Since I started writing fitness related blog posts, I have covered quite a few things that I am passionate about. Shredding is by far the one thing that I am most passionate about. In this blog I wanted to share some helpful tips on getting cut and burning fat. I will share what typically works and what has worked for me.

Nutrition is by far the most important part of cutting. We have all heard that fitness is 30% exercise and 70% nutrition, and that abs are made in the kitchen. This is all very true. To get cut you will have to design your caloric intake very precisely. I recommend starting with a deficit of about 200-300 calories. This would be a good starting point but real progress will be made when you are in a much bigger deficit. But we need to ensure that we are not loosing muscle just to loose some fat. So what we need to do is, to slowly decrease calories each week or two.

Next thing also associated with nutrition is protein intake. Personally my goal is to make sure that I am loosing fat. I am not concerned with loosing weight. Loosing fat is the main purpose. Therefore it is important to keep your protein intake very high in this time to make sure you are keeping as much of the muscle as possible and only loosing fat. This will be done by keeping your protein intake at approximately 1 gram for 1 pound of body weight. This is the ideal amount of protein.

Next thing I want to talk about is training. You need to lift as heavy as possible. One of the biggest downsides of going through a cut is that you will loose strength. But you have to keep in mind that it is only temporary and it will return once you are done with your cut. But in this time you need to challenge yourself every day and still try to lift as heavy as you possibly can. I also recommend increase the rep ranges to loose more fat. But there is no need to over train.

Next thing I would like to mention is cardio. Let’s face it… Cardio is not fun and no one like to do it. But cardio can make all the difference in the world when it comes down to shredding. I would recommend you increase your cardio as you are decreasing your calories every two weeks. When I am going through a cut I try to push myself on cardio. I hate cardio so I try to burn 150-200 calories each day.

Lastly I wanted to talk about supplements. You can do all of this without supplements but they can help big time if you do it right. People who say supplements don’t work, don’t know how to use them. Fat burning supplement will work only if you are in a deficit. They will expedite the process. Caffeine is by far the best one. I personally would recommend taking carnitine, it is a great tool to help you aide in burning fat.

I know it is currently hard to go to the gym during quarantine. But this is the best time to start. You can go for a run and burn some fat. Doing something is better than doing nothing. As always remember the best advice is to start where you are, do what you can, and use what you have.

To maximize muscle growth you want to be in caloric surplus. This is simple eat more calories compared to what you are burning daily. Consuming more calories will do a lot of different things. It will give you more energy through out the day, mainly so you can put more into your workouts. And it will raise your testosterone levels. Testosterone is what builds muscle, it’s good to have a surplus. In addition your muscle protein synthesis increases which reduces the protein breakdown by your body.

This does not mean you can eat whatever is insight. You will not make a lot of progress if you eat a few mac doubles every day. This has to be quality food that has a ton of quality protein. Start with a small caloric surplus, just above your maintenance calories and then take it from there.

Next I would recommend lifting heavy. Focus on getting stronger. You will need to gradually need to increase the weight you are lifting and also the intensity of the workout. This is what is called progressive overload. You can increase the volume of training. Increase the overall reps and sets that you put in day to day. Slowly you will be able to gain more strength and lift more. When you lift more, you will get bigger add size and muscle.

Even though you want to lift as heavy as possible, you still need to do that with proper form. Proper range of motion is very important. If you want to maximize your gains, you cannot use partial motion in your training. You need to learn proper form when you first start working out because when a few months pass, training will become a part of your life and your form will be subconsciously incorporated.

Eventually you will develop mind muscle connection. That is the most beautiful thing ever. It’s like you’re communicating with your muscles through weights. I can’t really explain it but it is a great feeling. You eventually develop this ability that lets you go on auto pilot while working out.

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One thing I would definitely recommend is to train your muscles twice every week. Think about it… If you are training each muscle group once each week, you are hitting it 52 times a year. If you properly train each muscle group twice, this brings the grand total to 104 times. This is a great way to maximize your potential. Only thing is to make sure you get at least 48 hours rest before hitting the same muscle group again.

These tips are very simple yet very effective. Lastly my call to action is to get out there and try. Do something! Start where you can, do what you can, and use what you have.

I was watching this YouTube video and a few guys were getting their pictures photo shopped to make them look like male models. It was an interesting video. These guys are amazed by the end result of their edited picture which made them looked ripped. The video ends by each of the four guys saying that no one has time to work on a great physique, and that only actors have the money and time to do it. That is straight up BS!

That is the lamest excuse. It all comes down to how badly you want it. I want to write this blog to tell you that you can achieve any physique you want. I can’t believe people think that only actors have the time and money to build a great body.

You just need to want it bad! That’s step one. Work on your dream physique every day and eventually you will get there. Let’s put this in perspective. You have 168 hours each week. Let’s say you work 50 hours a week at work, 20 hours with your family, 60 hours sleeping, and another 20 for eating and other stuff. You still have 18 hours a week left! You only need to utilize 5 of those at the gym each week to get some serious results! So time should not be an issue!

Next up is the myth that you need a lot of money to get in shape…
No you don’t! You buy food anyways, you just need to clean up your diet a little bit. Other than that I recommend buying some basic supplements but that is only a recommendation. Even if you end up buying the best supplements they do not cost crazy. Let’s break it down. The only two supplements you will need are creatine and whey protein. You can buy a months worth of protein supply for like $50 and $30 worth creatine will last you 3-4 months. So there…. getting in shape does not require movie star money.

You do not need a Hollywood trainer either. You just need to learn certain workouts. You can get a world class education on YouTube. Try to Google some research articles if you wanna dive deeper into the science.

No matter how crazy your schedule is, you can still get ripped. It comes down to how badly you want that. Money and time is an excuse. A pretty lame one at that. Lastly my call to action is to get out there and try. Do something! Start where you can, do what you can, and use what you have.