The Lean Bulk / Lean Body Guide & Challenge - START HERE
The Lean Bulk / Lean Body Guide & Challenge - START HERE
by Dr David Minkoff March 17, 2024 6 min read
Welcome to Week One of the Lean Body/Lean Bulk Challenge!
In this article we cover what metrics to keep track of, dialing in your macros and workouts, and what to expect during week one.
In the first week of this challenge we have several things happening.
We’re trying to switch our diet so our bodies are getting what they need to build lean muscle without the excess calories or hormone-triggering foods that would cause fat gain.
With this comes restructuring our cells so they will use the foods we’re giving them properly and balancing or increasing hormone levels so our body will prioritize building lean muscle over body fat.
We’re addressing digestion, which is crucial to our overall health as well as building muscle, as we need our cells to receive all of the nutrients and vitamins we’re consuming.
You will be consuming a lot of whole food proteins, which your stomach is probably not used to receiving, and it will need extra help until it builds up enough stomach acid and enzymes of its own.
So make sure you’re taking your digestive enzymes with each meal during this.
We’ll also be working to dial in our exact macros.
And we may be experiencing some cravings.
by Dr David Minkoff March 12, 2024 7 min read
On this protocol you will be lifting 5 days per week.
As this protocol is very specific to building lean muscle and toning, there will mainly be weight lifting.
There will also be something called Zone 2 Cardio, which will not cause muscle loss, but other than that there is no cardio during this challenge.
If you would like to take a walk, that’s fine. But adding in other forms of cardio could hamper your progress.
And it’s only 30 days.
Okay, let’s run through a few key points and then jump into the workouts.
by Dr David Minkoff March 12, 2024 8 min read
On this protocol you will be lifting 5-6 days per week.
As this protocol is very specific to building lean muscle and toning, there will mainly be weight lifting.
There will also be something called Zone 2 Cardio, which will not cause muscle loss, but other than that there is no cardio during this challenge unless you have extra energy for Day 6.
But if you really want to build muscle, extra cardio is not recommended.
If you would like to take a walk, that’s fine. But adding in other forms of cardio could hamper your progress.
And it’s only 30 days.
Okay, let’s run through a few key points and then jump into the workouts.
by Dr David Minkoff March 10, 2024 7 min read
Here we cover the specific supplements and macronutrient you will be consuming during this protocol and exactly how.
This protocol is meant for significantly increased lean muscle, so the macros may seem high to some.
But it's also meant to be used with the Advanced Workout Regimen, so the macros will be used by our body.
There are three different macronutrient ranges to pick from depending on which Carb to Fat ratio you personally prefer, with notes on each.
There is also an exact way in which you will dial in your macros to ensure you are getting the correct amount for what your body needs.
Let's start.
by Dr David Minkoff March 10, 2024 8 min read
Here we cover the exact supplements and macronutrient you will be consuming during this protocol and exactly how.
There are three different macronutrient ranges to pick from, depending on which Carb to Fat ratio you personally prefer, with notes on each.
There is also an exact way in which you will dial in your macros to ensure you are getting enough for what your body needs.
by Dr David Minkoff March 10, 2024 7 min read
Here we cover the exact supplements and macronutrient you will be consuming during this protocol and exactly how.
There are three different macronutrient ranges to pick from depending which Carb to Fat ratio you personally prefer, with notes on each.
There is also an exact way in which you will dial in your macros to ensure you are getting enough for what your body needs.
Let's start.
by Dr. David Minkoff March 10, 2024 4 min read
Welcome to the fully updated Lean Body/Lean Bulk Guide & 30-Day Challenge!
This guide and the accompanying protocol aim to achieve one of a few things, depending on what your goals are.
You may just want to attain a lean, toned and shaped body. An hourglass shape for women or a V-shape for men. This is the Lean Body portion of the protocol.
You may want to build significant lean muscle without adding excess body fat that has to be worked off afterwards through cutting or fasting.
Or you may what to achieve something somewhere in between.
That’s fine. This protocol was designed to be tailored to you — where you are at now and where you want to be — so you can achieve your goals.
But this isn’t just a program where you count calories and workout.
No.
If we want to build lean muscle without the excess body fat of bulking, or attain a lean, toned and shaped body and keep it, we need to do more that.
We need to look at digestion, cravings, recovery, sleep, energy levels, blood flow and hormones.
by Dr David Minkoff March 10, 2024 6 min read
by Dr. David Minkoff March 07, 2024 6 min read
When we look at Lean Bulking, building lean muscle without the excess body fat, we need to look back at what the original body builders did, the golden age body builders.
Because it was very different to what is done now.
And I'm not talking about the 70s or 80s when counting macros and Bulking & Cutting became popular.
We're going earlier.
To the time of Jack LaLanne and the other greats, before egg protein powders, whey powders, creatine, and BCAAs were first introduced.
Back then body builders ate very differently. But very effectively.
by Dr David Minkoff March 05, 2024 5 min read
Ask anyone about bulking and cutting and they’ll bring up calories and macronutrients.
“You have to count your calories and macronutrients and make sure that you eat more than you need to build muscle (and body fat) and eat less than you need to burn fat.”
And that’s true… to a degree.
But there’s more to it. And if you just follow the above, you’ll more than likely miss your goals.
Yes, we need to measure the amount of calories to make sure we get enough energy, but not too much. And we need to make sure we get enough protein, fat and carbohydrates so we can build muscle or have energy to power us through the day.
But… which proteins, fats, and carbs? And how do they affect the hormones that will determine how they’re used?
Because it's our hormones that decide how these macronutrients will be used in our body.
Will the carbs and fats be turned into body fat? Or used as energy? Or will they become part of the structure of the body?
It’s our hormones that decide.
Will this protein be used to build muscle? Or will it be turned into sugar or body fat?
Hormones decide.
It’s not how much you eat that decides. It’s which exact food you eat and how that exact food affects your hormones.
by Dr David Minkoff March 03, 2024 3 min read
Bulking and Cutting has been around for decades now.
We workout hard, we count our macros and eat and eat and eat, and build lots of muscle.
But at the same time that we’re building muscle, we also build body fat. And we build each at about the same rate, a pound of muscle for a pound of fat.
Then we do a cut, cutting back on our calories, and in some cases starving ourselves (which is never necessary).
And, of course, we do a lot of extra cardio — running, biking, sprints, etc. — all to lose that extra body fat we gained.
And hopefully we don’t lose too much of our muscle gains in the process.
Now, I have no problem if someone enjoys that. Many people do. But many others don’t.
And the thing is, this isn’t necessary.
At all.
by Dr David Minkoff February 25, 2024 7 min read
It hasn’t been understood by most people just how vital our gut health is to our heart health.
But in truth, it’s key. If our gut health is good, and our digestive tract working properly, the risk of poor heart health is much lower.
If our gut is in poor condition, however (heart burn or acid reflux often, bloating, pains, regular diarrhea, or worse), then this will, over time, lead to poor heart health.
But gut health among Americans has diminished drastically in recent times, worsening every year mainly due to our processed foods and sugars, and the 50x increase in toxins in our environment in the last 7 decades.
Now, younger and younger people every year are experiencing more and more gut issues which were rare even in older individuals in earlier generations.
This is something we need to address now, for each of us, to ensure a long and healthy life.
by Dr. David Minkoff
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