Believe it or not achieving a visually stunning physique requires much less work than you probably think. You don’t need to workout 2 hours a day like most people assume. In fact 3-4 hours per week is more than enough to build a perfectly lean and muscled physique.
Look at some of the top hollywood fitness icons like Ryan Reynolds (Blade Trinity), Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Cam Gigandet (Never Back Down), Christian Bale (American Psycho) and even Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon). Now what do all of these guys have in common? They all have a natural amount of muscle mass with very low body fat. This is what creates the incredible appearance. If they were to maintain the same amount of muscle but gain a little bit of fat they wouldn’t look nearly as good. They would lose their cuts and defined features and they would start to look just average.
So what does it take to build this type of physique?
Strength Training 3-4x per week and a strict diet. THATS IT! When it comes to losing body fat it really just comes down to diet. Cardio is completely optional. Yes cardio may slightly speed up the fat loss process but you can do all the cardio in the world and if your diet is bad you won’t lose a single pound. So the strength training is to build / maintain muscle and the strict diet is to maintain/lose fat.
Lift Like a Bodybuilder
In the title of this article I said to ‘lift like a bodybuilder.’ This is partially true and partially false. You see our strength training workouts are going to be completely different from a bodybuilder. However because of this overtime you will be able to handle weights that a bodybuilder 30 lbs heavier than you would be lifting. You see bodybuilders train solely to increase muscle mass. Therefore they follow high volume – fatigue oriented workouts that force their muscles to adapt by increasing in size (not strength). This type of training creates bulky, puffy looking muscle lacking true strength and power.
Our strength training workouts are going to be focused on building dense, defined and compact muscle that is visually stunning. Low reps with sufficient rest time build this type of functional strength and muscle. The muscle gains will be slower training in this manner but the difference will be night and day in your appearance. If your looking for a complete workout program than you must read Rusty Moore’s Visual Impact Muscle Building Book. Best book on building quality muscle for the hollywood physique.
Eat like a model
If you can get used to eating low calories (while strength training) you will be able to reach a very low body fat while maintaining muscle. Do this for a long enough time period and eventually you will look like Tyler Duren (Bard Pitt in Fight Club)
But won’t I lose muscle and damage my metabolism eating low calories?
Nope! As long as you strength train 2-3x per week and get in at-least 90 grams of protein per day you will be fine. You definitely won’t damage your metabolism either. I used to think that if I dieted I would inevitably lose muscle like crazy. Well after reading Brad Pilon’s awesome book, ‘Eat Stop Eat‘ I realized this is just not true.
But I hate eating low calories! Have any tips?
Focus on your goal. A leaner, fitter YOU. Forget about the excess garbage that you don’t need. It will be difficult for the first few days but after you start to pick-up positive momentum it will be effortless. I recommend putting motivating pictures in your room and on your fridge. Listen to great music that puts you in an awesome state. Drink lots of tea (fills you up and kicks your cravings to the curb). Ask yourself – is this going to benefit me when your considering eating more food. Pretend your eating with the FUTURE YOU – What would that person do (obviously they would make the right choice). Perform a few sets of push-ups, pull-ups or dips before and after a meal. Totally gets your mind off food.
Low Cal Model Diet
Breakfast – Protein Shake (250-300 calories and 30-40 grams of protein)
Lunch – Protein Shake (250-300 calories and 30-40 grams of protein)
Snack – piece of fruit
Dinner – Lean Meat, Veggies, Salad
Snack – 2 hard boiled eggs
This diet kicks butt for losing fat fast! Once you begin closing in on your goal weight you can switch to 2 meals and 2 shakes and 1 snack. You will be hungry on this diet but that just means your using fat for fuel. You need to accept being hungry and tell yourself – “I’m hungry but I love it”
Another awesome option is to fast until dinner 1-2x per week. When your body goes 24 hours without food your hgh levels (fat burning hormone) go through the roof and you start to burn fat like crazy. This 24 hour fast is tough but it totally pays off. I have gotten awesome results from it. In addition you won’t lose muscle mass at all because your body begins to shuttle amino acids to your muscle cells. You can learn more about this by checking out Brad Pilon’s book ‘eat stop eat‘
What if I’m skinny and I need to gain weight?
If your skinny and you need to seriously put on weight than I recommend eating more carbs and using slightly higher reps. This will allow you to put on muscle faster. However a lot of bodybuilders will tell you to eat like crazy and this will just cause you to ruin your physique with excess fat. The best times to have high carbs are after your workout.
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The combination of eat stop eat and visual impact create the hollywood physique that will have you looking like Ryan Reynolds, Brad Pitt and Cam Gigandet.
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Hey Greg!
Awesome articles lately, as usual! Everytime I hit a slump in my training, I get remotivated when I read some of your articles…Thanks for that!!
Couple of questions for you…
First off, I know this probably depends on each individual but….Im wondering if there is kind of a set body weight I should be getting down to? Im 5’9 and 159lbs at the moment. I started at 171. It has been slow going on loosing more weight lately, and Im wondering if that is simple because of “the last 5-10 pounds are the hardest to loose” saying? I guess I’m wondering because as I mentioned in a different post, I’m not sure whether to stay on phase 3 of visual impact and try to loose 5-10 more pounds or if my weight is at a sufficient place to go back to phase 1? How lean is lean? I have no idea what my body fat % is.
Also (this may be a dumb question) but I notice all of these guys at the gym, working out everyday….and none of them have that ripped, lean look (daniel craig style etc)….Is this due to the fact that most people just dont supplement their weightlifting with a proper diet and or effective trainint? Kind of a silly question, but it intrigues me how so many guys I see day in and day out at the gym that never really look that different, but all the while they are doing similar exercises if not the same as me (visual impact type of programs etc)
Anywho! thanks for all your motivation!
John
There isn’t any set weight you should be. Just continue dieting down until you hit a body fat percentage your are really happy with. Aim for a 31-31.5″ waist. That’s great at your height. From there you can focus on upping the calories and building muscle slowly (2-3 lbs per month max).
Most people rarely look great or see any meaningful changes to their physique because they
A) There diets suck and they have a little bit of excess fat blurring definition. These people need to track their food intake and lose the fat.
B) These people rarely track progress so they make very little improvement in weight lifted especially after the beginner stages.
Thanks for the fast reply Greg!
Im going to measure up my waist tonight and see where I’m at!
Sorry for all the questions, but I have one more…
I mentioned in an earlier post that I usually have coffee in the morning and a lunch of tuna, avacado, and some greek yogurt, maybe some almonds….and then a bigger meal at dinner, usually chicken breast, red potatoes or sweet potatoes, and some rice….
I looked at your recent breakdown of calories on the your facebook page and I’m just trying to get this straight….Using the my fitness pal calorie tracker, with the foods I listed above it is saying those two meals….
are
a total of only 1152 calories
31 grams of fat
82 grams of carbs
and 141 grams of protein
This doesnt seem sufficient enough? especially in the fat department…and overall calories…
I suppose there are hidden things like a couple cups of coffee and some olive oil used to cook but am I on the right track here or should I be adding or changing things up to this idea for a diet?
I have been doing a diet similar to this (give or take) and find myself fairly hungry and not really loosing much weight at this point (I have lost about 11 pounds but over about 6-7 months. Definitely nowhere near 1-2 pounds a week….
any thoughts, adive, suggestions would be much appreciated!
There is no way that you are not losing weight eating only 1152 calories per week. You must have made major mistakes calculating your calories OR you overeat significantly on a couple days per week. Fat is very low. Try including slightly fattier sources of protein in your diet (ex: roast beef, flank steak, 90% lean ground beef, eggs/egg whites). Also you can bump up carbs to 100-120 minimum.
Most of what I have been reading has been directed towards men. Do these same “rules” apply to women? I am 5′ 5″ and weigh 220. I have food sensitivities and my physician has advised me to go to a grain free/soy free/legume free diet. I love kettlebell, lifting, and bodyweight exercises. I am proportioned with an hourglass figure. I want to lose all over and get cut in the legs. I’m not looking for a significantly low percent of body fat. I want to be fit! I have done 2 rounds of Insanity. I do kettlebell training. I am not seeing fat loss like I’d like. I just started my new “diet” noted above. Any feedback on how to proceed is appreciated.
What do you recommended my goal weight should be with using this diet? I’m 6’1 and 178 pounds
Impossible to say! Depends on how much muscle mass you have. I would aim for a 32.5-33″ waist at your height. (measured around bellybutton).
hey man you have information here!
what would you reccomend in 5″9 and 154 pounds at around 12% i want to get lean and then start to build some muscle how would i go about doing this calorie wise and with protein fat and carbs?
For fat loss you’re looking at 10-12 calories per pound of bodyweight, 1 gram of protein per pound, 25-30% fat, rest carbs. For building muscle start with 16 calories per pound of bodyweight. You want to gain around 2 lbs a month. If you’re gaining faster, reduce calories. If you’re gaining slower, increase calories.
and another question if you do IF everyday for around 16 hours does it matter as much if you take in a lot of carbs because I dont get in much calories with just protein and fats at all because I really want to get lean?
Protein is very important during dieting. It will help you stay full and maintain muscle. Fat is important for testosterone functioning and long term fullness. Carbs are fine as long as you stay in a calorie deficit.
Hey Greg,
First of all, I’m male, 5’8 and 185 lbs. Really want to make change in my life and my body.
Do you recommend this “Eat Like a Model – Lift like a Bodybuilder” method for me to fat loss and shape my body?
How many lbs in a month (average) can I lose the weight/fat with this method?
Thanks you very much Greg. I hope you could help me to make my goal.
Regards,
Durna
That was one of my original articles. My fat loss approach has change since. Check out my beach ripped article.
I just read your beach ripped article. I guess I’ll have to wait for Beach Ripped Part Two & Three. Can’t hardly wait for it.
Really want to start a good program for my fat loss and body shape.
Hey Greg, thanks for the great article. Quick question, do you make your own protein shake, if so how? What would you put into it to know exactly the amount of protein amd calories it has?
Or, if you purchase them is there a fairly inexpensive brand you would recommend?
Track the grams of protein powder you are using. I like to use unsweetened almond milk to mix with. This usually has 40 calories per cup. Then you can add some healthy fats to the protein shake. 1-2 tablespoons of coconut milk is amazing.
I don’t understand the fasting process. So you fast at 10 pm then you eat at 10 pm the next night? You only have one meal the next day?
Yes, that’s precisely it. Although I prefer to do a 21-22 hour fast. This gives you a 2-3 hour window to consume your meal. These longer fasts should only be done once or twice per week.
Hey Greg ,
what are the rep ranges are you talking about if skinny? And is second phase visual impact good for skinny guys to build bigger muscles cause i am confused didn’t gain much in the 1st phase of vi and now getting defined but still not getting bigger. Any pointers would be really helpful ? At 134 lbs 5 feet 7 inches , 28 waist , bmi 21.5 body fat 18 percent. Though i think both bmi and body fat are incorrect cause used the hand held electronic calculator. Cheers
Anywhere from 5-12 reps will help with building muscle. Phase two will help build muscle as well.
Thanks bud for the reply and tip. Cheers