If you want to build a better body don’t waste your time looking for an easy or quick way to do it, because there isn’t one.

Your results from exercise will always be proportional to the effort you put into it. If your workouts are easy – if they require very little effort – they will necessarily produce very little results. This is because an exercise or a workout that is easy violates the most fundamental principle of exercise: the overload principle. If a workout does not provide overload – if it doesn’t ask your body to do something that is much harder than what it is used to – it doesn’t give your body a reason to improve.

To put it another way, your body adapts to the demands placed on it. If you want a build a body that is stronger, more muscular, and better conditioned, a body that is capable of doing hard things, you have to ask it to do hard things. In fact, there is no such thing as an “easy workout” because exercise is hard by definition. According to Nautilus researcher and SuperSlow® founder Ken Hutchins, exercise is…

…a process whereby the body performs work of a demanding nature, in accordance with muscle and joint function, within a clinically-controlled environment, within the constraints of safety, meaningfully loading the muscular structures to inroad their strength levels to stimulate a growth mechanism within minimum time.

The purpose of exercise is to stimulate the body to produce improvements in muscular strength and size and all of the other general, trainable, factors of functional ability/fitness (cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning, bone and connective tissue strength, flexibility, etc.). Without hard work there is no stimulus, and therefore no exercise.

If you want results you need to accept the fact that you are going to have to do hard work. This means performing every exercise past the point of discomfort instead of quitting, ideally to the point where you are no longer physically capable of continuing in proper form. If by the end of an exercise your muscles don’t feel like they’re on fire, your heart isn’t pounding, and you’re not breathing heavily, you aren’t working hard enough. If by the end of your workout you don’t feel totally spent, you’re not working hard enough.

However, just because something is hard doesn’t mean it is a good way to exercise. In addition to being demanding proper exercise involves moving and/or positioning the body in a way that minimizes wear and tear and the risk of injury. There are a lot of very hard exercises and workout programs that are also harmful to your joints or pose a significant risk of injury. While these can be effective for stimulating improvements in fitness and appearance in the short term they do so at the expense of your long term joint health and mobility and should be avoided. Train hard, but also train safely.

The same goes for fat loss programs. There are no fast or easy ways to lose a large amount of body fat. There are no fun, easy activities that burn enough calories to produce a noticeable rate of fat loss by themselves. There are no “weird tricks” or “crazy secrets” that will allow you to lose fat without creating a significant calorie deficit, which means reducing your food intake. Eating less is not something most people with a lot of fat to lose tend to do habitually, and changing eating habits often requires considerable discipline and effort.

You have to plan your meals to fit your calorie and macronutrient requirements, and plan your grocery shopping around your meal plans. You have to weigh or measure and record everything you eat or be very careful with portion sizes. You have to either give up certain foods or learn to eat them in moderation. You have to learn to eat consciously instead of mindlessly. You have to work at developing the eating habits required to lose fat and keep it off.

If you are willing to work hard for it, consistently, and persevere for as long as it takes you may be surprised just how much muscle you can build and how much fat you can lose. However, if you are not willing to work hard for it – if you expect it to be easy or fast and continue to avoid the necessary hard work and discipline while searching for shortcuts – you will accomplish nothing and continue to be disappointed.

Stop looking for shortcuts and start working.

Question: I am what you’d probably call “skinny-fat”; I have small arms, legs, shoulders, and chest and want to make them bigger, but at the same time I’m carrying a bit of fat around my middle and want a flat stomach. Can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time or should I work on one at a time? If I can only do one at a time which should I do first?

Answer: It is possible to build muscle mass while losing fat – especially if you are a beginner or restarting after a long time off – but you will not gain muscle as quickly when eating to lose fat. Whether you should focus more on one or the other first depends on which will make the most noticeable improvement in  your physique. If your body fat is above average or if you carry a noticeable amount of fat in one area you should focus on leaning down first. To improve your chances of increasing your muscle mass while losing fat instead of just maintaining it you need to do the following:

DON’T eat too little

Have you ever noticed that people with a lot of fat can lose a few pounds a week while people who are lean can take a few weeks to lose a pound? This is because there is a limit to how quickly your body can get energy from your fat stores. The more fat you have, the more energy you can get from it, and vice versa. If you cut your calories too low you won’t be able to put as much effort into your workouts and you won’t get as much out of them because your body won’t be able to recover and adapt as well. Even worse, if your calorie intake is so low your body can’t get all the energy it needs from your fat stores it will start breaking down your muscles for that energy instead.

Start with a slight calorie deficit and reduce it week by week until you are steadily losing fat, but pay close attention to how you feel and keep track of your workouts. If you’re feeling run down or your workout performance is starting to suffer you may want to bring your calories back up. If you’ve got a lot of fat to lose you should aim for a loss of one and a half to two pounds per week. If you’ve only got a small amount to lose aim for one pound per week. If you’re already lean and trying to get even leaner, aim around half a pound per week (For more specific guidelines read Getting Ripped).

DO eat enough protein

When people reduce their calorie intake they often make the mistake of eating less of everything, but you actually benefit from eating more protein when trying to lose fat for a few reasons. First, your body needs adequate protein to effectively recover from the stress of and produce the increases in muscle mass stimulated by high intensity workouts. If you don’t eat enough protein you can actually lose muscle which reduces your metabolic rate and makes it even harder for you to lose fat. Second, it costs your body significantly more energy to digest protein than fat or carbohydrate. The higher the percentage of protein in your diet the lower your net calorie intake after digestion. Third, eating more protein increases hormones that reduce appetite and decreases hormones that increase appetite, making you less hungry while dieting. When eating normally you should try to eat at least 0.7 to 0.8  of protein for every pound of lean body mass you have per day, but when restricting calorie intake for fat loss you should almost double your protein intake to between 1 and 1.4 grams.

To make sure you’re able to get enough protein without exceeding your calorie budget make it the first macronutrient you consider when planning your meals, followed by carbohydrate and fat. If you’re not planning all your daily meals in advance you might find it easier to hit your protein goals if you load up at breakfast, which can also help you feel less hungry for much of your day.

DON’T go too low in carbs

While low carb diets can be effective for losing fat they are not very effective for maintaining much less building muscle even when on a hypercaloric diet because they increase cortisol and AMPk activation (which reduce muscle hypertrophy) while decreasing free testosterone and IGF-1 (which increase muscle hypertrophy). This doesn’t mean you need to go very high in carbohydrate either, but you should aim for at least a moderate carbohydrate intake, or about half of the calories left after subtracting calories from protein. This also helps to better maintain muscle glycogen stores which will allow you to train more intensely.

DO full-body workouts

Full-body workouts are more effective for fat loss than body-part splits for several reasons. First, the more muscle mass worked during your workout the greater the increase in protein turnover and calories burned both during and afterwards. While burning calories is not the primary role of exercise in a fat loss program it does have an effect on long term results. Second, and even more importantly, if you stimulate a muscle to grow it will do so at the expense of other tissues when consume fewer calories than you burn. You want that growth to occur at the expense of your fat, but your body might also take energy from other muscles you are not exercising. Your program should include one or two exercises for all of your muscle groups, and they should be worked as frequently as your recovery ability allows. You are better off spreading the work for a muscle group over several workouts and providing a more frequent stimulus than separating the exercises for muscle groups or body areas into separate less frequent workouts when trying to lose fat.

The most efficient way to do this is to build your workouts around compound (multi-joint, linear) exercises involving many muscle groups and rounding them out with a few simple (single-joint, rotary) exercises for any smaller muscle groups the compound exercises didn’t hit. Ideally, this should include pushing and pulling exercises in both horizontal and vertical planes for the upper body and both squatting and hinging exercises for the lower body (For examples of full-body routines using free weights and/or machines read High Intensity Workouts, and for examples using bodyweight read Project Kratos).

DO get plenty of sleep

Sleep deprivation reduces anabolic hormones like testosterone and growth hormone while increasing cortisol. This makes it harder to lose fat and harder to maintain much less gain muscle mass. When you’re tired it is also harder to maintain the willpower and self-discipline required to stick to your diet and exercise program, and to put your best effort into your workouts. Optimize your sleeping environment by keeping it cool and as dark as possible. Avoid using stimulants like caffeine during the evening. Set up a regular sleep schedule and stick to it, making sure to get to sleep on time so that you wake up every day feeling well rested.

DON’T try to rush it

Be patient and accept that it takes time to lose fat. If you try to rush it by eating too little and/or exercising too much you will lose muscle along with the fat and reduce your metabolic rate. This will only slow down your fat loss in the long run and leave you with less muscle to show when you’re lean.

References:

1. Alpert SS. A limit on the energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia. J Theor Biol. 2005 Mar 7;233(1):1-13.
2. Goldberg A. L., Etlinger J. D., Goldspink D. F., Jablecki C. (1975). Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Med. Sci. Sports 7, 185–198
3. Phillips, S. M., Chevalier, S., & Leidy, H. J. (2016). Protein “requirements” beyond the RDA: Implications for optimizing health 1. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(999), 1-8.
4. Leidy HJ, Clifton PM, Astrup A, et al. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;
5. Lejeune MP, Westerterp KR, Adam TC, Luscombe-marsh ND, Westerterp-plantenga MS. Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(1):89-94.
6. Lomenick JP, Melguizo MS, Mitchell SL, Summar ML, Anderson JW. Effects of meals high in carbohydrate, protein, and fat on ghrelin and peptide YY secretion in prepubertal children. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;94(11):4463-71.
7. Blom WA, Lluch A, Stafleu A, et al. Effect of a high-protein breakfast on the postprandial ghrelin response. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(2):211-20.
8. Lejeune MP, Westerterp KR, Adam TC, Luscombe-marsh ND, Westerterp-plantenga MS. Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;83(1):89-94.
9. Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:20.
10. Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014;11(1):53.

In Chapter Four of Nautilus Training Principles: Bulletin Number One titled, Indirect Effect, Nautilus inventor Arthur Jones wrote,

“Throw a stone into a pool of water, and it will make a splash—and a wave will run to the far end of the pool; the larger the stone, the larger the splash—and the larger the wave. A very similar effect results from any form of exercise—I have named this “indirect effect”. When one muscle grows in response to exercise, the entire muscular structure of the body grows to a lesser degree—even muscles that are not being exercised at all; and the larger the muscle that is growing—or the greater the degree of growth—the greater this indirect effect will be.”

Jones believed performing exercises like barbell squats involving several large muscle groups would “indirectly” stimulate growth elsewhere in the body, although to a lesser degree. He thought you could not produce significant increases in muscular strength and size in some body areas without growth in others because there was a “…limit to the degree of such disproportionate development that the body will permit…” While Jones admitted the cause was unknown at the time it was eventually assumed to be the result of increases in anabolic hormones stimulated by intense exercise. It turns out this is not the case, however, and “…acute post-exercise systemic hormonal rises are not related to or in any way indicative of RT-mediated gains in muscle mass or strength.”(1, 2, 3)

It is possible to increase a muscle’s strength indirectly by performing exercise for it’s contralateral match,(4, 5, 6) however the effect is muscle-specific rather than general and primarily due to neural adaptations and not hypertrophy.(7) This contralateral effect would not explain the general indirect effect Jones wrote about, although other neural factors might be involved.

The more likely answer is a much simpler one; that the effect being observed is not indirect at all, but the result of those other muscles also being worked at least moderately hard during the exercise.

Although the barbell squat primarily targets the muscles of the hips and thighs, as the weight used becomes heavier the muscles of the arms and back must also work hard enough to control the bar to benefit from the exercise. This effect can also be seen in exercises like the barbell row and standing press. The barbell row and standing press primarily target the muscles of the upper body, but as the weights used become heavier the muscles of the trunk, hips, and thighs must work harder to maintain proper body positioning and would also be affected by the exercise.

When a leg press machine, compound row machine, or shoulder press machine are used instead the same effect is not seen because the bracing these machines provide tends to minimize the involvement of those other muscle groups. No demanding muscular work, no stimulus for growth.

Just because these stabilizing muscles are involved in free weight exercises does not mean they are worked effectively by them, though. How intensely a muscle is worked determines how effectively it is stimulated to grow, and these muscles are not being worked as effectively as possible in stabilizing roles. This is why it is important for your workouts to include one or two exercises for all muscle groups. While a small number of compound exercises can effectively target all the big muscle groups, if you want overall well-balanced and proportional muscular development you need to work everything and not depend on the indirect effect for optimal development of muscle groups like your abs, calves, forearms, and neck.

References:

1. Morton, R. W., Oikawa, S. Y., Wavell, C. G., Mazara, N., Mcglory, C., Quadrilatero, J., . . . Phillips, S. M. (2016). Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men. Journal of Applied Physiology J Appl Physiol. doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00154.2016
2. West DW, Burd NA, Tang JE, Moore DR, Staples AW, Holwerda AM, Baker SK, and Phillips SM. Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance exercise enhance neither training-induced muscle hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors. J Appl Physiol (1985) 108: 60-67, 2010.
3. West DW, Kujbida GW, Moore DR, Atherton P, Burd NA, Padzik JP, De Lisio M, Tang JE, Parise G, Rennie MJ, Baker SK, and Phillips SM. Resistance exercise-induced increases in putative anabolic hormones do not enhance muscle protein synthesis or intracellular signalling in young men. J Physiol 587: 5239-5247, 2009.
4. Zhou S (2000) Chronic neural adaptations to unilateral exercise: mechanisms of cross education. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 28: 177–184 [PubMed]
5. Munn J, Herbert RD, Gandevia SC (2004) Contralateral effects of unilateral resistance training: a meta-analysis. J Appl Physiol 96: 1861–1866 [PubMed]
6. Carroll TJ, Herbert RD, Munn J, Lee M, Gandevia SC (2006) Contralateral effects of unilateral strength training: evidence and possible mechanisms. J Appl Physiol 101: 1514–1522 [PubMed]
7. Lee M, Carroll TJ (2007) Cross education: possible mechanisms for the contralateral effects of unilateral resistance training. Sports Med 37: 1–14

I am often asked questions that take the form of, “Can I lose X pounds in Y time doing Z?” The person asking usually wants to lose a large amount of weight very quickly without actually having to work very hard for it or change their diet. In fact, changing their diet is almost never part of Z and when it is it usually involves a ridiculous fad or bogus supplement. It is frequently the second or third time the person has asked some variation of the question despite having been told “no” before and doing Z anyway and predictably failing to lose fat. But, they keep asking because they would rather keep looking for a short-cut than having to work to earn the body they want.

There are no short cuts, though. None. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Diddly-squat. There are no pills you can take (that are legal and/or won’t probably kill you), no wraps or suits you can wear, no secret foods you should eat, no fun group activities that “melt fat” off your body. There are no effective fat loss methods that are either easy or fun and anyone who tells you otherwise is either ignorant or lying.

Fortunately there are ways to lose fat that are very effective, but they take time and effort. They only work if you work. Still here? Great! I’m going to tell you a few things you probably don’t want to hear but need to know to lose fat as safely, efficiently, and effectively as possible.

Question: So, can you lose X pounds in Y time doing Z?

Answer: Unless X and Y averages out to around one to two pounds of fat per week and Z involves calorie restriction the answer is almost always going to be no.

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

Trying to lose fat by burning more calories through additional physical activity alone is a very inefficient, very slow way to eventually lose very little fat. There are no activities you can do for thirty to sixty minutes a few times a week that are going to burn enough additional calories to result in a noticeable rate of fat loss. Doing more than that doesn’t help much, either, because increases in calorie expenditure quickly level off above moderate activity levels (1). Even if you perform one to two hours of hard physical activity daily depending on your size you might only burn enough additional calories to lose about one pound of fat per week.

No matter how many additional calories you’re able to burn through activity weekly it is not going to make a difference unless you are also restricting your food intake because the extra activity will increase your appetite likely causing you to consume even more. Also, such high a high volume and frequency of intense, usually repetitive high-force physical activity is impractical and unsustainable for most people and can lead to muscle loss and joint and spine problems over time.

If you want to engage in regular physical activity do so because you enjoy the activity or for other benefits like socializing or stress-relief or learning a useful skill, but don’t waste your valuable time doing things for the sole purpose of burning calories.

Instead you should focus on the other side of the equation and reduce your calorie intake. It is a far more time efficient and effective way to create a calorie deficit. There are formulas you can use to estimate how much you should eat or you can measure and record everything you eat, gradually reducing your average daily calorie intake week by week until you are losing about a pound or two of fat per week. If you are very fat you can lose a little more, and if are very lean you should aim for less if you want to maintain muscle mass, but for most people between one and two pounds per week is a safe and sustainable rate.

You didn’t gain it overnight, and you’re not going to lose it overnight either.

There is a limit to how quickly you can lose fat, which is proportional to how much fat you have (2). You can only get so much energy from every pound of fat on your body per day, and if you try to create a calorie deficit so large that the difference between what you eat and what your body needs exceeds what your body can get from its fat stores, it is going to take the rest from your lean body mass. You do not want to lose lean body mass, because it will reduce your metabolic rate slowing down fat loss further. Also, losing your muscle mass along with fat will not make you leaner or improve your body shape, it will just make you smaller out of shape person.

The most effective kind of exercise for fat loss is not the fun or easy kind.

Speaking of muscle mass, what you should be doing for additional physical activity is strength training. Not because it burns additional calories both while you’re doing it, not because it causes your body to continue to burn more calories for hours afterwards, but because a proper strength training program helps to prevent muscle loss or even increase your muscle mass while you’re losing fat to maintain or increase your metabolic rate.

You don’t have to work out very long, and you don’t have to work out very often. In fact, you should keep your workouts relatively short and limit them to no more than three non-consecutive days per week. If you want your workouts to be effective, however, you do need to work very hard. A good starting point for most people is to perform two or three full-body workouts per week consisting of one set of one or two exercises for each muscle group. Each exercise should be performed using relatively slow, controlled movements, using a weight that allows for the completion of at least a moderate number of repetitions in strict form (for example, lifting the weight in four seconds, holding briefly, lowering the weight in four seconds, and repeating for six to ten repetitions). This allows you to maintain more consistent tension on the target muscles making the exercises more challenging while reducing the stress on your joints and lowering your risk of injury. For examples of strength training workouts and guidelines for performance read High Intensity Workouts.

While there are some supplements that can help with fat loss (mostly stimulants like ephedrine, caffeine, green tea catechins, etc.) the effects are relatively small or only last for a short time and are only noticeable if you are also restricting your calorie intake. No supplements (that are legal and safe) will increase your metabolic rate enough to cause you to lose fat without also changing your diet. Anything that would increase your metabolic rate enough to burn as much as quickly as some fat-loss supplement advertising claims to would likely lead to dangerous increases in body temperature, dehydration, and other harmful or even fatal side-effects, and not be legal for sale without a prescription. Stick with relatively inexpensive and proven supplements like ephedrine and caffeine (in reasonable amounts) but don’t expect them to do all the work.

In summary:

Don’t: 

1. Try to create a calorie deficit by increasing physical activity alone.
2. Neglect strength training to maintain your muscle mass and metabolic rate.
3. Depend on fat-loss supplements to help if you don’t change your diet.

Do:

1. Monitor and restrict your food intake to create a moderate calorie deficit.
2. Strength train properly to increase your muscle mass and metabolic rate.
3. Optionally supplement your diet and strength training with proven fat-burners like ephedrine and caffeine.

References:

1. Pontzer H, Durazo-arvizu R, Dugas LR, et al. Constrained Total Energy Expenditure and Metabolic Adaptation to Physical Activity in Adult Humans. Curr Biol. 2016;26(3):410-7.
2. Alpert SS. A limit on the energy transfer rate from the human fat store in hypophagia. J Theor Biol. 2005 Mar 7;233(1):1-13.

Question: What are the most important pieces of exercise equipment someone should have in their gym?

Answer: A clipboard and pencil; every other piece of equipment is interchangeable with something else or expendable.

There is no single piece of exercise equipment that is more important or more effective than any other in the long run for getting as strong and conditioned as your genetics will allow. As long as you are using them correctly and you can eventually achieve the same degree of physical improvement training with any types and any particular pieces of exercise equipment from the most high-tech machines to barbells to the simplest bodyweight training equipment. Every type of equipment and every particular piece has pros and cons and some will be better for some people under some circumstances, but ultimately the results you get from exercise have far more to do with how you train than what equipment you train with.

No matter what you use, though, if you want to get the best possible results from your workouts you have to start by designing a program based on your goals and current physical condition and abilities, and you have to adjust your program based on your body’s response to exercise. To do this effectively you need to keep accurate records of your workouts and of goal-specific measurements like body weight and composition, body part circumferences, physical performance and/or medical tests, health evaluations, etc. so can objectively evaluate your progress and the results of any changes you make to your workouts.

Every time you work out you should record the date of the workout to track your training frequency for future reference. Your chart should list the standard protocol used for each exercise, including the repetition cadence and target repetition ranges. You should record the weight and the number of repetitions completed in good form (sloppy reps don’t count) or the time under load (TUL) for each exercise, as well as the use of any different repetition methods or techniques. If you perform the exercises out of the usual order, you should record that as well, marking the sequence in a small box in the upper right corner of the weight and repetitions box.

If you are prioritizing cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning you should record your heart rate before and during your workout, and two minutes after the last exercise to track heart rate recovery, and compare this to changes in the total workout time. If you are doing this I also recommend tracking TUL instead of the repetition count, along with the start and end time of your workouts so you can determine the cumulative TUL, total workout time, and work to rest ratio or “density” of work to compare over time.

If you’re performing bodyweight workouts you should record your current bodyweight since it factors into the difficulty of the exercises, as well as the difficulty level used for the exercise if you’re using a bodyweight training progression system like the one in Project Kratos.

You should also make notes below the workout on your chart or in a separate journal marked with the workout date on anything significant that occurred before, during, or after that would be important for future evaluation. For example, changes in diet, or activity levels, or the effects of the workout or particular exercises on the symptoms of a physical condition or injury, or simply how you felt during and after the workout.

Of course, you don’t have to use a clipboard and pencil, as long as you use something to keep track of your workouts in a way that is well-organized and makes it easy to compare workouts over time. Years ago I stopped using paper charts and started tracking all of my clients’ workouts on an iPad using a spreadsheet app, which is much more time and space efficient. I would like to be able to recommend apps specifically dedicated to tracking workouts, but so far I haven’t seen any workout tracking apps that are designed to do everything they should.

If you’re not already tracking your workouts you need to start now, and you can do so using the free workout charts on this web site. If you’ve got comments or questions about tracking workouts post them below.

Question: Due to busyness I’ve really cut down my volume of exercise. No “cardio” and my weight lifting workouts consist of a home workout of trap bar deadlifts which I feel in my quads, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, traps, forearms and abs. Supinated grip chin ups which I feel work my biceps, lats, forearms, and abs. Finally, either a flat dumbbell bench or push ups which hit my triceps, chest, and shoulders. It’s quite similar to Mike Mentzer’s consolidation routine.

My thoughts are that if I reach a certain level of competence on each lift most of my bodyparts will be as strong and muscular as I’m genetically able to be. Is there any reason to do more than that?

Answer: Yes, there are a few reasons to do more than that. While you can achieve significant increases in muscular strength and size with very brief consolidation routines, it is not effective to only do the same three exercises every time you work out. Achieving optimal overall muscular development requires more variety of movements.

Although compound movements like deadlifts, chin-ups, and chest presses do involve all the major muscle groups, not all of the muscles are involved or benefit to the same degree. To effectively work all the major muscle groups your routine should include multiple compound pushing, pulling, and lower body exercises in different planes or emphasizing different muscle groups. Compound pushing and pulling movements should be done in both vertical and horizontal planes, and compound lower body exercises should include both thigh dominant movements like squats and leg presses and hip dominant movements like deadlifts and trunk extensions.

Your routine should also include direct exercises for smaller muscle groups like the neck, calves, and forearms which are not as effectively targeted by the compound exercises. In addition to improving your ability to perform a variety of physical tasks and increasing your resistance to injury, well developed neck, forearm, and calf muscles are important for an aesthetically balanced physique.

Most people do not need to reduce their workout volume to only a few compound exercises, but if you choose to keep your workouts brief you can incorporate more varied exercises by alternating between different pushing, pulling, and lower body exercises each time you train. For example, you could perform squats, bench presses, and bent over rows in one workout, and deadlifts, standing presses, and chin-ups in another, ending with direct exercises for the abs and forearms or calves and neck. For example:

Consolidation Workout A

1. Squat
2. Bench Press
3. Bent-Over Row
4. Crunch
5. Wrist Extension
6. Wrist Flexion

Consolidation Workout B

1. Deadlift
2. Standing Press
3. Chin-Up
4. One-Legged Heel Raise
5. Neck Flexion
6. Neck Extension

There are many other exercises you could substitute, and you could even divide this up three or four ways if you want. For most people, however, a better starting point would be a workout incorporating all of these. For more examples and more detailed guidelines on exercise selection and workout design read High Intensity Workouts.

Question: I want to gain some muscle and lose fat but not enough to look like a bodybuilder, just to get in decent shape so I’m not embarrassed to take my shirt off. I know from reading your articles I should focus on high intensity strength training and cutting calories, but I have a few questions. I don’t want to joint a gym in my current condition and want to know what I can do to work out at home if I don’t have a lot of room for equipment?

Also, are there any exercises I can do to specifically work my chest and stomach that will help with my man boobs, belly flab, and love handles? Shouldn’t I also do some cardio to burn more calories?

Answer:  There are several cons to working out in a commercial gym versus a home gym, but your current physical condition should not be one of them. Almost every big gym will have a few assholes who mock or ridicule others to bolster their fragile egos, but most members will respect you for being there and making an effort to improve regardless of how you currently look. Everybody starts somewhere, and what matters isn’t where you started on your journey or where you are now, but the fact that you did start it and are on it.

If you prefer to work out at home your most cost and space efficient options are bodyweight, isometric, and dumbbell exercises.

Many bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and crunches require nothing but a few square feet of empty floor space and can be modified to accommodate people of different strength levels or body weights. You can purchase a doorway pull-up bar for chin-ups, pull-ups, and other hanging exercises, which can be removed when not in use and takes up very little space. If you aren’t strong enough to perform pull-ups or chin-ups at your current weight you can use a short stool or step-ladder to perform them with leg-assistance or isometrically.

Plate-loaded and selectorized dumbbells take up very little space and can be used to perform a huge variety of exercises working every major muscle group, including various kinds of squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, and direct arm, shoulder, and abdominal exercises. For example, the following combination of exercises works all the major muscle groups and requires nothing but dumbbells, a pull-up bar, your body weight, and a little floor space to perform:

1. Dumbbell or Bodyweight Squat
2. Chin-up or Isometric Pulldown
3. Push-up
4. Dumbbell Row
5. Dumbbell Standing Press or Pike Push-up
6. Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift
7. Crunch
8. Dumbbell One-Legged Heel Raise
9. Isometric Neck Flexion
10. Isometric Neck Extension

For more info on bodyweight and dumbbell workouts read Project Kratos and High Intensity Workouts. For more info on isometric exercises and workouts that can be performed at home see Timed Static Contraction Training.

While there are several bodyweight and dumbbell exercises you can perform to strengthen the muscles in your chest and abdomen you can not “spot reduce” the fat in these areas. The only way to get rid of your “man boobs, belly flab, and love handles” is to reduce your overall body fat. To do this you must consume fewer calories than your body burns each day to force your body to use your body fat for energy. These areas tend to be the last place many men lose fat, so you will have to be patient, but if you stick with it you can eventually develop a muscular chest and flat stomach and have a body you’ll be proud to remove your shirt to show off.

It doesn’t hurt to perform additional activity for the sake of burning calories if you don’t overdo the intensity and volume and if they are not unnecessarily hard on your joints, but it doesn’t help much, either. Most activities burn very few calories for the time you spend on them and contribute very little to your fat loss efforts. If you’re going to engage in physical activities in addition to your high intensity training workouts you should do them for fun, socialization, stress relief, or other reasons, but not for the sole purpose of burning calories which is a huge waste of   your time.

Question: Some HIT trainers recommend doing full body workouts and hitting each muscle group two or three times a week, but others recommend splitting the body up and only hitting each muscle group once a week or even less frequently. Which one should I do if my main goal is increasing muscle size? If I should do a split routine how should I split up the muscle groups?

Answer: Like most things related to exercise the answer depends on many factors which can vary between individuals or even between muscle groups for an individual like muscle fiber type (muscles which are predominantly fast twitch recover more slowly, and muscles which are predominantly slow twitch recover more quickly) as well as how you train and structure your workouts. Some people need more time for individual muscle groups to recover between workouts than others, and some might do better training each muscle group more frequently with full-body workouts while others will do better on a split routine. The only way to determine which works best for you is to keep accurate records of your workouts and make changes based on how your body responds, carefully evaluate the results, and repeat.

How hard you train a muscle group and the volume of work you perform with it both influence how effectively you stimulate improvements in its strength and size. However, while exercise effectiveness increases with intensity, as the volume of work increases you very quickly reach a point of diminishing returns. Beyond some point doing more work for a muscle group won’t give you better results but it will increase the amount of time needed for recovery. This is why as you become more advanced and learn to push yourself to train more intensely you’ll eventually find it necessary to reduce the volume of work for each muscle group, increase recovery time, or both to avoid overtraining. Because intensity of effort is more important than the volume of work you perform for a muscle group most people will get better results training each muscle group with fewer exercises more frequently as part of a full body workout than with more exercises less frequently on a body part split.

Another factor to consider is the total volume of exercise performed for all muscle groups in a workout. While your body can improve its ability to handle, recover from, and adapt to the stress of exercise somewhat, as you get stronger and learn to train more intensely each exercise makes greater demands, and eventually you will have to reduce the volume of your workouts to avoid overtraining. Since you must perform at least enough exercises to effectively train all the major muscle groups if you want a well balanced physique there is a minimal number of exercises you need to do, so you can only reduce the number of exercises per workout so far before you need to start splitting them up. Fortunately, you only need a few basic compound exercises to effectively train all the major muscle groups, so you can reduce the number of exercises per workout pretty far before having to either reduce your training frequency or switch from a full body to a split routine. For example, this basic full body workout…

1. Squat
2. Chin up
3. Chest Press
4. Compound Row
5. Shoulder Press
6. Stiff-leg Deadlift
7. Weighted Crunch
8. Calf Raise
9. Wrist Flexion
10. Wrist Extension
11. Neck Flexion
12. Neck Extension

…can be divided into these two very low volume basic full body workouts:

Workout A

1. Squat
2. Chin up
3. Shoulder Press
4. Calf Raise
5. Wrist Flexion
6. Wrist Extension

Workout B

1. Deadlift
2. Chest Press
3. Compound Row
4. Crunch
5. Neck Flexion
6. Neck Extension

Very few people would have to reduce their workout volume to lower than this or train less frequently than twice weekly with such low volume, but there are some people who either have such poor recovery ability or train so intensely that they need more time for individual muscle groups to recover. In these cases it is usually better to divide the muscle groups up over two or more workouts than to reduce the overall training frequency so much that metabolic and cardiovascular conditioning are compromised. Doing so may also allow for more variety of exercises to be performed for each muscle group during each workout without overtraining, which can be beneficial for physique development. Depending on how much recovery time is needed either a push/pull or push/pull/legs split is usually enough, and it would be very unusual for someone to need to divide their muscle groups up into more than three workouts.

To determine whether you will get better results on a split routine than a full body routine you would need to switch and compare your strength increases and changes in body composition and circumference measurements over an equal period of time. It is important that you compare over time rather than between workouts, because if you split your body parts up over two or more workouts while maintaining the same training frequency each body part is being worked half or a third as often. When splitting your workouts like this it is possible for you to make better progress from workout to workout while making slower progress overall if the workouts are much further apart, which can be deceiving. For example, it might look like you’re getting better results if your strength on an exercise is improving fifty percent more every time you do it, but if you’re only doing it half as frequently you’re actually progressing more slowly.

Start by switching from a full body routine to either a push/pull or upper/lower split routine, keeping the total volume and frequency the same. After performing the split routine for a period of time compare your results to an equal period of time on the full body routine. If the two-way split produces better results you can then experiment with splitting your workouts up three-ways, using either a push/pull/legs or chest & back/shoulders & arms/legs & trunk split. If the two-way split does not produce better results, go back to the full-body routine.

For examples of different full body and split high intensity training routines including push/pull, upper/lower, push/pull/legs, and chest & back/shoulders & arms/legs & trunk read High Intensity Workouts.

When consulting people on equipping their home gyms I often recommend dumbbells because of their versatility and space efficiency. A pair of dumbbells and an adjustable bench can be used to perform dozens of exercises targeting every major muscle group, and either a pair of plate-loaded adjustable dumbbells and a plate-storage rack or twenty pairs of fixed-weight dumbbells and a three-tiered dumbbell rack (with five pairs on each tier and five on the floor) require less than ten square feet of space. Having multiple pairs of fixed-weight dumbbells is more time efficient than using plate-loaded dumbbells and allows multiple people to train at once, but costs more and requires more space. Plate-loaded dumbbells are more cost and space efficient than fixed-weight dumbbells, but it takes longer to change weight plates between exercises which can be frustrating if you are trying to minimize rest time for metabolic conditioning or just have limited time to work out.

Fortunately for people who want to optimize both their workout space and time there is a third option that combines the advantages of both; selectorized dumbbells are more space and cost efficient than the number of fixed-weight dumbbells they replace and the weights can be changed much more quickly than plate-loaded adjustable dumbbells. After comparing several brands a few years ago I purchased a set of the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells for our home gym and I recently purchased a set of SelectTech 1090 dumbbells. Based on my experience with both sets I recommend them if you’re looking to equip or upgrade your home gym.

Weight Levels and Increments

The SelectTech 552 set provides fifteen weights, from 5 to 52.5 pounds in 2.5 pound increments from 5 to 25 pounds and 5 pound increments from 25 to 50 pounds. The SelectTech 1090 set provides seventeen weights, from 10 to 90 pounds in 5 pound increments. The weight can be quickly changed by turning the dials at both ends of each dumbbell, which are clearly labeled. With offset weight selection – selecting different weights on each side of the dumbbells for a total halfway between the selected amounts – you can increase the weights in half-steps nearly doubling the number of weights you with either set. For example, by selecting 35 pounds on one side and 40 pounds on the other you get 37.5 pounds. Together, the 552 and 1090 sets provide twenty three weights with normal weight selection and forty four weights using offset weight selection.

With offset weight selection the imbalance is barely noticeable, being only 1.25 or 2.5 pounds heavier on one side and only changing the center of gravity slightly. The ability to do this could be considered a small advantage over selectorized dumbbells which don’t since there are some situations where offset selection can be beneficial or even required for an exercise. For example, when performing dumbbell exercises like lateral raises and reverse curls with a palms-down grip having the dumbbell slightly heavier on the thumb side can make it feel more balanced. The ability to weight only one side of the dumbbell allows you to use it for forearm exercises like supination, pronation, wrist abduction/radial deviation, and wrist adduction/ulnar deviation.

Whether you should get the 552’s or the 1090’s depends on your strength, which exercises you plan to use them for, and how. If you only plan to use dumbbells for simple exercises like arm curls, triceps extensions, and one-legged heel raises the 552’s are sufficient for most people, and it’s nice to have the smaller weight increments below twenty five pounds for exercises which require a lower starting weight. If you also plan to use the dumbbells for compound exercises like rows, presses, and squats and are at least moderately strong you will need the heavier weights provided by the 1090’s. If I already owned the 1090’s I might not have also bought the 552’s, opting instead for a few pairs of less expensive hex dumbbells for the lighter weights. However, since the 1090’s are somewhat bulkier than the 552’s at weights heavier than 20 pounds I only use them for exercises that require 55 pounds or more, opting for the less bulky 552’s for everything else.

Time, Space, and Cost Efficiency

One pair of SelectTech 552 or 1090 dumbbells costs less than half as much as the fifteen or seventeen pairs of fixed-weight dumbbells they replace, and the stands cost less than a quarter as much as a rack that holds that many dumbbells and take up much less floor space. Only one person can use the SelectTech dumbbells at a time, but you can get two pairs and stands and still save money and space if two people need to perform an exercise simultaneously.

The SelectTech dumbbells cost at least twice as much as a set of adjustable dumbbell handles and the equivalent amount of weight plates, though, so the better option ultimately depends on how important the ability to quickly change weights is to you. If you prefer to rush between exercises for conditioning or time efficiency the SelectTech are a better option, otherwise plate-loaded adjustable dumbbells get the job done just as effectively.

As an example of time efficiency, the following basic full-body bodyweight and dumbbell workouts typically only take around fifteen minutes to complete using the SelectTech dumbbells if you rush between exercises. Perform one set to failure of each exercise using enough weight that you are only able to complete between six and ten repetitions in good form at a strict 4/1/4 cadence (about 60 to 90 seconds time under load per exercise) and perform the exercises done as timed static contractions (TSC) for 90 seconds:

Workout A:

1. Chin-up
2. Bench Press
3. Squat
4. Standing Press
5. Bent-Over Row
6. Weighted Crunch
7. Stiff-legged Deadlift
8. Wrist Extension
9. Wrist Curl
10. TSC Neck Flexion
11. TSC Neck Extension

Workout B:

1. Pull-up
2. Parallel Bar Dip
3. Deadlift
4. Incline Press
5. Underhand-grip Row
6. Sissy Squat
7. Weighted Twist Crunch (R/L)
8. One-legged Calf Raise (R/L)
9. TSC Neck Lateral Flexion (R/L)

Durability

Selectorized dumbbells in general require more careful handling than fixed or plate-loaded dumbbells and the SelectTech are no exception, however as long as you aren’t dropping or slamming or abusing them there is no reason for them to ever break or malfunction. My SelectTech 552’s have been in almost daily use for nearly three years and are like new. If you do manage to break something they’re covered by a 3-year warranty on all parts and after three years you can get replacement parts from Bowflex at a reasonable price.

Criticisms

The only thing I do not like about the SelectTech dumbbells is that the 1090’s do not have rubber grips like the 552’s, especially considering how much heavier they are. Instead, they have textured metal grips which work well but don’t feel quite as comfortable or secure as the rubber ones, especially once you start sweating.

Fortunately, this can be easily fixed with rubber spray coating. After masking the rest of the dumbbells I sanded the handles and applied a few coats of spray-on truck bed liner which improved the grips tremendously. This is also an inexpensive way to rubberize fixed-weight dumbbells and weight plates (mask the holes first) and the trays on dumbbell racks to reduce wear and noise.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I like both the SelectTech 552’s and 1090’s and highly recommend them. They provide a large range of weights in small increments that can be quickly and easily changed and they take up very little space. The 1090’s are bulky at lower weights compared to fixed-weight dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells loaded with 5-pound plates but this isn’t a problem for most exercises. Although the SelectTech dumbbells are not as durable as fixed-weight or plate-loaded adjustable dumbbells this isn’t a problem if you don’t throw or drop weights. They’re a great buy compared to fixed-weight dumbbells, and although they cost more than plate-loaded adjustable dumbbells if you value time efficiency and convenience they’re worth it. The optional stands also look sharp, are solidly built, and hold the dumbbells at a comfortable height and angle.

Buy the Bowflex SelectTech 552 dumbbells on Amazon.com

Buy The Bowflex SelectTech 1090 dumbbells on Amazon.com

Buy Bowflex SelectTech dumbbell stands on Amazon.com