Training Q&A with James Fife - SNS Athlete

[kingjameskjf]

This was created in response to the following article to answer any questions, clarify any details, or just ask random questions of interest:
http://www.seriousnutritionsolutions...s-npc-athlete/

This thread allows for more detailed information and in-depth responses. I encourage anybody who wants to know about something I do, to ask and join in the discussion.

As far as training, I have used several different programs with varying degrees of success. I have found that I like portions of different training programs and will often incorporate aspects of them into my training. I feel that it is important to find what works best for you and for the time you have allotted to train.

Feel free to share your training styles or ideologies as well, as I enjoy seeing what works for other people and believe I can always learn more.

[em-dubya]

Great idea KJ!!

[Lynnalicious]

Hi James, thanks for the article, I found it very interesting. I have a question though. I was looking at your diet, specifically the lean gains part and that site is kinda confusing to me. Is there anyway you can kinda give me a breakdown of what it all entails so I can understand its concepts better?

[kingjameskjf]

Great idea KJ!!

Thanks, nice to have the support of the ever knowledgable SNS team!

Hi James, thanks for the article, I found it very interesting. I have a question though. I was looking at your diet, specifically the lean gains part and that site is kinda confusing to me. Is there anyway you can kinda give me a breakdown of what it all entails so I can understand its concepts better?

Glad you liked it, sure can. It's a lot of information so take a look at the following post where I try to answer it in depth.

[kingjameskjf]

LeanGains FAQ
Last Updated July 21 2011 (c/p)

Table of Contents:

• Who Created LeanGains (LG)?
• What is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
• Why Bother with IF?
• Okay so What is LG?
• What is the Workout Schedule Like?
• That Seems to Focus too Much on the Legs
• What is RPT?
• Martin Says that I Should be Fairly Lean to do LG. I'm 20% BF, Help!
• What Should I be Eating?
• Why so much Protein?
• I've tried IF for 3 weeks and it makes me sick
• Should I Eat Before Working Out?
• What the Hell are BCAAs? And Why Should I Take Them?
• How do the Calories Change on Workout vs Non-workout Days?
• Should I have 2 or 3 or 19 Meals a Day?
• But You Still Haven't Told Me the Exact Macros!
• What About Timing?
• But I'm Keto
• Can I Bulk with the LG Approach or is Strictly to Lose Fat?
• What about Cardio?
• What if I Want to Fast 20 Hours a Day?
• Should I Drink Protein Shakes?
• DOMs is Hurting Me
• Any Other Supplements I Should Take?
• I Can't Seem to Get Rid of the Stubborn Fat
• I Went Out and Ruined my Fast, Now What?
• This is Hard / Help I'm Not Ripped Overnight
• Any other Notable Links?

Who Created LeanGains (LG)?
A phrase coined by Martin Berkhan, LeanGains is a diet/workout methodology based on intermittent fasting (IF) and lifting heavy weights. It is meant to be a way of body recomposition - losing fat and gaining muscle/strength at the same time.

What is Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
IF is essentially a self-contained cut-bulking cycle. You eat for X hours, and fast (no calories) for Y hours (with Y > X). For example, the Warrior Diet has you fast for 20 hours and eat for 4. Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) has you eat 24 hours, and then fast for 24 hours.
In LG, you fast for roughly 16 hours and eat for 8. For women fasting 14 hours and eating for 10 is recommended.
Having zero calorie gum, diet soda, and coffee is okay. The caloric load of anything you ingest should essentially be zero.

Why Bother with IF?
There are a boatload of health benefits from IF. See Page 2 of the PDF Guide. LeanGains is a system that incorporates a version of IF, extending it to include timing of calories (a majority to be consumed post-workout), macros (high protein), and workout (lift heavy). It is not the definition of IF.
You can add an IF schedule to most any other diet plan. It's fine. Give it a shot if you want.

Okay so What is LG?

• Fast for 16 hours, eat for 8 (roughly. Fasting for 14 or 18 hours will not kill you)
• Lift heavy stuff using the Big 4 compound movements (deadlifts, squats, bench press, chinups)
• Martin prefers to lift 3x a week. He also likes Reverse Pyramid Training (aka RPT).
• For beginners Martin does recommend Starting Strength.

What is the Workout Schedule Like?
Martin has not explicitly outlined his workout, but the general schedule is:

• Monday: deadlifts + chinups, accessory
• Wednesday: bench press, accessory
• Friday: squats, accessory

A great outline can be found here
Martin says to ensure at least 2 days of rest between any sets of squats and deadlifts.
Martin suggests between 2-3 sets per exercise, RPT for only 1 or 2 exercises, and also adequate rest between each set (at least 3 minutes, 5+ for deadlifts).

That Seems to Focus too Much on the Legs
Negative. The Big 4 hammer the hell out of your entire body. Martin always says that he got his guns from deadlifts and close-grip weighted chinups.

What is RPT?
Reverse Pyramid Training.
Basically do X # of reps for Z weight. Next set, do (Z-10%) weight for X+1 reps. Next set, do (Z-20%) for X+2 reps. Alternatively, you can do (Z-5%) weight for X reps.
An example to elucidate:

• Bench Press: 4 reps of 300 pounds (10% = 30)
• Next set, drop 30 lb (now at 270) and do 5 reps
• Next set, drop 30 lb (now at 240) and do 6 reps.

Remember for chinups that the weight is any weight you have attached to you plus bodyweight. So if you weigh 150lb and do chinups with 50lb attached (total weight=200lb, 10%=20lb), next set you should do chinups with 30lb attached to you.

Martin Says that I Should be Fairly Lean to do LG. I'm 20% BF, Help!
So in the PDF Guide it says: I would say 10-12% body fat is an appropriate starting point to pull this off with the greatest efficiency.
This does not mean that it isn't worth at a higher body fat percentage. Simply put, as you get to a lower BF %, it becomes harder to lose that fat. The LG approach can help you break that 10% threshold. LG is still effective even if you are 45% BF.

What Should I be Eating?
Every day, Martin recommends high protein intake. The minimum he recommends is at least 2.5 grams of protein per kg of total bodyweight, and he encourages 3g+/kg of bodyweight. On workout days, he recommends moderate/high carbs (in the post workout window) and low fat. On non-workout days he recommends lower carbs higher fats

Why so much Protein?
It keeps you full (satiated). And it has a high thermal effect (to get into it, the Atwater-formula from the 19th century states that 1g protein = 4 kcal energy. Factoring in TEF, it can be argued that the net effect of each gram of protein is really 3-3.2 kcal/gram).

I've tried IF for 3 weeks and it makes me sick
Listen to your body. Some people love squatting every day, other people can't stomach it. If IF doesn't work for you, so be it. There are other dieting methods you can try.

Should I Eat Before Working Out?
Martin prefers to workout fasted, except for ingesting BCAAs before working out. He also recommends putting the majority of calories in the post workout window.
At the same time, if you need to eat before working out ... then eat! Try to keep the carbs post workout, but again ... if you need carbs before you workout, then get some.

What are BCAAs? And Why Should I Take Them?
BCAAs are Branched Chain Amino Acids. They are a group of 3 amino acids which work to alleviate or prevent muscle loss during intense and fasted exercise, with Leucine being a very important amino acid.
They consist of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine which helps to boost muscle protein synthesis and offset catabolism.
If you prefer Whey Protein, take it. If you have eaten, BCAAs are not needed.

[kingjameskjf]

How do the Calories Change on Workout vs Non-workout Days?
Martin recommends +20% your maintenance calories on workout days, and -20% on rest days. I change this value with my contest prep to be at maintenance on workout days, and -20-30% on rest days. Here I'm not focusing on building, but primarily on burning and cutting down.

Should I have 2 or 3 or 19 Meals a Day?
You have a window of eating (for most people, 8 hours). Get your calories in then. If you do 1 meal + a snack, or 3 meals, just do what works for you. Again, what matters is the overall amount of calories (based on maintenance) and macros (more carbs on workout days, more fat on non-workout, high protein all days).

But You Still Haven't Told Me the Exact Macros!
Start with at least 2.5 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight (more is even recommended ... Martin likes 3g+/kg of bodyweight). On workout days, make the rest of your calories 75/25 carbs/fat, and on non-workout days make it 50/50 carbs/fat.
Check out this link for someone's macro breakdown.

What About Timing?
Martin recommends a majority of your calories post workout (by post workout he means in the feeding period after your workout). A minimum of 60% is his recommendation.

But I'm Keto
Carbs are an essential part of muscle building. Starchy carbs are great for building muscle. Read what Lyle McDonald says about that. Carbs can make you fat ... if you overfeed on carbs chronically (we are talking about 700g+ a day for many days).

Can I Bulk with the LG Approach or is Strictly to Lose Fat?
LG is not about just losing fat. It is about recomposition. So yes you can bulk - just eat above your maintenance.
LG will help you lose BF, and it will let you get to low BF% levels, but the overall focus is on recomposition. Martin has said that LG is essentially a self-contained cut/bulk - 16 hours of cut, 8 hours of bulk.


What about Cardio?
Cardio is an extremely over-reaching word. Martin is explicitly against doing intense cardio on workout days, saying that the anabolic reaction of lifting heavy weights is dented by the catabolic response to extended/intense cardio.
Martin also believes that for maximal fat loss, heavy weights + rest = success. If you want to throw in some conditioning, then do it on your off days.
If conditioning is important to you, then do it. If you are focusing on fat loss, Martin recommends sticking to just heavy weights.
At the same time, low impact steady state (LISS) cardio should be ok - aka walking. Do it before you break your fast.

What if I Want to Fast 20 Hours a Day?
Then do it. It is best to stick to roughly the same schedule as your body has a way of regulating itself. Fasting 18 hours one day and then 19 the next day won't kill you.

Should I Drink Protein Shakes?
Martin is very anti "drinking your calories."
Then again, do what makes you feel comfortable. This is meant to be something you can do long term.

DOMs is Hurting Me
Fish Oil could help you.

Any Other Supplements I Should Take?

• Fish Oil
• Vitamin D
• BCAAs
• Creatine
• Beta-Alanine
• Whey Protein
• Yohimbine
• L-Tyrosine
• Focus XT

I Can't Seem to Get Rid of the Stubborn Fat
See this post on losing stubborn body fat

I Went Out and Ruined my Fast, Now What?
Stop worrying, and just try to stay the course. Everyone fails at times. Everyone.

This is Hard / Help I'm Not Ripped Overnight
Look, LG is simple. It is basically lifting heavy heavy stuff and fasting. Fasting has health benefits (eg it can help regulate blood glucose levels), but the biggest and obvious one is that it makes it hard to eat like a lardass. Having a stupid amount of calories is harder when you only have 8 hours to jam them in instead of 24 hours.
LeanGains won't magically make you ripped. It won't give you abs in 15 days.
LeanGains WILL make you stronger and leaner if you follow it. You have to have the mental fortitude to lift heavy stuff. The numbers listed aren't perfect, but you should be working towards at least the Advanced Levels of Strength.
Hard work is needed. LG just gives you the template to make it happen.

Any other Notable Links?

• LeanGains Guide
• PDF Guide
• LeanGains Mega Thread on SomethingAwful
• LeanGains on Reddit
• Fitness on Reddit

At the end of the day, LG is just one methodology. If it works for you, great. If you need to tweak it, then tweak it. If you want more hypertrophy, then increase the rep range a bit. If you play sports, add some conditioning on the off days. If you feel hungry all the time, add more calories. If you feel like garbage 2 weeks in, then maybe fasting isn't for you.[/QUOTE]

[kingjameskjf]

Basic LG Example on a training/workout day:

We're going to assume that you're at the gym at 10 AM and break your fast at 12-1 PM.

10 AM: Training is initiated on an empty stomach and after ingestion of 10 g BCAA or similar amino acid mixture. This "pre-workout" meal is not counted towards the feeding phase.

*For fasted sessions, ingest 10 g branched chain amino acids (BCAA) shortly prior (5-15 mins) to your training session. This does not count towards the 8-hour feeding window that I advocate post-workout; that starts with your post-workout meal. By ingesting BCAA pre-workout, we can sidestep the increased protein breakdown of fasted training while still reaping the benefits of the increased anabolic response as seen in this study. Not only that, BCAAs actually increase phosphorylation of p70s6k when ingested in the fasted state prior to training. So by training fasted, with BCAA intake prior to sessions, we get a double whammy of increased p70s6k phosphorylation that should create a very favorable environment for muscle growth in the post-workout period.
“The researchers concluded that "Our results indicate that prior fasting may stimulate the intramyocellular anabolic response to ingestion of a carbohydrate/protein/leucine mixture following a heavy resistance training session. "
http://www.leangains.com/2009/12/fas...le-growth.html


10-11 AM: Weight Training: I suggest using a setup similar to reverse pyramid training, which is my favored approach. This is a high intensity, low volume setup. Keeping intensity high is key in order to reap the catecholamine-related benefits. Do 2-3 sets of 4-8 reps for compound movements and 1-2 sets of 8-10 reps for assistance movements (curls, triceps work, etc). Do no more than 5 movements per session.

11-12 AM: When you're done, which should be in no more than an hour, insulin (which was temporarily elevated by the pre-workout BCAAs) will be back to fasted baseline again. Immediately take 0.2 mg yohimbine and do 30-45 min of steady state cardio; cycling, treadmill walking at 3-3.5 mph (slight incline optional), brisk walking outside, etc. The yohimbine will rapidly take effect.

12-1 PM: Eat."


He also stated to drink BCAA's every two hours after your workout during the feeding time...so incorporating this into the MPS max stimulatory window, I have come up with this for the 8 hour window from my understanding of what it entails in conjunction with Mark's teachings.


Ramp down carbs with each meal.

-Meal 1: High protein, high carbs, no/low fat (also the biggest meal and is the post workout meal)

-BCAA’s

-Meal 2: High protein, med/low carbs, med fat

-BCAA’s

-Meal 3: High protein, no/low carbs, med/high fat

No processed junk food
Relatively high intake of protein all the time
Higher carb / lower fat on workout days
Higher fat / lower carb on rest days

+20% of caloric intake above BMR on training days
-20% of caloric intake below BMR on resting (or low to moderate cardio for increased fat burning) days

As I mention above, I alter this for contest prep. I stay as baseline for training days and then go to -20-30% below BMR on rest days. This is not a build/recomp design, but focused around purely losing fat and cutting down. Adjust it to fit your needs and goals.


*Now for his given food selection ideas:

LEAN GAINS FOOD SELECTION:
http://freetheanimal.com/2010/12/lea...-approach.html


REST DAY MEALS:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/leangains-meals.html


POST WORKOUT MEALS:
http://www.leangains.com/2010/08/int...-part-two.html

It was also apparent that he was NOT a proponent of nuts or dried fruit partly because of the high caloric density.



I hope this was able to answer your question. If you have any others or need any further clarification, just let me know!

[Lynnalicious]

Wow that's a ton of information! Thanks for taking the time to put all of that together. Looks like I got some reading to do.

[kingjameskjf]

Wow that's a ton of information! Thanks for taking the time to put all of that together. Looks like I got some reading to do.

Welcome, I hope it was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions!

[kingjameskjf]

Due to updates and changing content, I thought I'd just post the link for the LeanGains FAQ's for those that are interested.
Lean Gains FAQ