Powder’s not evil, but leaning on it as your main protein source is a loser move.
Protein powder drama has been heating up online I noticed. The amount of ignorance about protein powder never ceases to amaze me. Everyone’s got an opinion about protein powder that they preach like the holy gospel. Let’s cut the bullshit: whole food protein (not plant or vegan sources): meat, eggs, dairy — is better than whey powder every single time. It’s not even a fair fight. You get micronutrients and real satisfaction for your hunger. Coaches shoving it down your throat over real food? They’re either clueless or pocketing cash from some supplement brand. It’s for guys too lazy to grill a steak or crack an egg. Wake up.
Protein powder is a supplement, and that’s basically it. It’s meant to supplement what you don’t get enough of due to diet, or time constraints. Some days I’m running hard, and I don’t hit my protein with food alone. So I scoop some powder, mix it, drink it, move on. Doesn’t mean I’m building my meals around it like some rookie who can’t figure out a grocery store. The idea that you need it to win at lifting or life is a myth sold by guys with shaker bottles and bad tattoos. Most supplements don’t do jack anyway….
Sure, powder’s convenient. Toss it in a bag, drink it at the gym, whatever. But convenient doesn’t mean better. It’s a crutch, not a crown. If your gut hates it, you get bloated or gas from chugging shakes: man (or woman) up and eat real food.
You don’t need a PhD to figure it out. Eat meat, lift heavy, grow strong. Powder’s a tool, not a lifestyle. Pick one that doesn’t suck, use it when you’re short, and stop crying about it. I keep a tub around because I’m not perfect…yet.
If you can’t get your protein from a plate, fine, chug some shakes. Just never once kid yourself into thinking it’s some secret sauce. It’s not. Never will be. Eat like a man, not a marketing victim.
The world today is full of weak people with pathetic excuses for being soft. They endlessly hesitate, second-guess themselves, and tell you to relax — all in some passive aggressive way to bring you down to the world of mediocrity. Strength, whether physical or mental, reminds weak people of how soft they really, truly are. The discipline you have exposes their excuses for what they truly are.
This isn’t aimed at loved ones, like your partner, mother, or friends, but rather those who may not practice what they preach when it comes to health and fitness.
I mean the small, and petty people out there green eyed with envy. They are always very annoying to deal with, and absolutely love making life unpleasant. I am referring almost exclusively to the type of people who know nothing about anything, but yet have opinions on everything. They are only too eager to endlessly yap about how to workout, how to make money, how to eat, how to have relationships, and so forth. They are only too willing to give you unsolicited advice on how to run your entire life. Yet look at how they run their own lives. They’ve contributed nothing of meaning to the world, or the world of others. And nor have they accomplished anything personally noteworthy. Most of them are just physically unremarkable mid-wits (105-110 IQ range) with miserable lives. They won’t even go down in history for total failures because they are even mediocre at that.
Everybody in today’s world has a victim mentality, or slave mindset. I am tired of hearing about somebody’s sob story. Frankly, I don’t care. It’s no excuse for being an asshole. We live in an age where daily numerous excuses are made by assholes on the account of some sob story. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, religions, and so forth. Quite frankly there aren’t enough hours in a day to tolerate all the assholes in the world. Therefore, you have my permission to be intolerant towards them.
The same bullshit pathetic excuses get repeated by these absolute bottom dwellers online called “incels”. It’s my genetics. It’s my height. It’s my face. I don’t have looks. I don’t have money. That is because the blackpill is just an excuse to be weak. Complaining about unfairness is a loser mentality.
Sitting in the dark all day crying about how life is rigged against you, all because of your genetics, is beyond pathetic and lazy. You’ve given up before trying on the account of someone else’s failure and misery online bringing you down. It is akin to a first time boxer stepping into the ring against a skilled opponent, and quitting immediately without even trying, or getting knocked down. Just a loser mindset based on giving up. You say everything is cope, or scam. The gym is cope. Looksmaxing, and even plastic surgery is now coping. Working is coping. College, or university is coping.
I understand most of you are beyond saving, but the few that are reading and willing to listen, and here’s how to fix this:
Stop being a pussy and blaming genetics, women, society, Jews, whites, immigrants, etc.
Understand that genetics or physical appearance are not the main causes of your social failures. Feeling that you are fundamentally unattractive or inferior to others is.
Learn to interact with others, especially, but not exclusively: women. In particular, the ones you are attracted to not just physically, but connect with on a deeper level. Stop avoiding social situations, or dating.
It’s easy to feel disconnected from people who are in relationships, or having regular sex if you aren’t. However, everyone goes through periods of loneliness, and involuntary celibacy.
Strengthening both body and mind can counteract the belief that appearance is fixed. And the key focus would be following a fitness routine that includes weight lifting, cardiovascular work, and diet management.
Set achievable short-term goals and celebrate victories. Start by focusing on areas where you have control, like improving fitness.
Practice improving your emotional resilience and relationship-building skills.Gradually build social connections. Practice talking to strangers in public.
Set concrete career and financial goals. You might already be doing this, but consistency and ongoing effort will help combat the belief that career prospects are out of reach.
Make that shift from external validation to internal strength.
Nobody is coming to save you. And nobody cares if you win, or lose so get up, and go harder every single day, or accept being another nameless failure in the crowd. Blaming genetics and making excuses only crybabies do.
I prefer handling things on my own and I find more strength in solitude, I am far, far more capable or at peace when not dependent on others.
I am someone who chooses solitude, and values independence. I prefer to operate alone rather than rely on others. I thrive in environments where I don’t need validation from others. Usually I have a clear vision or mission and prefer to pursue it alone, even if it means missing out on social opportunities. I’d prefer a small group of like minded individuals or no social group at all.
You want balance? Enjoy your little life of comfort and mediocrity. But don’t look at me like I’m crazy when I refuse to settle for average, while, you clock out at 5 pm and think you worked hard. You get tired after an hour in the gym, and think that’s enough. You tell yourself you deserve to relax: you don’t. You didn’t earn anything you live soft because the world let’s you, but if everything collapsed tomorrow you wouldn’t last a day.
The other readers here, you don’t ask why you already know. You don’t cry about how hard it is you just go every day every hour no motivation needed no validation required you wake up and put in the work because thats what men do.
There is no choice, there is no retreat, and there is no mercy…because when the dust settles, when the weak have fallen away, and when the cowards have made their excuses, the only ones left standing are the ones who refused to stop…and that’s gonna be me…
Being shredded, ripped, or jacked isn’t about fairness nor diversity, inclusion, or equality. Muscular hypertrophy does not magically occur out of fairness. 455 lbs of weight on the bar does not care about if you had it rough, or deserve a break. It’s not about what’s fair. Being strong, both mentally and physically, is about hard work. Not from your high sense of self entitlement. You’re entitled to nothing. Only what you have earned.
Those who are in shape didn’t get there by waiting for someone to give them the blueprint. They got there by taking the time, the pain, the sacrifice. They earned it. And so must you. There are no free rides. There is no fairness. There is only hard work.
You want a body like a warrior? A body like a champion? Then stop whining and start doing. Understand that the path to greatness is paved with sweat, pain, and sacrifice. There are no shortcuts. There’s no one coming to save you. It’s just you. So, make the decision now. Stop sitting around and start training.
The results will come. But only if you’re willing to do what it takes. Stop waiting for fairness. Start earning your strength.
How to Get Lean and Muscular Naturally: Building a Defined Physique at 175-195 lbs
If you are just starting from scratch, or you’ve been spinning your wheels for years in the gym — making no progress — then this article is written for you. I am going to teach you how to build a lean physique which impresses men, and makes women crazy. With the right approach to your macros, calories, and training then you will achieve that goal body which makes other men red with envy.
Forget being some fat powerlifter with a beer belly or a skinny dude with abs but no muscle. Those types of physiques (if you can even call them that) impress nobody. Any woman who says she loves pencil arms, or beer guts is lying to make her fat or skinny boyfriend feel less insecure around gymrats. When you build a body most people only see in magazines you get a lot of envy.
And here we are talking broad shoulders, a massive chest, thick arms, and a shredded waist. The kind of body that makes a T-shirt look tight and has women wondering if you were carved out of stone.
But first — you have to train like an animal, and eat like a well oiled war machine.
The Power of a Lean Physique
Let me tell you fellas all something from personal experience. When you are absolutely shredded, and have been hitting the gym for years, then the results will show. They will show in a muscular physique with visible definition that looks good in a shirt. When you walk into a room you can expect heads to turn.
I remember a guy I used to know. He was absolutely shredded to the bone. Covered in veins like a road map of vascularity. His low bodyfat and definition was absolutely unreal. He only had simple advice to give: dedication to a proper training routine, proper nutrition and maintaining a calorie deficit.
It wasn’t some magic trick.
The Two Types of Guys
1. Skinnyfat, or Skinny:
The main problem of being skinnyfat is very poor nutrition, and very poor hormonal levels. You have high estrogen, and low testosterone. The fix is Vitamin D, Magnesium, bulk to builtfat/muscular fat, and then cut.
If you are skinnyfat, then it’s highly likely you eat a lot of garbage like microwaved pizzas, and hot dogs. The diet is basically built upon low protein or fatty/processed/plant sources of protein, processed carbs or sugar, and bad fats from fast food.
You need to get enough sunlight and sleep. No more late night gaming sessions eating pizza from the microwave and drinking mountain dew. Unless you want to look like shit still then be my guest.
Skinny guys, and also skinnyfat guys have never trained hard enough to build serious muscle, or engaged in more endurance based high rep lifting with no progression. Or way, way too much cardio like running marathons and shit.
Solution? Get strong, eat real food, move fast, and dominate.
You have a fast metabolism, low body fat, and not much muscle. Your challenge? Eating enough calories to build size while keeping it clean. Your goal? Gain muscle mass without getting fat.
2. Muscular Fat, or Fat Fat:
If you’re fat (soft fat) or builtfat (muscular but still carrying extra weight), your biggest issue is insulin resistance and poor body composition. You’re probably stronger than skinnyfat guys, but you still suck.
The problems lay with again having too much estrogen, high insulin, and more than likely low testosterone levels. You are still making bad food choices even if you are meeting your protein requirements. Avoid junk, sugar, and bad fats. You also lack proper conditioning. You might be strong as a bear, but if you can’t do pull ups, run up a set of stairs, or jog for 12 minutes straight then something is wrong. Any healthy person can run a mile in under 10 minutes. It should ideally be under 6-8 mins. Cutting calories aggressively and doing only slow pace cardio like a pussy will also contribute. Walking the dog isn’t cardio.
You have size but too much body fat hiding the muscle underneath. Your challenge? Building muscle while slowly reducing fat. Your goal? Recomp: Lose fat while gaining lean mass.
No matter where you start, the goal is the same: build muscle and stay lean.
Stop training like a pussy, and eating like a pussy.
Eating BIG, But Clean
Muscle needs fuel. You need to eat enough calories to grow but not so much that you gain excess fat. You also need the right macronutrient balance:
Protein: Essential for muscle growth.
Carbs: Fuel your workouts and recovery.
Fats: Support hormone production and joint health.
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Daily Calories:
Lean Bulk: ~3,000-3,500 calories (if trying to add lean size)
Recomp: ~2,500-3,000 calories (if trying to gain muscle & lose fat)
Macronutrient Breakdown:
Protein: 1g to 1.2g per pound of body weight (about 180-200g for most guys)
Carbs: 2-3g per pound of body weight (focus on whole food sources)
Fats: 0.4-0.6g per pound of body weight (from healthy sources)
✔️ Avocados ✔️ Egg yolks ✔️ Nuts & Nut Butters (in moderation) ✔️ Olive oil & Coconut oil ✔️ Cheese (adds protein and fats in moderation)
Sample Meal Plan (Lean Bulk/Recomp Edition)
Meal 1:
6 egg whites, 1 whole egg
1 cup oats with banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
Meal 2:
6 oz grilled chicken
1 cup cooked quinoa
Steamed broccoli
Meal 3 (Pre-Workout):
Greek yogurt
Handful of almonds
1 apple
Meal 4 (Post-Workout):
Protein shake with banana & oats
Meal 5:
6 oz lean turkey or tuna
1 baked potato
Green salad with olive oil
Meal 6 (Before Bed):
Cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
1 tbsp peanut butter
The “You’re Gonna Get So Many Chicks” Plan
Step 1: Get Huge Shoulders & a V-Taper
Women love broad shoulders and a tiny waist.
Hit heavy overhead presses, lateral raises, and pull-ups.
Step 2: Have a Thick Chest & Arms That Stretch Your Sleeves
Bench, dips, curls, and rows.
No skinny forearms or flat chests allowed.
Step 3: Never Be the Guy Who Looks Good in a Shirt but Soft When He Takes It Off
Stay under 12% body fat so you always look ripped, not just big.
That means steps, burpees, and sprints.
Step 4: Walk Like You Own the Place
A guy who trains hard, eats right, and doesn’t skip cardio moves like he’s a warrior.
Confidence = magnetism.
Training Like A Spartan Warrior:
There is three main points in any lifting routine:
1. Getting stronger over time (progressive overload) 2. High-volume muscle-building work for hypertrophy 3. Low reps for explosive & functional strength (power)
Sample Weekly Routine (Powerbuilding Routine 5x a Week)
Monday – Chest/Back
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Bench Press – 4×6-8
Incline Bench Press – 4×6-8
Weighted Dips – 3×8-12
Cable Flyes – 3×12-15
Deadlifts – 3×5-6
Barbell Rows – 4×6-8
Weighted Pull ups – 3×8-12
T Bar Rows – 3×8-12
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Tuesday – Shoulders/Arms
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Overhead Press – 4×6-8
Cable Lateral Raises – 3×12-15
Bent Over Lateral Raise or Face Pulls: 3×15-20
Dumbbell Shrugs: 4 x 8-12
Bicep Curls – 3×10-12
Hammer Curls – 3×10-12
Close-Grip Bench Press – 3×8-12
Triceps Extensions – 3×10-12
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Wednesday – Legs
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Squats – 4×6-8
Leg Press – 3×10-12
Romanian Deadlifts – 4×8-10
Lunges – 3×10-12
Calf Raises – 3×15-20
Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 15-20
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Thursday – Upper Body Strength & Power
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 3-5
Incline Dumbbell Press (Upper chest focus): 3 x 8-12
Shoulder Press or Lateral Raises: 3 x 6-8
Weighted Chin-ups: 3 x 3-5, 1 x AMRAP at Bodyweight
Barbell Row: 3-4 x 6-8
Barbell Shrugs: 3-4 x 6-8
Barbell Curls: 3 x 6-8
Overhead Triceps Extensions: 3 x 6-8
Face Pulls: 3 x 15-20 (Critical for shoulder health and posture)
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Friday – Lower Body Power & Strength
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Deadlift, or Low Bar Box or Bench Squat: 3 x 3-5
Zercher Squats: 3 x 8-12
Good Mornings: 3 x 8-12
Leg Press or Hack Squat: 3×8-12 (Quad-focused volume work)
Lying or Seated Hamstring Curls: 4 x 12-15
Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 12-15
Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 15-20
． ． ． ． ． ． ． Saturday/Sunday – Rest or Active Recovery
． ． ． ． ． ． ．
Walking, stretching, mobility work
Final Thoughts: How to Stay Lean While Gaining Size
1. Walk 30,000+ steps daily.
Passive calorie burn = less fat gain.
2. Train like an athlete.
Burpees, sprints, and farmer carries build elite work capacity.
Do cardio after lifting or on rest days. The point isn’t to be built like a bird legged marathon runner but to burn fat and keep it off.
On leg days or rest days for recovery you can do slow steady state cardio. 45 minutes to 90 minutes total depending on your body composition. Leaner or skinny brahs do less cardio. Fat brahs do more.
How to Get It In:
AM Fasted Walks (Optional): If you wanna be next-level shredded
Post-Lift Sprints (2x a week): If you want speed & power like an athlete
Burpees on Rest Days: If you want elite endurance and fat loss
Farmer Carries at the End of Workouts: If you want huge traps & gorilla strength
You don’t have to do ALL of it every week, but the more you stack this routine, the faster you’ll look like a superhuman.
The stronger you get on compound lifts, the more muscle you build.
Track Progress Weekly
If gaining too much fat, slightly reduce carbs.
If not gaining muscle, slightly increase food intake.
Use MyFitnessPal, a step tracker, and FitNotes. Pen and paper. Measure your body parts and waist with a tape measure and record it. Track everything you eat and every workout you do. And your daily steps.
4. Stay Consistent for 6-12 Months.
You won’t get there in 4 weeks. Trust the process.
5. Eat for Performance, Not Just Size. Manage Stress, & Sleep Properly
Lean proteins, whole carbs, and healthy fats fuel results.
Focus on whole foods first. Whey protein is fine, but real food wins.
7-9 hours of sleep per night is essential for muscle growth.
Stick to the basics, eat smart, and train hard. The results will come.
Summary
This plan turns you into the kind of guy who walks into a room and owns it. All without saying a word…
✅ Big, shredded, and athletic ✅ More endurance, and strength than 99% of guys at the gym ✅ Women notice, guys respect it
All you have to do? Show up, lift heavy, move fast, eat smart, and don’t quit.
A lot of great people didn’t come from money, or status. Quite a few were born as common people. With no money, no connections, and had just sheer grit. Don’t waste time blaming your circumstances. No matter how unfair things are your consistency will speak louder than your background ever will.
2 – Climb The Ranks
Never wait around for handouts. Climb the ranks by putting in the work, and always out working everybody else around you. Hard work will always trump lazy talent. Today, we are stuck in a system that hands more power to rich old men and rewards mediocrity; however, your job will be to break through. If you want something, earn it. Put in the work every single day. 99% of anything is simply showing up when no one else will or has. Results come from discipline, not luck, so learn to depend on internal validation not external rewards.
Always ask remember two things:
Keep the relentless mindset. Do, or die. Never surrender.
Keep the desire burning to climb ahead. Will to power.
3 – Adapt, or Get Left Behind
Always be like water. Water adapts and takes the shape of anything it’s poured into. But given enough time and force it can destroy even mountains.
The world is never static, and the game is constantly changing. Homeostasis is not the norm it’s the exception in this world.
Don’t play by the rules, but always keep things stable in your life.
Our politicians are stuck in old-school thinking. The world changes, but some refuse to adapt. If you don’t innovate, you’ll get crushed. Reinvent yourself, or stay irrelevant.
Look at athletes or MMA fighters switching up training camps, politicians changing their platforms, or bodybuilders constantly evolving their routines. They know that if you stand still, you get left behind. The same goes for you. If you are unwilling to adapt, then prepare to be just spinning your wheels. Keep your car in park and the world will leave you in the dust zooming by in a suped up sportscar.
4 – Leadership Is Never About Power
No leader who has been admired through history built an empire solely by flexing power. Leadership isn’t about being flashy, but about structure and stability for the common man following you. If you want to lead, then leave your ego at the door. Show up every day and deliver, lead by example.
True leadership is not about making a spectacle of yourself or exerting power for the sake of control. You can rule by fear, or rule by love. It is always about building trust, creating stability, and leading by example. That will make people love you, and you don’t need to inspire fear or make displays of ego.
Great leaders throughout history, whether they were military figures, political leaders, or entrepreneurs earned respect and love by being consistent, reliable, and focused on the needs of the people they led. They understood that the foundation of any empire, organization, or movement was grounded in structure, responsibility, and the everyday actions that maintained it.
Leaving ego at the door is key here. It’s about serving those you’re leading, not elevating yourself above them. The best leaders make others feel like they matter and provide a clear path forward, not through grand gestures, but through discipline, consistency, and vision.
5 – True Strength is in Detachment
What is the greatest power move you can make? Walking away from power when you don’t need it anymore. True power isn’t addicted to more power for its own sake. Know when to step back, enjoy, and let go. Not many people have forever held on to status, fame, wealth, and power. Besides all those things are temporary and peripheral.
True strength is knowing when to let go. Take control of your own life, and never get trapped by ego. Never get stuck in the past or obsessed with fame or status. Let go when it’s time, and make room for growth.
6 – The Real Fight Is Internal
If you want to make it to the top, then your greatest opponent, or challenger will be yourself. The only competition you have in life is the man, or woman staring back at you in the mirror. Whatever you are setting your sights on in life, the battle is always about pushing past (and breaking) limits and getting used to being very uncomfortable. Every time you feel like quitting, or giving up that’s when you have to go even further and work even harder and dig even deeper. Pain is weakness leaving the body. Your worst enemy in life is always yourself.
This isn’t about some wake up call. Life is tough. The world is a clown show circus right now. You’ve got the power, skills, knowledge, and wisdom needed to be somebody better than that. Don’t wait for tomorrow, but get after it today.
7 – Make Your Own Opportunities
Quit waiting for someone to hand you something like you deserve it, and are entitled to it. Did I wake up in shape by random chance one morning? Obviously not.
Today is the day that you’re going to stop waiting for someone to give you a job, some girl to give you a shot, and to join the gym. You need to create your own opportunities. You can’t be the guy waiting for that phone call or knock to happen. You have to be the guy making the calls and doing the knocking. With opportunity, you have to build things, grind for things and take them on the chin when they come or capture them don’t let them slip you by.
The system is rigged and life isn’t fair, but complaining about it never fixed anything. Neither did self destructive behaviors out of seeking pity or attention. Create your own path in life, and take whatever you can get that comes your way. And turn all the bad events into opportunities to create good events.
Tough Love & Final Thoughts
Let’s get real. Life isn’t going to hand you anything for free. Whatever you earn in life is earned through blood and tears and sweat. Not through handouts. Maybe some people get to have a weak and soft easy life but those people aren’t as fortunate. They don’t get to turn themselves into gold from lead. We do. Stay hungry. Stay relentless.
The typical Western diet. High fat, high carb, high calorie and low in protein and micronutrients.The typical balanced diet with high protein macros for bodybuilding.
Weight loss boils down to calories burned vs calories consumed. You cannot violate the laws of thermodynamics as much as you wish you could. Consume way too much of anything and you’ll gain weight. Which is a layman’s way of saying: eat more calories than you burn and you gain weight. Eat less than you burn and you lose weight. You can lose weight eating lard, ice cream, sugar and candy bars. But that wouldn’t be smart and I’ll explain further below.
CICO: Calories In, Calories Out
Eat fewer calories than you burn → You lose weight
Eat more calories than you burn → You gain weight
That’s all there is to understand about weight loss.
Macros matter for body composition
Protein: Builds & retains muscle
Carbs: Fuel workouts & recovery
Fats: Support hormones & brain function
If you ignore macros, then you’ll lose muscle, have no energy, or just generally feel awful. You can eat junk and still lose weight if it fits your macros, but it’s not ideal. Focus on whole foods and hitting your protein goal.
My ideal macros that I recommend for natural bodybuilding especially those wanting to be lean or maintain leanness are as follows:
40-45% of total calories for protein.
20-25% of total calories for fat.
35-40% of total calories for carbs.
You can break this down into meals. One small meal before the gym (mix of complex and quick carbs and proteins), one small or medium meal after the gym, one medium or large meal at dinnertime, and a light or small meal with slow digesting proteins and complex carbs before bed.
Can you eat junk and still lose weight? Yes.
Should you? Not if you care about muscle, strength, and performance.
Recommendations for Cutting
I have only simple, and easy to follow instructions for cutting. They are hard because they require discipline, and good habits.
Eat high protein to keep muscle. Higher than maintaining, or for bulking.
Time carbs around workouts. Do not cut carbs. You need them to fuel your workouts.
Get enough fats for hormones. Do not cut out fat entirely. Your nervous system, and brain is almost entirely fat, or insulated in fat.
Avoid extreme deficits. Never aim to lose more than 1-2 lbs a week (.5 kg to 1 kg). That is usually only a deficit of 250-500 calories. Sustainable deficit = no crash dieting.
Summary
Losing weight is about being in a calorie deficit primarily. Macros are crucial for muscle maintenance, energy, and hormonal balance. While junk foods can fit into your diet, the priority should be on eating a high protein balanced diet with carbs timed around your workouts. A crash diet isn’t sustainable long term, and therefore always focus on a slow cut.
The following program is designed to be powerbuilding focused and for natural lifters. It is my current routine, and utilizes proven methods from both modern and old school bodybuilding. It focuses on compound lifts and intensity. It is designed to build both strength and hypertrophy. I would not recommend it for novice lifters.
Research shows that strength gains are optimized in the 4-6 rep range (Schoenfeld, 2010), while hypertrophy thrives in the 8-15 rep range with controlled tempo and time under tension (TUT). This routine utilizes high intensity techniques, shorter rest periods, and focuses upon form over weight.
Routine
Progression: Gradually add weight while maintaining deep, controlled reps.
Monday – Upper Body Power & Strength
Flat Barbell Bench Press: 3 x 3-5
Incline Dumbbell Press (Upper chest focus): 3 x 8-12
Shoulder Press or Lateral Raises: 3 x 6-8
Weighted Chin-ups: 3 x 3-5, 1 x AMRAP at Bodyweight
Barbell Row: 3-4 x 6-8
Barbell Shrugs: 3-4 x 6-8
Barbell Curls: 3 x 6-8
Overhead Triceps Extensions: 3 x 6-8
Face Pulls: 3 x 15-20 (Critical for shoulder health and posture)
Tuesday – Lower Body Power & Strength
Deadlift, or Low Bar Box or Bench Squat: 3 x 3-5
Zercher Squats: 3 x 8-12
Good Mornings: 3 x 8-12
Leg Press or Hack Squat: 3×8-12 (Quad-focused volume work)
Lying or Seated Hamstring Curls: 4 x 12-15
Standing Calf Raise: 4 x 12-15
Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 15-20
Wednesday – Rest
Thursday – Chest & Back Hypertrophy
Incline Barbell Bench Press: 4×8-12
Flat Bench Dumbbell Press: 3×10-12
Cable Chest Flyes – 4×12-15
Pull-Ups (Weighted with a wide grip): 4×8-12
T-Bar Row: 3×10-12
Lat Pulldown (Wide or Close Grip): 4×12-15 (Back hypertrophy focus)
Seated Cable Rows: 3×12-15
Bent Over Lateral Raises: 3×15-20
Shorter rest periods (30-45s) for hypertrophy.
Friday – Shoulders & Arms Hypertrophy
Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: 4 x 8-12
Lateral Raises: 3 x 12-15
Reverse Cable Flyes: 3 x 12-15
Barbell Curl + Preacher Curl: 3 x 10-12
Skull Crushers or Overhead Tricep Extensions: 3 x 10-12
Dumbbell Hammer Curls: 3 x 12-15
Rope Triceps Pushdowns: 3 x 12-15
Reverse Cable Curls: 3 x 15-20
Dumbbell Shrugs: 4 x 8-12
Incorporate drop sets and supersets for additional volume.
Saturday – Leg Hypertrophy
Hack Squat or Zercher Squat: 4 x 8-12
Leg Press: 3 x 12-15
Seated or Lying Hamstring Curls: 3 x 12-15
Leg Extensions: 3 x 12-15
Standing Calf Raises: 4 x 12-15
Seated Calf Raises: 4 x 12-15
Hanging Leg Raises + Cable Crunches: 3 x 15-20
Sunday – Rest
Final Thoughts
This training program is built on scientific principles and classic bodybuilding wisdom. If you follow this plan with precision, strength and hypertrophy gains are inevitable.
I grew up in an extremely rural environment as a child and teenager. It was extremely rough at times I’ll admit. I didn’t fit in anywhere much when there were people my age around, and that got rarer and rarer the older I got. Until basically by age 18 it was just me, myself and I. I felt incredibly rejected. This feeling of rejection and isolation would extend until my mid to late 20s. And likewise, whatever it was about me I had an extremely difficult time making friends and meeting women.
Although I saw the most changes in my body in my late 20s and later again now in my mid 30s I will say absolutely on some level my mind wasn’t as healthy as my body.
Naturally, I am shy and introverted. Quite quiet as well. However, my job forces me to interact with numerous people on a daily basis. And it has given me over the years an ability of sorts to put on a performance. Such that I can wear a mask as I need to in social environments and one which is the one an individual or group of individuals want or need to see. This may sound manipulative but it’s a rather tried and true tactic of anyone who has ever been in any sort of public role as an introvert or shy person.
Without getting physically stronger and bigger than most people I doubt I’d have the confidence I have now and I doubt I’d have the respect on some level. When I was a really skinny guy working security jobs it was a daily occurrence to get fucked with. Now, it’s a rather extremely rare occurrence. You’ll always get one or two types of people who are hot headed to the extreme and just cannot calm down regardless. Other than that it’s fairly easy sailing if you’re both big and intimidating looking.
Early Struggles
Most of my life I was either obese or skinnyfat. I was skinnyfat for my early 20s for the most part due to living in extreme poverty for a lot of it. I just couldn’t get enough calories in to even be a normal size for a guy my height. There was no money to support it. And when I was obese or overweight I dealt with quite a lot of bullying.
On top of that a naturally shy or introverted person gets fucked with. People take quietness as a sort of invitation to mess with you. And you aren’t really scoring numerous dates and you won’t be very popular.
Overall my teen years to early 20s really lowered my self esteem quite a bit. And the loneliness and isolation from people, along with being chronically online and other factors going on (drug use in my 20s and abusive toxic relationships or friendships when I did manage to land one) I was totally at rock bottom.
Although I bounced back by age 28, a year or so later I’d be back worse off than I ever was before. I only gained any sort of female interest at that time perhaps due to being fit. But it was short-lived.
The Turning Point
I decided that I had to do something about my life. While in my late 20s I decided to get in the best shape physically, and this helped a lot massively, my mindset was still stuck back in the past, my self esteem was beyond dismal, and overall I was healthy physically but not mentally.
I had gotten myself into an extremely bad relationship with a woman who was honestly a malignant narcissist. She took away everything I had ever worked for in life. And ripped the soul out of me. Slowly but surely I was diagnosed with Bipolar and C-PTSD.
I wanted my sanity back, I wanted my body back and even better than before, I wanted out of the dead end jobs I was working on, I wanted out of living with my parents again, and most of all I wanted my sobriety back.
It wasn’t anything miraculous or something spectacular. No, I simply decided enough was enough and I moved. I went back to college even though I was way older than my classmates. I quit all drugs cold turkey.
And for the last two years it’s been nothing but gym sessions, making money, thinking positive and aiming high. Also landed myself a beautiful, loving and supportive girlfriend while I was at it.
Resilience Through Fitness
Fitness taught me discipline more than even the military did. I didn’t have anyone ordering me to eat well or workout. I didn’t have any motivation besides not being unhealthy anymore. The onus was all on me to succeed. And failure wasn’t an option.
Building muscle and losing fat taught me patience. I had to learn about anatomy, nutrition, macros, meal planning, and so forth. I had to track my calories meticulously. And my portions. Some nights I spent 4 hours at the gym to get up for 8am the next morning for class.
Most of all I just went to the gym regardless of if I wanted too or not. I needed too. Not wanted too.
You can’t be 50 percent healthy. If your body is healthy and your mind isn’t you aren’t fit. If your body is unhealthy and your mind is healthy then you aren’t fit either.
Self transformation is always internal but produces external results with enough patience. Patience is the virtue. Resilience is what keeps you patient in even the bleakest of time.
Without either patience nor resilience then natural bodybuilding isn’t for you.
Conclusion
I do not have any natural god given talents or elite genetics. When I want something I simply go for it and work hard for it. Day in and day out. I didn’t want to be the fat kid who got bullied anymore. I didn’t want to be the skinny guy who got messed with and was scared of everybody.
The only solution was to pick up the barbell and put down the fork.
All I can say is, if you are reading this and going through what I did then, don’t complain, workout, stay focused, be patient, have discipline and grind. You’ll get there.
Alright, here’s a reality that I am hyper aware of. Genetics. Do I have great or elite genetics? I most definitely do not. However, I think most people that aren’t well versed in diet, nutrition and proper exercise routines would guess that I do or did.
In fact, with most things in life including fitness I was a late bloomer. I started from the opposite end of being severely obese and out of shape. But in a year, I transformed my body, my mind, and my life. Not because of luck, and certainly not because of genetics, but because I simply knew what I wanted and I always work relentlessly in life to get what I want. I wanted more than anything else to lose that weight and be in shape. And my sanity and independence back.
Usually guys who work out will either develop severe vanity, or severe body dysmorphia. Usually the most narcissistic are the most insecure amongst them. However, this isn’t always the case as there is always someone who is at an elite level and well aware of it, but has the maturity of a six year old. Usually though the more elite level someone is then the more you can expect them to be humble and hypercritical — never on others but on themselves. Sometimes comments come from someone’s place of insecurity. You look better than them how is it possible? Therefore, they have to accuse you of taking steroids or other drugs. Either that or insult some perceived lagging muscle group. Or call you fatter than you are. Or smaller.
I gotta say I’m not a saint and I’ve battled my own doubts and demons too, but I never got into fitness to impress anyone else. I did it for the man in the mirror. It was all for me. No one else. And now I use that energy simply as a means to inspire others.
I have my own fitness goals beyond where I’m at now still despite losing 70 lbs (approx 31.8kg) and likewise strength goals. But I don’t workout for women or to impress other men. I hope it just shows that even if you’re starting from a rock bottom position (obesity) you can do a lot for your body and life in a year if you hyperfocus on it and keep at it consistently and with a lot of discipline. And take accountability and responsibility for your own life and progress. A typical fat person’s excuse is always oh it’s my genetics.
Look at my pictures and tell me I got great genetics especially from my starting point. Nah. It’s an excuse. Anybody can be lean and muscular. I prove that. That’s the point I try to make. Could care less about looking like some underwear model.
My transformation seems easy. Yet it required hyperfocus, brutal discipline, and consistent hard work. No shortcuts. No magic. Just showing up every day at the gym (usually at night) and pushing harder than the day (or night ;)) before. It wasn’t very glamorous — yet effective, and that’s exactly the point I want to make.
Anyone can be lean and muscular. Anyone can transform. But you have to want it badly enough to work for it every single day.
I have learned sometimes in life there are people who lack physical strength or the capacity to exert physical force against you as a means of control. Therefore they sell you a sob story to bring you down to their level and then use that as a way to prey upon or exploit you. A manipulation tactic of weak people who have no other way to gain control. And when we pity them they don’t usually hold us in high regard for doing so. It reminds them of their own unfortunate situations. Which sadly are bleak.
Misery loves company, and therefore you should avoid miserable people. Lest they make you miserable. When we pity ourselves we become trapped in the victim mentality.
No one respects an overgrown crybaby always sobbing and boo hooing about their problems in life. It’s a sign of disrespect to yourself and is disrespectful to others. Not only that but it is socially off-putting to people. And ruins relationships and prevents any new ones or close ones from forming.
People respect winners not losers. Nobody is going to have respect for a loser begging for a trophy he or she didn’t earn.
Happiness Isn’t Life’s Purpose
The purpose of life isn’t to be happy. In fact objectively life has no purpose besides the subjective meaning you give it. In life you cannot be a free agent chasing the phantasma of what reality ought to be or the reality you are told to accept. Instead focus on what you can control and accept everything that you cannot. Be formless and adaptable to the chaotic energy of the universe and reverse problems into opportunities.
Never Tie Happiness To People
A lot of relationships will be temporary. A lot of them will be bad. And a lot of the bad ones can be long term or life long if you let it. Therefore realise the beauty in impermanence and always when to walk away.
A lot of people will think that their own value is determined by being in a relationship and what that person in that relationship thinks about them. They are held back by the fear and uncertainty of not knowing whether or not without this person they’ll find love, affection, comfort or that spark they had. The truth is your value is determined by the amount of self worth you give yourself. And this negative self talk and doubt about being able to find a suitable spouse or partner is simply holding you back in that area.
The cycle of doubt and negative self talk keeps you in the wrong relationship which is the very thing holding you back from finding the right one.
Know your value.
Imitation or Duplication is Mutilation
You never want to meet your heroes in life anyways as then you find out they aren’t that great or heroic. Someone who is just a regular person like yourself who had a combination of natural talent and hard work then made the right sort of connections and a bit of luck and dedication making it out of a bad situation and into a rather fortunate or elite level figurehead of power is an inspiring tale to many. It motivates even the most uninspired and lazy to take action. And the unimaginative to try to be special forces operators, fitness influencers or the next Andrew Tate.
Greater men than me have said it far better and even they knew they were standing on shoulders of giants themselves. That was indeed their secret. Along with something most people don’t have not even the gifted or talented who often burnout and quit or get lazy and quit. That is they forge their own individual path in life based on their own individual judgement as the authority. Not by copying or emulating someone more successful who has often embellished about themselves and kept the humiliating failures or embarrassments in their life hidden. Usually you can do this by keeping your mouth shut about your private life online and keeping your clothes on online.
Do you want to be the Walmart Great Value Brand Andrew Tate just screaming at a phone camera about how great you are and how rich you are and how everybody else is fat and stupid besides you? All of course so you can sell some plagiarized or bullshit mindset coaching for an obvious cash grab.
That isn’t how Andrew Tate did it. He did it simply by hustling street style online. By the time he made all that lifestyle coaching stuff then he had his money already so he could work his alpha male gimmick. He already had fame and infamy he could use and leverage. Himself now exposed as a cash grab and associated with organized crime and human trafficking/pimping.
He didn’t do it by copying the online persona he created to sell scams and bullshit courses and coaching to naive young men online. Well educated but without means or opportunity to get a decent career. Seeing perhaps a glimmer of hope in being an influencer or alpha male coach. Those with daddy’s money at their disposal fail dismally and much to the amused laughter of your humble author.
Never copy another man or wanna be another man in life. If you don’t wanna be you then become a version of you that you do want to be. If you’re young and don’t know who that is then yes pick a suitable mentor or role model. But not some asshole online you don’t know who’s hungry for money and has the morality of a used cars salesman.
