Lately, quite a few people have been asking what I’ve been doing differently to achieve my new more ripped and lean physique. I’ll be making lots of videos discussing it all over the next few months but as I’m quite pleased with the results I thought I’d share the basics, here.
So, this is what I’ve been doing differently with my diet and training, broken into three specific changes.
Change 1: My No-Friction Training Approach
I switched back to my home workouts and stopped trying to lift very heavy. I can bench 135kg and when would I ever need more than that? To achieve my current goals (things like front lever, planche, cleaner handstand push ups, better martial arts, faster running, healthier back) I need technique and mobility and not just more strength.
To that end, I’m focussing on shorter “no friction” workouts which drastically improved my adherence and frequency and reduced injuries.
Instead of tracking each lift I just train until I feel a stimulus. This way I can bash out a bunch of dips or goblet curls anywhere and get benefits – not even as part of my workout. And the fatigue is minimal. Higher rep ranges mean I build more strength endurance and also means most of my training serves both as strength training AND cardio – helping me stay at a deficit without starving myself.
I don’t need to track progressive overload because I train close to failure, each time. If I do this, I will naturally lift more/for longer/with more control. It takes care of itself even when you don’t obsess over it.
SUPERFUNCTIONAL 3: SUPERMOVER - SPRING SALE!
Supermover is a program that builds an athletic physique and functional performance with short, accessible, & fun home workouts.
GET SUPERMOVER HERE!
I’ve tested myself with dumbbell presses and some other lifts and I’ve not lost any strength.
Other than high rep Bodyweight stuff, kettlebells, and dumbbells I’m also doing some harder calisthenics progressions with a slower tempo. I train those less frequently. My lats have grown from advanced front lever progressions and my side delts have grown from light lateral raises (it’s so easy!). This made a big difference to my proportions overall!
My physique appears to have improved a lot in the last few months because I’ve lost those crucial last few percentage points of body fat. But the real progress was over the last year and a half where my consistency has just been so much better and where I’ve been hitting all those small areas I was overlooking before. The bigger lats, for example, really enhance overall proportions. They make a disproportional visual difference for how little has actually changed.
The routine I’ve been following is basically a modified version of the SUPERMOVER workout that you can buy from this site. Use code SUPERFUNCTIONALKB and you can get $15 off a purchase.
SUPERMOVER – SuperFunctional Training 3
SuperMover offers a full training program, 200 page ebook, and 26 video tutorials to help you build an elite, athletic physique.
Change 2: Body Recomposition
I’m eating at a slight deficit (with 1-2 cheat days or “re-feeds”, weekly). I’m not interested in bulking and cutting and bulking and cutting ad nauseam. I don’t think that’s particularly healthy and I don’t like the idea of becoming very heavy for long periods.
But I DID want to get to a lower body fat percentage by doing a body recomposition. After that I plan to maintain. I calculate my AMR (active metabolic rate – the amount of calories you use in a day) with some unique differences. For example, I actually calculate my AMR daily and use a slightly lower calculation than most people. I’ll discuss all this in future when I make some in-depth posts on my diet.
I’m by no means starving myself: I still eat plenty of cake and other good stuff. I’m in no rush – slow and steady wins the race. It honestly hasn’t been that hard to maintain this current diet and I’d say I appreciate food more as a result of having some guidelines around it.
Why did I start doing this now?
I wanted to get leaner for the channel – yes – but also for my skills training and because I thought I’d feel better being leaner at this age (the bigger they come…). I was right – I feel faster, more explosive, and less fragile.
I had a bit of an awakening at a playground with my son. He asked me to do go upside down on a bar and I just remember thinking how much damage it would do if I fell off. I felt old and heavy and I was nervous to do a movement countless times before. I had this insight that if I was leaner, I would survive those kinds of accidents a lot easier and feel much lighter going over.
Again, I was right. I’ve been back since and I felt MUCH free-er on the bar.
Change 3: Lower Protein
I think what got me thinking about losing weight at all, though, was the decision to consume less protein.
I’d been convinced by some studies and by content from the likes of Alex Leonidas that I didn’t need to eat so much protein. And a post by Different Breed Coaching reminded me how bloated you could feel stuffing yourself with protein shake and protein bars. So, I cut them out and started eating “generally high protein” as opposed to supplementing with extra protein or chasing specific numbers (previously I aimed for the 1g or protein per 1lb of bodyweight).
I actually wrote a much more detailed post on my new views about protein intake.
Doing this suddenly makes it way easier to keep calories down and still enjoy a varied diet. I’m eating around 100g of protein daily but I’m not strict with that at all.
I’m thinking of it less as eating a bunch of protein and calories then trying to force the body to do something with it and more as trying to reorganise everything that’s already there into a lean and powerful package.
Again, this is a very brief overview. I will be delving into all these topics in more detail in the coming months. So, stay tuned!
