau and cant get over it. How much cardio should I be doing with this to see max results? My goal is to be around 10% by Christmas (going on a cruise). I stick to my macros EVERY day but the fat loss is very slow. Do you have any pointers you could give me? I saw where you cut up in 7 weeks. What all were you doing to get there other than your diet?
Read this article on tracking progress. Read this article for my thoughts on cardio.
Do you recommend that, similar to fat being as low as possible on training days, carbs be as low as possible on rest days? I find it nearly impossible to keep near 30g carbs on rest days unless you ignore vegetables/fruits, or subtract the fiber that is contained therein.
“…as little as possible?”
-No, that is not what I’m saying.
Isn’t it true that any excess in calories (rather it be carbs, fat, or protein) can be converted and stored as fat? If so, why the focus on low fat during training days?
They can but the ease with which it happens is to varying degrees due to different metabolic pathways. In order of ease, dietary: fat > carbs > protein.
Hi Andy,
Im going through this and it just seems like a lot of carbs. I’m 89Kg and about 75kg of lean muscle. Which says I should consume 3,300 calories on training days, I simply can’t seem to eat that much! I was wondering if its ok to go below the calories level as long as protein and fat is maintained, or do I NEED the carbs for some purpose?
Miles, I can tell that you’ve just bounced onto this site and this is the first post you’ve read. You need to understand the principles a little further and then you’ll be able to answer your own question. Here‘s a good starting point. Good luck.
hey andy, hope all is well.
i’m helping my sister with diet and training while on a cut (she has 25% – 30% BF 21 yrs old 5’8 159lbs) and i’m greatly thankful for you’re immensely helpful site! this article right here TOTALLY helped. just wanted to see if you have any quick tips to tailor the diet and training for the women out there. thanks a bunch.
Very generally:
Slightly higher protein and fat seems to work better.
Compare data points 4 weeks apart due to the cycle.
Training principles don’t change but obviously if she, for example, can’t bench an olympic bar then starting and working with knee-pushups is a good idea. Extrapolate.
Hi Andy,
This week from today onwards is a little different for me training wise due to work commitments as i’ve had to move my workouts to Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday instead of Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday as I normally do.
I was just going to stick with high carb on the training days even though they’re back to back, then have 2 days low carb in between until i’m back to normal next week, eg high carb Tue, Wed, Sat, Low carb Thur, Fri, Sun, Mon – is this OK?
I know its not ideal moving stuff about but works a nightmare at the moment and if I dont move the training days this week, i’ll end up having to forfeit them which I clearly dont want to do.
Looking forward to catching up in a week btw, progress is looking good, although I’m losing fat from the most bizarre of places, I had to have 2 links taken out of my watch and the ring on my middle finger keeps falling off – Why my body is burning fat off my wrist and fingers before my belly fat is beyond me, I know what they mean by stubborn fat areas now.
On the plus side, vascularity in my fingers has improved no end.
Speaking generally so it’s useful for all: I don’t recommend training two days in a row, most certainly if you are doing a full body routine, or will have overlapping muscles trained on consecutive days. In that instance just train twice and have just two ‘carb-up’ days. If you’re not, then you can do it this week as it’s a one off and you’re clearly stressed about it. (Unnecessarily so.)
Hi Andy,
Thank you very much for posting all this detailed information via this website. Its awesome!
I have two questions for you:
1. Should I count carbs due to vegetable consumption in my daily allowances for the following veggies: Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Spinach, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Zucchini, Bottle Gourd, carrots, french/green beans?
2. Should lentils and beans (chickpeas, black, kidney) be used for protein on rest days or should they be avoided due to their higher carb content? My budget for carbs on rest days is 15gms.
Thanks.
Depends on whether you’re using my simplified counting rules. (See the link at top of post.)
Andy,
So far I’m recording what I eat via the loseit! app. However, I prefer a simpler system like yours but was confused since you stated ‘Green Vegetables’ in the article about simplified counting rules.You also stated that peas, corn and carrots were an exception in an answer to a user comment. In another place you mention ‘green leafy vegetables’ which is what prompted me to ask if the veggies on my list are to be counted or not.
What about my second question?
Thanks.
Depends Sophie on whether you wish to count them.
If you’re a vegetarian and scrambling around for protein then yes. If you’re eating a minor amount of these (i.e. not a significant percentage of your daily energy budget) then you might choose to ignore them. Purposefully, consistently ignoring them in this situation can be a good way to avoid unnecessary counting. Same applies for everything that can fall under the above definition.
I used the spreadsheet get an idea of the breakdown. It came up with this for daily calories – Rest days – 1,783 and Training – 3,017…… Is that right? Starting weight 242 age 31 73 inches. On a cut with 1.2 as the active multiplier.
Protein 219.54 219.54
Fat 60.00 30.00
Carbs 91.26 467.39
Thanks!
Hi Andy –
Progress continues, but as I feared, has slowed given a number of work events and holidays. Two questions:
1) Do you ever recommend compensating for days during which one overeats (I.e. reduce fats on the next rest day to lower calories, add a 24 hour fast)?
2) Is it okay to eat lower fat than you recommended for me on training days and use those calories to consume more carbs and protein (i.e. eat 20 g of fat and add 40ish grams of carbs)?
1) Generally no, as allowing it acts as an “enabler” for people, letting them mess around with things that they think may work but don’t long-term.
2) Hormonally fat is important. You’ll know when you’ve gone too low when you suffer limp-dick. Better to keep your fats.
Hey Andy. Thanks to your simple macro rules, I’m six lbs down in six weeks, and making gains in most of my lifts. I can’t thank you enough. This is the best program I’ve been on. Anyway, to my question.
Not sure if I missed where this is mentioned, but does the type of carbs on training days matter much? I’m eating ~400g carbs on these days, so it’s hard to get all of this in with brown rice and whole grains, etc. Is there a maximum amount of simple carbohydrates I should be eating? Should I avoid sugars to a certain extent? Starches? Is it true that wheat on a refeed causes water retention? Sorry for all the questions, feel free to simplify it to “Does the type of carb matter?”
Thanks again, Andy.
Good to hear Phill. Carb types are mentioned in detail in the FAQ.
Andy:
I’m having trouble with the fat macros. I’ve been reading a lot about what’s a healthy fat level and from what I’ve seen it’s .45g/lb. In your scenario above, a 100kg = 220 lbs, which means he should be getting ~100g fat. I realize your example is just that, an example, but do you recommend going so much lower (60g vs. 100g) on fat?
Is it just that you should hit your fat target on rest days and then half of the target on lifting days? Do you have another recommendation for calculating a fat target?
Thanks again for the great site!
I haven’t formalised a recommendation for a fat target yet other than what is written above. If you’re 100kg and thus carrying a lot of fat mass then that 0.45g/lb total body mass suggestion you’ve taken from somewhere will probably come out high.
Hi!
Thank you for a great site and great info.
My question is how Mitch you think I should eat on my eating frame if I am a small female?
I train strength training 4split and power walks.
I am 1,57 cm tall and whey about 54 kilos.
I just started with this intermittent fast and am having a little trouble with knowing how mutch I should eat.
Thanks again for a great site
Best regards Jenna
That’s the point of the Katch-McArdle BMR calculation at the top.
Andrew do you have the step by step per pound. I’m from the U.S. and the whole kg is throwing me off. Thanks
1kg ~= 2.2lbs
Hi Andy,
Thanks for the great page about working out macros, that’s the one thing missing from lg.com. My weekly calorie deficit only results to just over 800 k/cal as I train 5 times a week, I feel that this will make my fat loss extremely slow even though I worked it out as a cutting cycle (R/D -35%, T/D +10%). Any suggestions would be great thank you.
Mark
I would cut training down to 3 days a week. Actually, thinking about it Martin wrote about this recently… yup here’s the link.
Thanks that’s brilliant I’ll give the 3 day training regime a go while I do the lg diet.
Mark
Good, glad it was useful Mark. Good luck mate.
Sorry Andy one more question. When you say 25-50g of fat does that mean total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated? Thanks again,
Mark
Total.
How do Omega 3 supplements fit into daily macros? Do they need to be planned around?
Don’t include them up to 5g.
Hi Andy,
Great website, your passion and dedication really shine through.
If the calculated BMR is accurate to within, say, +/- 20%, and activity level to within, say, +/-20% the subtle differences in suggested T-day and R-day calorie consumption for recomposition, cutting, etc. could easily be lost in the noise. I understand that there is also a substantial variation in an individual’s BMR depending on physical, mental and environmental stressors that are very dynamic and hard to quantify. I also understand that, depending on the territory, food labelling is permitted to have a tolerance of +/-20 % (or more) compared with the actual nutritional values of the foodstuff itself. Another confounder.
Is the best bet simply to adjust caloric intake and/or expenditure in small, quantifiable steps so that you can iterate a solution that works for you personally?
Best regards,
Tim
Flip a coin 10 times and it might give you an uneven result. Flip it 100 times and it will probably even itself out.
Hello Andy,
Thank you for your reply.
This has precisely zero in common with coin tosses.
It is about errors compounding errors – these cannot be relied on to simply even each other out.
Best,
Tim
Perhaps not, but the degree to which it is out falls into irrelevance if results are achieved.
Hi Andy,
Great site! Can you please clarify re 20-30% underestimation using simplified rules? You saying ignore this initially but adjust if not reaching goals (e.g. fat gain)? If so, would I reduce the daily calorie target a little and re-work all the macros again (based on 2.5g/kg, 40g fat etc.), or just take 20% off each of the initial P/F/C numbers?
At the top of the article is a link to an article talking about those rules.
Went through all the links again but didn’t find anything specific on adjusting for underestimation. If I were to guess I’d say either:
Method A – Reduce Activity Multiplier
So if I used x1.375 initially, then use x1.2 and calculate macros off that (keep P constant thereby reducing F and C a little)
Method B – Spot Reduce Macros
You mentioned an example of Joe eating 2 less rice balls a day thus reducing carbs (and calories)
Do you suggest either method or something different altogether?
(I will be using your simplified rules and I can see how they would lead to greater daily intake for the sake of simplicity but just not sure of the method you would use to make adjustments for this).
There is an answer to this, but it’s part of an e-mail that’s pretty damn long and I’m not prepared to do a half assed job here. I’ll give you the summary though: Use simplified rules or your chance of long term success diminishes.
Hello, first of all my infinite thanks for this article! It helped me a lot to get started, just one doubt… Is it necessary to take any supplements to have more success in cutting? or is it possible to achieve gains with only natural food? Thank you! (:
No, absolutely not.
Hey Andy, thanks for simplifying everything that Martin at Leangains said. I do have one question though. On rest days, I have no problem with eating less carbs. But, if I eat a lot of fruit like apples, grapes, and bananas, should that be counted towards my carb allowance? I understand that vegetables aren’t counted towards the allotment, but not sure about fruit. Thanks in advance for the response!
The carbs in fruit are easily digested and used as energy compared to vegetables. Think banana vs lettuce. The former is much more energy dense.
Andy,
Impressive site, thanks for doing it. Even more impressive is that you take the time to respond to so many comments. I know we all appreciate that, so thanks for the responses as well. Lots of good info in the comments from you! In any event, I am a type 1 diabetic and the way I manage my condition is through low carb and, therefore, low insulin doses. My question is what to do on training days. I typically get around 50g carb every day and its easy for me to dose insulin for this…if I were to eat 300g+ carbs in a day, dosing insulin would be impossible. Can you comment on increasing fat vs protein on training days and keeping carbs at a constant low-level instead of doing the high carb thing? I know it may not be ideal, but I’ve got to think of blood sugar levels first and work everything else around that. Thanks again!
Michael
Michael, I’m not a doctor so i can’t advise in your situation i’m afraid.
Hey Andy, is a pound of fat loss a week a good target to shoot for? How quickly did your clients lose the fat? Or should the macros been adhered to even if it means a slower rate of fat loss?
Have a look at the results page and do a little math and you have your answer.
Good point
Hi, when you calculate protein intake in your simplified explenation of what you can eat, you only count on the protein from the meat, what about protein from rice etc? When eating lots of carbs you get quite much tag-along protein, should this not be included meaning you must hit your proteinintake from “pure” proteinscources only?
I don’t generally get people to count that and acknowledge the underestimation.
No worries ta
Hi Andy, great guide, thank you very much!
I do have a question though.. Surely adjusting your caloric needs for a day by multiplying by your activity factor is not particularly accurate regrading rest days..
Let’s say I am ‘Active’ and multiply my BMR by 1.55 to account for this, on rest days, by their very definition, I am not ‘active’ as I would be at other times. How does one account for this?
Would it be wise to perhaps multiply BMR by different activity factors according to whether it is a Training or a Rest day? Or are the differences not significant enough? I know that as I have always found it hard to put on lean mass, I am for the first time trying to very little physical activity on my Rest days to maximise my gains.. Perhaps instead of multiplying my BMR by 1.55, I should for my Rest days multiply by say, 1.2?
What do you think?
Many thanks again, fantastically succinct, easy to follow guide, which I feel is really going to help me with a body recomp!
This is what the +/- is for on t and r days.
Yes but lets say I am ‘Active’ and therefore multiply my BMR by 1.55, on a rest day where I do very little activity, by reducing calorie intake by 20% I would still be eating quite significantly above my BMR. Slightly concerned that if I were pretty much totally inactive on rest day, this could contribute to fat gains etc..
thanks again
The activity level multiplier gives an average for the week, and considers differences in activity on different days within the week. Your rest and training day values will be variations on the weekly average (+ or – some %). Notice the activity levels are described in terms of days per week:
->sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
->lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
->moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
->very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
->extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
Hi Andy
I’m still plugging away and sat around 10% bf at 74.8 kilos. A long way since I first started. I’m just taking my second diet break and wanted your thoughts on a couple of things. As I am referring EOD is there any gain refeeding above maintaince every 5 days at my current level of BF. also is a diet break every 4 weeks worth considering as I am quite lean now
I will send you a full update when I’m finished.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Steve
EOD? Lyle suggests every 6 weeks for very lean individuals.
Sorry Every Other Day in conjunction with training. Even though this a refeed I am still in a defecit with my current macs and wondered if a slightly bigger refeed once a week might help. Sorry for the confusion
The number that you get for maintenance calories from a hydrostatic body fat testing should be more accurate than any calculation? When I’m calculating my macros, even if i put my protein at 300 g, I’m getting 550 g for carbs. Is that correct? My weight is 66k of lean mass. My maintenance calories is 2800. for the slow bulk, I got 3700 calories on training days and 2500 calories on rest days. I’m putting fat at 30 g on a training day. Should I bump up my fat to bring those carbs down a little? I’m just getting thrown off by the extremely high number of carbs.
I’m pretty sure you screwed up.
Hi, Andy
I injured myself a little during the squats (some muscle issue that is causing headache when working out, i tried too hard on the last two reps) so i need to get 1 or 2 weeks of rest to get it healed. What macros do your recommend during the rest.
Bart, respectfully, how many of your questions have I kindly responded to now? Is it 20 or nearer 30?
No problem, i did not know that asking too many questions bothered you.
Sorry if I went over the limit. Keep up the good work and I will silently watch and enjoy your site.
Bart, it’s not like there’s a limit, but there is a kind of “fair use” thing right? Basically you’re asking for a free consultation and I have to draw the line somewhere mate.
i am stuck on trying to calculate mine. im wanting to lean bulk as im doing my 1st show next year. can someone help me please
many thanks
Re-read the guide(s) on the site. If you still can’t figure it out then the consultation form is open. But don’t expect someone to just jump in and spit out 2 sets of 3 macro figures here. You have to help yourself first.
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Hey Andy. Awesome post, really helped me out to get things started with IF. I just started 2.5 weeks ago using the above ratios for my macros. I have a question. I am 6’3, ~190lbs at something like 11-12% body fat. I am on a quest for abs while at the least maintaining strength. I lift 3 days a week and eat around 2600cal on lifting days, 1900cals on non lifting days. I have estimated my maintenance to be 2800-3000cal. It is strange though, because I seem to be making small gains in my lifts. I would think that with me eating below maintenance every day, this would not happen. I am also down a pound or two since starting. I am wondering what might be happening. Could I have overestimated my maintenance? Although I don’t see it being less than 2600cal per day, as I do a lot of walking around and moving at work and am relatively large. Could it just be CNS adaptation? Or could IF provide some physical advantages that allow muscle growth while eating below maintenance? What’s happening!?
Regardless, I’m liking it.
I’ve postulated about this kind of thing in this post.
Andy:
First, thank you for this great site. Through bodybuilding.com I found leangains and your website and I’m very grateful. I’ve read through pretty much your entire site over the past few days. I understand everything you’ve laid out but I just have one qusetion unique to my situation.
Basically, I’ve been eating at about a 20% deficit for over a year now and while I’ve seen weight loss and some toning, it’s not like what seems to be possible with IF. So, I’m just wondering if I should go for recomp or cut since I’m down to about 12% BF. I figure a recomp will cause me to gain water weight at first since I’ll be eating more than my body is used to but I feel that a cut would cause me to lose too much weight as people already say sometimes I look pretty skinny.
Thanks for any input and thanks again for this great resource!
Please see this article. I wrote it to help people decide.
I’d like to hire you or how its put, become a client of uours
thinn we could come in contact? Ty have a nice daay :F
Please have a read of the consultations page and decide if I am the right guy for you.
Andy, help!!! Im throwing back 3500k calories WO days and 2500k calories rest days. Weight is not moving but my strength is and a little bit of fat, but not too much. I want to get put of weight cause im 153lbs at 5′ 10″. Should I up my cals even more? IT seems like everyone bulks at 3k max!.
Not sure where you read that people bulk on 3k max but it’s not correct.
Hahaha. This is truly geinus. Haven’t checked out Leangains but damn it seems you guys have gotten a couple light-years ahead today’s fitness”experts” and “science”, which make diet and exercise x99999999999999999 (cannot be over emphasized) harder than it actually is. Never tried this approach but I’ve been IF’ing and working hard yet infrequently with Pilon’s 2007 slam and Sission’s 2009 dunk. I went from skinny avg. 20 yr old to something I’m proud of (yeah, pretty ripped).
Can’t wait to try this approach which blends all the goodies of leptin upsurges, neuronal and cellular autophagy, endogenous hormone production, and all the other things that we’ve yet to discover from IFing, macro/calorie cycles correlating with activity and compostion. Truly wonderful stuff.
I just wish more people would stop treadmilling and visit website’s like these. You only need a philosophy such as this coupled with healthy food choices and hitting the rings hard.
Which brings me to the point of my post, keep up the good work Andy keep saving the world one lost elipticeller at a time.
P.S. Just an interseting training observation: Have you looked in to gymnastic/ring/sprint training to stop a weightlifting plateu? I stopped solely lifting weights after I plateu’d in strength for several months and found that whenever I cycle calisthenics (specifically with rings) mid-rep training (for 2-3 weeks) back to weighlifting I come back breaking my old PRs. Specially of I learn new moves (currently working on the planche). Here would be an example of a workout:
3-4x (rest 60 sec between sets, 3 min between cycles) ( If advanced use rings instead of bar)
15 sec front lever (abs +back)
400m Run (glutes + legs)
10 muscle ups (chest+back)
max hand stand pushups (upper chest + Shoulders)
max 1 arm pullup (each) (lots biceps + back)
max 1 arm pushup (each) (tricep+ chest)
10 muscle ups (chest + back)
15 sec front lever(abs +back)
100m sprint (glutes + legs)
*Try this workout 3x a week with 1-2 day recovery betw each session and give me a shout to see if it can as* kick your weightlifting plateu.
Chris, thanks for the comment and enthusiasm. There are many ways to break a plateau. This blog is not about addressing that particular issue though.
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Hi again! One quick question. I have tried numerous times to cut but due to my OCD and personality traits I am very prone to binging disorders and have tried numerous unsuccessful times to cut. Body recomposition feels much more feasible for someone in my state.
Is it possible to recomp if you are not a newbie? I am 19.
Aaron, please have a more thorough read of the site.
Thanks for the quick response.
It seems as though I’ve contradictory things. On one hand I read if you don’t have abs yet to cut and then bulk and recomp if you’re a newbie, then I read that you can recomp if you would rather continue to progress or due to sports but the results will be slower.
Sorry if I seem really naive.
Thanks
Aaron
See this article Aaron.
Does the spreadsheet only work for cutting? It doesn’t seem to work for slow-bulk etc…
Anyway im rubbish at math, and haven’t a clue how to work the values out, if somebody could be so kind to work out my slow-bulk from a 1859.95 BMR with 1.55 activity multiplier that would be amazing
Josh
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Andrew, Thanks for your article mate , it really helped. i just started IF 2 weeks ago n i c was still confused what to do and last night i was really thinking about going to my 6-8 meals/day plan but now i am gonna continue IF. I am 22 with 81 kg weight, 176cm height n 61%LBM so according to you i should do cut first coz i always wanted abs and from my 4 years of training i never got abs n shape on my chest.i would really appreciate if you could advice me something on this. Thanks again
Have a read of this article mate. -I’ve tried to help people answer the question there.
Hey man awesome article. I am already lean an am looking to do the recomp. I am currently 170lbs, 10% BF. I should be eating 3000 cals on training days and around 2400 on rest days according to your article. I did the calculations and it appears I should be eating 480 grams of carbs on training days. This seems like a TON of carbs does it not? I would think that many carbs would obviously spill over into fat gains. What do you think?
Your feeling of it being a lot of food may just be down to your never having calculated how many carbs are in your food before. Or you could be too high. Try, track and you’ll know.
Andy,
I am trying to do a cut….So I will be working out 3 days per week. When I calculate BMR do I have to use the adjustment for 3-5 days (moderate) workout. Or should I use Sedentary setting?
The above guide assumes 3 days a week workout.
Hi Andy, great stuff – really, really useful. I agree with the post above too in that donations are a great idea.
One question I have is whether I can substitute the heavy weights for an intense kettlebell workout 3 times per week? I have small kids and travel a lot for work, so time is at a premium.
Best,
Al
Of course, it won’t be as effective, but it’s all relative.
Andy, this is off topic, but is there a “donate” option on your blog? I won’t be able to take you on as a coach or buy books or what have you, but I get a lot out of reading your blog and I feel like I’d like to make some sort of minimum donation. I’m sure many other readers would too.
If there’s already an option for this, please point me in the right direction. If not…I suggest making one! Great stuff.
Thanks Macks. I won’t be putting such a button I don’t think however the thought is appreciated. If you’d like to make a donation, please give the money to Martin. -CLick his donate button. He inspired me and I owe great thanks to him.
Man, I was hoping to find the answers to my questions in the comments but it’s high time to go to bed so here are my questions:
#1: Is there a minimun fat intake on training days or – purely theoretical – could this be at 0?
#2: Do you have any experience with smaller eating windows, like 7 to 4 hours? If so what are the pros and cons? 23 hours is probably the longest I would fast.
Thank you for answering all the questions! It’s super interesting and quite helpful. Also I apologize if there are similar questions (and answers) in the comments already.
Greetings
Thorsten
1. No minimal per-se but don’t do 0. Fat is important for hormonal regulation, specifically testosterone. You’ll know if you go two low as you’ll lose your erections.
2. 7 fine. 4 not so good. 1 not optimal as it forces bad food choices on people to fit all the foods in. Also it may not be best for muscle growth to just have one protein meal in a day.
Thanks!
Another quick question, if you don’t mind:
Do you recommend food combining then? For example eat as much of the fat before working out and keep the post workout meal as low fat as possible?
I’m working out in the evening and thus far I’ve eaten 60 % of my protein, 60 % of my carbs and 60 % of my fat (about 27 g) post workout. First I didn’t want any fat in there but then I thought about the fast and put the fat back in to slow down digestion.
Thanks again!
Thorsten
No, it won’t make any difference as far as we know.
OK so what is your experience with older women (no not that sort of experience
). I am 54, short ie 5 foot 2 and med to heavy boned. Currently 63 kg, 54 years old and menopausal. Been doing heavy weights and running for years but high stress job with very erratic hours, occasional going away and a dodgy back plays havoc with training. I try to monitor calories and plan training but I seem to be lucky if I can train one body part a week. Wine intake is not good. Appreciate your comments.
I have no experience training older women.
What if I am training 6 days a week? Should I continue to keep eating a lot of carbs? I am around 22% BF and 30 years old and I’d like to get down to 12-15% range.
Why are you training 6 days a week?
I was hitting 4 days before but because I have been training for over 8 or 9 years I thought it was about time I go a bit harder to get results. I am 180cm/5’11 and weigh 88Kgs.
So now I do:
Chest 3 exercises 3-4sets with 3sets of Squats
Back 4 exercises with 3-4 sets with 3 sets of Deadlifts
Shoulders 4 exercises with 3-4 sets with 3 sets of 45 degree leg extension
Chest 3 exercises 3-4sets (LIGHTER) + Triceps with 3sets of Squats
Back 4 exercises with 3-4 sets (LIGHTER) + BICEPS with 3 sets of Deadlifts
Shoulders 4 exercises with 3-4 sets with 3 sets of 45 degree leg extension
Meals:
Preworkout – Wholemeal bread with natural fruit spread, full fat milk
After workout – carbs + wpi + creatine
Breakfast: 500Ml full fat milk, 100gm oats, protein scoop, goji
Meal 4: full fat 250gm cottage cheese with 50gm sweet potato + 1 whole egg
Meal 5: Same as above
Meal 6: save as above
Meal 7: Salmon with veges or sometimes repeat of Breakfast if I am down on energy
David, respectfully you have told me what you do but not why. I asked about why you train 6 days a week. My thoughts on it are in the training sections. Also, my thoughts on meal frequency are splattered all over the diet section. I certainly am not an advocate for 7 meals a day. If you want advice on that then this is the wrong place.
Hey Andy,
I have a small doubt regarding macros, I train similar to crossfit, focusing on circuits, however this means that I workout 5-6 times a week, out of which 1-2 days are abdominal circuits…I figured that in addition to my 1-2 rest days, I would also eat less calories (high protein, moderate fat, low carb) on my abdominal days, however this would also mean that I am eating high carb 4-5 days of the week (leaning more on 5)… So should I decrease my calorie intake on high carb days aswell?
Should you be training abs on a separate day, if at all?
Hi Andy,
Two more weeks left of my cut! But… my weight hasn’t changed in the last 2 weeks. I think I may have plateaud with the current macros. Should I cut the carbs for the home stretch?! Thanks. Justin
2 weeks… could be a stall that will rectify itself naturally. Leave the analysis to me at the reassessment time please when I have all the information available. It’s not a race and I don’t want to jump to conclusions without all the information on hand.
Hi,
Great article mate and awesome 6 pack!
Looking at your example for Tom in the atricle….100kg bloke….well I am 104kg…could I just lift the sums from that and it should work?
I lift heavy 3-4 days a week and have been cutting for just over a year.
Went from 285lbs to 230lbs and am currently around 22% BF.
Cheers,
Al
Was just an example. The maths won’t necessary add up.
Pingback: Sandy77uk training Journal
HI Andy,
I make a comment here a week ago about how to do the recomp training 5x days per week, you suggested training 3x per week with compounds exercises. Just to you remember, I’m weak (skinny fat) weight 168lb and I guess 19%-20% BF.
The problem is… my gym sucks (I’m from Brazil, and I live in a very small town). This means that there no power rack, and, besides that, I can’t do deadlift for now (I’m a totally beginner, but I’m trying).
Well, long story short… being a skinny fat, do the recomp calorie cycling would work even if I’m training 5x days per week? I know that this don’t sound very right but my idea is to reduce calories (off days) on two of less intense of the 5 days of workout and on the two oficially rest days (Sat and Sun). On the end will be three days of 20% caloric surplus and four days of 20% calorie deficit.
This will be only temporary, because soon I will go back to college which is in another town and there was a better gym, and at that time I hope that I will be already doing the deadlift right (I’m trying to do stiff-legged deadlifts just to learn the deadlift soon and not mess with my column).
Or this is a wrong approach at all? For now, a steady cutting would be better (all days with a deficit)?
Bulk is not a option for me really, you don’t know how tired I’m of this belly fat – adding more fat to what I already have only will make me more depressed. I prefer to cut down first before a bulk.
Thanks for your help!
Victor, move to a gym that has a power rack so you can squat and deadlift. Don’t train 5 days a week. Buy Beyond Brawn and read it thoroughly. Or wait for a few weeks as I will have a guest article from the author up on the site.
Very cool.
Hey Andy,
Is Beyond Brawn better than Starting Strength in your opinion?
Two different subjects. Starting Strength is a book about barbell technique. Beyond Brawn is a book about training principles.
What other books you’ve read about Training Principles that you found useful? I’m currently reading into Section 2, and so far, I’ve found Section 1 to be a tad redundant.
Every book I’ve ever read on training has been useful in it’s own way. My favourites are SS, Rip’s Practical Programming, and Beyond Brawn. Keep reading.
Andy,
Two questions regarding BCAAs…
1. If working out in a fasted state, is it crucial to supplement fast with BCAA or will I be fine without? Also, would the answer to that question a a difference of whether or not I am in a cut or steady bulk phase?
2. If I do consume BCAA pre and/or post workout, should I count them towards my overall calorie consumption for the day? (ie. 10 grams pre and 10 grams post would be 80 calories and 20 grams of protein?)
Hi Jared.
1. Highly advised. The degree to which it’s needed/ will affect results is unknown.
2. Nah.
“Tom, 100kg, 70% lean body-mass, choosing body-recomposition (+20%/-20%) whose BMR calc+multiplier gave him 2000kCal. (Remember what I said earlier, I know the number is a little low.)”
Wow then the BMR + activity numbers using the actual formula must be WAY off because I am basically the same as “Tom” – 220lbs. (172 LBM) or 100kg (78 LBM) and my BMR using the formula comes to 2118 and with the 1.375 activity multiplier my base becomes 2912 calories. If I do a cut that puts me at 3200 T/ 2080 R. But you chose to use 2000 calories as a base + activity number?
I have to say I see why because I’m on a cut and I couldn’t eat all the carbs for my training day and now that I see you brought the base down to 2000 I have lowered mine to 2500 (2750 T/ 1625 R from 3200 T / 2080 R) and will adjust from there. But wow – the formulas are crazy off huh?
Thanks for all your hard work, and sorry if I have posted too much lately – just sort of excited and trying to get things started right. Wish you the best and I’m spreading the word about your site.
Hey Andy, first of all, thnx for all the awesome information you’ve got on the website. I love how helpful the fitness/bodybuilding community is on the web.
I recently started my ultra – slow cut process (this is my 2nd day to be honest)… I was helping a friend of mine with the macros/calories calculations on the IF Calculator web (since he cant understand English at all) and then I realized I might have misunderstood the “ACTIVITY LEVEL” tab.
I have a desk job and Im on 4 day split, I do not perform other sports activities other than going to the gym or walking 20+- (2kms) blocks a day… Im not sure if the activity level refers to ALL physical activities (gym included here) or just activities OTHER than going to the gym (lets say… if someone happened to go running once or twice a week) … Just in case im not making my point clear, should I set it to “Sedentary” or “Moderately Active (like I understood in first place)”. I know its a dumb question but hey… don’t wanna f*** up for a month and then realize I been on a 400 calorie surplus while cutting
.
And again, thnx for all the information you’ve got here. Leangains and your site are the first two sites on my toolbar!
Even if you do “f*** up for a month” what’s the problem with that? You try something, realise you’re a little over perhaps, reduce a little and then continue on your way. Marathon, not sprint.
I AM A LACTO OVO VEGETARIAN…HOW CAN I HIT YOUR RECOMMENDED AMOUNT OF PROTEIN WITH JUST EGGS MILK AND PROTEIN SHAKES..WITHOUT INGESTING TOO MANY CALORIES PLZ HELP..THANKS
Protein powder is usually low carb/fat.
Egg yolks can be separated if necessary.
Milk comes in full fat and skimmed versions.
Check a nutritional calculator/google for more. -Vegetarian bodybuilding is not my speciality.
Hey Andy,
I’ve been adhering to the macros/diet plan you gave me. However I’ve hit a snag… money. I’m spending nearly $30 a week just on chicken. That’s before tuna, greens, rice, and beef. So my question to you is, will I encounter problems if I start incorporating protein shakes instead of chicken? From your FAQ’s and comments I know that it almost doesn’t matter, as long as it fits in your macros… I did the math and tried to figure out where/when/how much I just be consuming and I ended up not really being able to find a way to fit whey or casein into my diet. It either put me way over carbs, over protein, under fat, etc. I’ve got a decent supply of both, so I will save a little money by using it. Is there a formula I can use (ie: Xg of chicken = 1 scoop whey)? I crunch the numbers and can make it fit in my macros, I will probably have to start doing that unfortunately.
Thanks Andy
1scoop of whey is around 100g of chicken. Use casein of the night time. The penalty for doing this is potentially feeling hungry but nothing more. Make sure you hit your fat macros though.
right on mate. I guess I just need to figure out which to replace and where.
cheers!
Hey Andy,
I’ve been doing Leangains Body Recomp / The Big 3 Routine for 6 weeks now
with spot on nutrition.
My Squats and Deadlifts have had a steady increase but my Bench Press
is pretty much the same from 6 weeks ago and I read in your FAQ
that it is common for something like that to happen.
Every weekend I like to go over your site and see if there is anything I need
to improve or missed that I could incorporate into my fitness goals and I ran into
this page here and I had a question.
You said, “This means that 80% of people reading this should go for a ‘cut’.”
After looking through some skinny fat pictures on your website, specifically the Results Page, it appears as if what you consider “skinny fat” basically is someone that has a flat stomach (or close to it) and very little muscle definition.
I am questioning whether I am “Skinny Fat” or just “Fat” because I have pretty skinny arms, legs, but my stomach is kind of large which makes me question whether I should continue a Body Recomp or if I should cut and then do a slow bulk for quicker results.
All I know is that I am sick of not being fit!
Here is a picture for reference:
http://imgur.com/vMdDh
I am currently 5’10 164lbs (not sure about bodyfat I had is estimated at around 20%)
Deadlift: 110 lbs > 170 lbs
Benchpress: 50lbs > 70 lbs
Squat: 50 lbs > 110 lbs
With those lifting stats there is no question that you are skinny fat. You’ve done well with the improvements so far, but you have a ways to go before you’ll look good when ripped up. That is not to say that you won’t benefit from losing some extra fat.
Me again!
Just got done working out and for some reason I couldn’t match the “Max” I’ve been getting on any of my workout days. I’m going to just assume it was one of the “20%” bad workout days.
However, I’ve been keeping track of my progress and from 8/8/2012 up until now
8/18/2012 none of my lifts have improved they are still:
Deadlifts: 170lbs
Benchpress: 70lbs
Squats: 110lbs
So, for almost two weeks I haven’t improved. Any known reason for the cause of something like this to happen and anything I can do to correct it?
Also, I haven’t seen much of a change in my body at all.
I’m following the body recomp +20%/-20% if that helps.
Thanks Andy!
Lack of calories on either or both days.
Lack of sleep
Stress
Psychological
Hi Andy
Bloody brilliant site mate. Most useful gathering of information I’ve come across thus far.
I’ve been using your info to calculate macros, all straight forward, the only thing that I’m a little confused about is the activity multiplier. I currently aim to do around 3 weighlifting sessions a week. My job is also fairly active and I do quite a lot of walking. I chose a conservative activity multiplier of 1.2 as recommended and have gone for a -20%/+20% calorie split as I’m already fairly lean but want to keep building muscle and strength.
However, If I was to start a martial arts class twice a week, what would be the best approach? Should I increase my activity multiplier a little (say to 1.3/1.4) and cover this extra activity on my net weekly calories or should I make daily adjustments? For example, on jujitsu days should I calculate a rough expenditure for this activity and then add this in to my macros for the day by increasing either fat or carbs a bit?
Thanks in advance for your time. My apologies if this has been covered elsewhere. Already sending everyone I know over to your site. Keep up the good work dude!
Matt
Choose one multiplier, stick with those macros for a month. Track progress, adjust accordingly if necessary.
Hi Andy,
Before I start, sorry for my English, it’s not very good. I have one question, if you don’t mind.
I workout 5 times a week, and I think that I’m skinny fat. What you think I should do? I probally have 21% of BF, and very llittle muscle.
Do you think that it’s worth to do a “mild cutting” with IF (10%+ on working days but 20%- on rest days) for my case? It’s seems to me that I’m endomorph (I started to gain fat easily weeks before with an 20% surplus). That is why I’m afraid of eating 20%+ over my maintenance in training days (which will be, for me, 5 days for week) and 20%- on rest days (only two days, on sat and sunday).
I appreciate any help,
Victor.
Drop to 3 days a week. Focus on strength gains. Recomp (if you are weak). Buy Beyond Brawn.
Hello, I’m 22 years old and I’m a very active person, however last week I had a surgery at my knee and now I’ve to face 2 months of physiotherapy and no exercise because I have to do a well recovery. Before the surgery, during 2 weeks I tried Leangains (while training) and I was liking it, but now I don’t know if I will stick to this approach. But because I can’t exercise I think this can be a good method to achieve my objectives (lower my body fat that is around the 14 or 15%) or at least no increase my body fat. I would like to know your opinion because I think it’s possible but I have my doubts.
Now that I’m in holydays and in postoperative period I wake up at 12h and I’ve lunch at 1 pm (I eat meat or fish, lots of vegetables and this is the meal that I tried to put some carbs like rice,pasta or potatoes, but never much amounts), then around 5 pm I eat my afternoon snack (natural youghurt with some peanuts or almonds or nuts), and by 8 pm it’s dinner time (it’s similar to the lunch – I eat meat or fish, lots of vegetables, but in this meal I try not to eat carbs like rice, pasta or potatoes).
Note: I calculated my BMR in this situation (no activity) and it’s was 2127,36, and then I calculated my Leangains Macros, and it was P144/F60/C66,70 (I only write here the macros for rest day because I won’t do exercise in the next two months because of my knee surgery, only physiotherapy)
I’m sorry for annoying you with this questions but I need some help/orientations.
Can’t you do upper body work? Sounds like you’re quitting to me mate.
I didn’t said because I thought that wasn’t very significant but I’m actually doing a home-workout that is not so intense that the workout that I usually do at the gym but is the workout that I can do now, in my condition. That consist in exercises like push-ups and exercises with dumbbells (always seated or lying and never forcing the leg which knee was operated):
I organize the work-out like day 1 Chest/tricep, day 2 Back exercises/bicep, day 3 (rest), day 4 Shoulders, and then it begins again. (I do 3 exercises for big muscular groups and 2 exercises for the small ones, I use 4 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6 reps.)
Chest (bench press, lying fly, and inclined push-ups – between the repetitions I try to do diamond push-ups and I only rest 30 to 45 sec);Tricep (one arm tricep extension, triceps kickback, lying triceps extension),In the end I do 100 push-ups (10 x10 …) and abs exercises
Back ( row exercises, back fly, between the repetitions I try to do push-ups and I only rest 30 to 45 sec), Bicep (alternated seated bicep curl, seated bicep curl, seated hammer curl, alternated seated hammer curl, concentration bicep curl), In the end I do 100 push-ups (10 x10 …) and abs exercises
Shoulders (seated Palms-In Shoulder Press, seated Palms-In Alternated Shoulder Press, Seated Shoulder Press, Seated Side Lateral Raise, Bent-Over Rear Deltoid Raise, seated front raise, shrugs – between the repetitions I try to do push-ups and I only rest 30 to 45 sec).
I know it’s not very effective but it’s what I can do for now. Taking this in consideration, I think lean gains could be a good method but I have my doubts because I still have much appetite at mealtimes and I am afraid to be eating more than I need, though, when that happens, I opt to eat more meat or fish and vegetables, instead of carbs like rice, potatoes or pasta
So, I have looked for the your guidance and your advice
So if you get fat due to low levels of activity, you reduce calories/macros evenly accordingly. Keep the protein.
Ok, that’s what I thought, I’ve to be aware of the calories intake, do you have another advice or suggestion of my “workout” or my diet?
My thoughts on training are in the training pages mate.
On training days, in terms of physiological effects, how much harm will it do to get some of my carbs from things like frozen yoghurt or jelly sweets? I realise that the carbs in things like this are pretty much all sugar, but I was only thinking of something like 10% of my carb allowance. (30g)
It’d be nice to have a treat to get some of my carbs, instead of forcing down rice, pasta, oats etc all the time.
Thanks for any info, appreciate the work you’re putting in on here.
No harm whatsoever.
Thanks for all you do Andy. LG has become a new lifestyle for me, and I can’t see ever turning back. I doubt I would have ever tried it without the practical guidance you provide on this site.
Quick question… I’ve been doing the cutting option, and seeing some results. At the same time, I’ve been increasing my weights in a number of lifts – even bench. Does that mean I’ve got my calories/macros too high? During a cut should I expect strength gains to basically stall?
It generally depends on the level of advancement of the lifter and whether their training set-up was changed to allow for more recovery.
Hi Andy
I have 2 question:
1)Generally, how long will it be to get results during the cut? i’m on cut about 3 weeks following your guide but for now I do not see results in inches around the waist. Maybe there should be at least a month to get used?
2)During the slow bulk, the calculation of macronutrients is the same you explaine in your guide?
Thanks mate
1. Not a simple question.
2. I prefer to up things gradually and track. You could always make a big jump increase though.
1) may I should increase proteins? now have 2 grams for lean mass
2) ok, But u reccomand to start whit a “classic” style? calcolated pro, fat, and then cho?
Thanks
Ivan, you’re fussing. Minor details vs. Sweeping principles.
You’re right Andy, I’ll let you know in a few weeks
thanks again
Hi Andy,
I know It’s been said time and time again but this site is immense! Just cottoned on to the need to start tracking as despite going from 88kg to 84 in 6 weeks, I’m still a fairly high 18% BF
Same question as on twitter really – but why is -30%/-10% considered an LG style cut. To me, it seems like the current bodybuilder’s cut of keeping a calorie deficit every day until goal weight / body fat is reached.
That’s only for someone that’s obese.
My personal experience is that when cutting, carrying a surplus on training days is counterproductive until you’re below ~15% body fat and insulin sensitivity is drastically improved. Above that it’s just counterproductive and increases the likelihood of spinning your wheels. An occasional refeed at maintenance or slightly above on training days would be better than routine refeeds.
For you personally maybe, but to extrapolate that out to be a general rule and advise for everyone is a little imprudent.
You’re right, it’d be a mistake to typecast from my poorly controlled n=1 sample.
Andy,
First of all thanks for this awesome site. You really did a great job….
I am currently cutting and my BF is at 17%.
At which BF would you recommend to switch from “cut” to “recomp” and from “recomp” to “slow-bulk”? I don’t think you provided this information. Does it depend on the morphology (or anything else…) or is there a guideline you could provide?
Thanks for all again
Marco
See here.
is it 30% off my BMI (1700kcal) or 30% off my TDEE (2000kcal) ? coz when i do -30% 1700, it only about 1200 on Rdays..
TDEE.
Andy,
I’ve had a diet break and I’m back on the fat loss macros. On rest days I’m shooting for 60 grams of fat and usually eat 450g pork mince with bottled sauce and 450g lean meat or fish both with salad or veg. Do you think I’ve over shot on the fat ? I try not to eat too much red meat due to associated health risks. I’m not adding any other fat into meals on these days.
The site is looking awesome keep up thd good work
Cheers
Steve.
First, just wanted to say thanks for posting this up, it’s really helped me to get started with LeanGains. My body is currently a little bewildered at the sheer amount of carbs I’m putting in on training days, but it will adjust!
My question is: on rest days, why are we meant to up fat, and lower carbs? After sufficient protein has been consumed for maintaining LBM, is a deficit not just a deficit, no matter how you arrive at it? What is the difference between more fat/less carbs but still < 1500 cals for the day, or less fat/more carbs but still < 1500 for the day?
Thanks for the dedication to still be replying to all these comments months after the article!
Fat is important for hormonal balance. Go low fat on both days and it will cause drops in testosterone.
My numbers came out to 1554 RD, 2630 TD doing a -35%/+10%
I’ve been, for awhile now, doing 1000-1200RD and 2000-2500TD and I’m quite comfortable with the lower calories. I haven’t been losing strength or lean mass, is there any reason I shouldn’t continue with the lower numbers?
See statement in red.
Hey Andy,
First of all, I really appreciate your effort spreading the knowledge and helping people with this stuff. Thank you for it.
I have one question myself and I would be grateful if you could provide me some sort of an answer.
To explain my background a bit, I have been going to the gym around two years more or less regularly, although one really can’t notice it that well in my opinion. I have had these longer “breaks” every now and then, which may be the reason for it.
I started IF 1st of February (recomp -20%/+20), doing RPT training or The Big 3. During recomp my weight really didn’t move anywhere, although I gained strength relatively well. Summer started and I started working at the end of May, which lead to a “break” again. To give some perspective of my strength levels, at the end of May I was able to squat 1.5xBW(Body weight), Deadlift 2xBW, weighted chins 8x10kg. I suck at bench though, I have always done, I’m
Not able to lift my BW. My weight during that time was around 68kg. I’m 173cm tall.
Now I’m planning to start the gym again after the break and begin with IF. But the thing I’m wondering, should I go on a cut first and then slow-bulking, or start now first with recomp-setup? At the end of May by BF was around 14%, should still be around the same, as is my weight. I am quite small framed person, but one can see a little muscle definition in me.
I would like to ask your opinion if I should first start cutting and lower by BF, or start with recomp setup? Being already small framed, I’m not sure if start cutting is the right way to go right now. But of course, I realize 14% BF is too much.
Just let me know if I didn’t give you enough background information. I Hoping to hearing from you soon, and thanks for your time
Recomp until you get to your previous strength level, then weigh your options based on progress. Make sure you’re measuring your stomach though. Much of what you may have perceived to be no progress before actually was just muscle growth and fat losses which didn’t show up in the scale.
Hi Andy,
Thank You for your quick reply. Your website alongside with Berkhan’s has been a real source of motivation and help.
Alright, I will begin with recomp using Starting Strength and keeping track on my progress. If everything goes well I keep continuing the same way, but if/when I hit plateu (can’t really increase lifting weights anymore, or fat loss is not going as well as I’m hoping), I’ll probably going for a cut. Once in 8-10% BF I could start with Slow-Bulk.
Thanks.
Good luck
I’m having a bit of trouble with the food. According to my calculations, at 210 lbs, 6 foot 3 inches, my macros should add up to about 3200 for maintenance cals. So while doing a body-recomp program, I increase cals by 20%, which puts me at about 3900 for training days. According to Martin at Leangains, you should shoot for 60% of your cals post workout (so for me, first meal of the day).
Only problem with this is that this means me eating about 2200 calories for my 1st meal. Even after the fast with my sizable appetite, I have not found this possible when eating healthy (whole grains, chicken, black beans, etc..) I can’t even get half of that down. All the fiber fills me up!
Do you stand by the 60% first meal concept? Or will it be just as effective to just split it up through the day?
Thanks again for your help!
Actually, I just re-read it and he says 35-50% so that’s my fault.
A different question would be the challenge of getting a caloric surplus, particularly on a low fat diet. A 20% surplus for me, as I stated above, is over 3900 calories. This is extremely hard to do without adding in olive oil, peanut butter or nuts of some kind. I will likely end up having to supplement with a lot of protein shakes, as the amount of carbs and lean meats I would have to eat to attain this goal would likely make my stomach rupture!! Haha.
Again, I’m extremely appreciateve for any tips!
See my chocolate sludge on the meals pages.
What is “healthy”?
Meal frequency doesn’t matter at all. Martin has said this numerous times also. Do what works best for you Kyle.
Sorry, when I say healthy I mean nutrient dense foods (whole grains, lean meats, nothing processed, etc..) These foods are very dense and fill me up for long periods. It makes it a bit difficult to get 3500+ calories with a focus on protein and carbs.
I will check out that recipe though!
I suppose my biggest issue is that I can meet my macros, but getting a caloric surplus is a huge challenge for me. Maybe switching to I.F. is just suppressing my appetite while I acclimate to a new method of eating (up until now I was eating 7-9 meals a day.) So far this has no affected my energy so I will keep pushing on and see how my body adjusts!
Ok, so I’ve been “paleoish” we’ll call it for almost a year. I’d say I’m fat-adapted as Mark Sisson puts it. My question then is if I want to do a cut, I’m struggling with the numbers of having fat so low. My plan is to have 2.5g/kg protein on T-days (180g’s) and 3g/kg protein R-days (215g’s). I was thinking of having carbs at 150 on T-Days and 50 on R-Days but not sure if this is too low. Is there a recommended range carbs should be in for each day – if its available at another page I think I’ve missed it. Thanks!
Yes, that’s what the whole post is about. Calculating a balance for you.
Hi, I’m suppose to eat about 400 g of carbs on work out days, but I find that pretty hard to do in all rice/potatos etc so I have to fill some of it with fruits like bananas and apples. Is filling up your carb macro with fructose carbs ok? Also, what if I’m in a pinch for some quick carbs to fill up my macro requirement but just too full to eat, can I just chug some gatorade to get a couple 100 g of carbs? Obviously I wouldn’t do it all the time, but from time to time is this ok as long as I meet my macro requirement? Thanks for your time!
Yes that’s not a problem. IIFYM.
Andy,
Thank you so much for the website. It has been invaluable to my workout and I’ve dropped about 9% of my body fat while increasing strength. I’m getting to the point though where I will switch to a slow bulk and I was wondering what the protein/fat/carb ratios should be for that kind of regime. Do you still recommend 3 grams of protein for each kg of lbm on a bulk or can protein be decreased to 2.5 or 2 grams? As well, you recommend 30-40 grams of fat on workout days and double that on non-workout days, but can fat be increased on a bulk, to say 75%/25% carbs/fat (by calorie), on workout days, and carbs be increased, say 25%/75 carb/fat, on non-workout days? Or should fat always be really low on workout days and carbs be really low on non-workout days, even when bulking while lean? Basically, I’m trying to see if the slow bulk allows more freedom for eating protein, carbs, and fat together, instead of the protein and carbs or protein and fat split of the cut. Thanks for your time and all the information.
Hi Phill. I don’t work in ratios. Fat can be increased on the slow-bulk, especially with rest-days. You can eat less protein when slow-bulking as you are no longer in a calorie deficit. However if money isn’t an issue then just feel free to keep that the same. 2 and 2.5g for t and r days respectively is perfectly sufficient.
Hey Andy i have been reading your blog and leangains.com for quite a long time now, trying to understand everything before switching to the leangains way. I have been in a kind of keto diet that i made for myself and eating carbs on weekends for recomposition. So i hope this will be easy, now i think i got all in check so just wanted to know if the carbs on rest days are correct, because according to the calcs:
Im 24yo, 84.5kg, 72.67kg LBM
So the BMR = 1970.45
then BMR *1.075 = 2118.23
T Days: 2,330 cal = 182 P / 310 C / 40 F
R Days: 1,482 cal = 218 P / 18 C / 60 F
Do that seem in order to you? and in case u have any suggestion on how to go from keto to leangains would be lovely.
and thnks again for all the info that u are giving in ur page
I forgot to say that im trying to cut down till single BF digits around 7-9%
Sergio please read the part in red, bolded writing.
oh sorry andy didnt read that, ok i understand and will contact u for ur services! thnks anyways