Welcome to School of Gainz Training 101: a comprehensive training program with various templates to help you optimize your progress regardless of whether you’re a true beginner or an intermediate lifter. Getting started on your fitness journey can not only be an intimidating endeavor, but a confusing one as well. There is so much information available to us in this day and age, and as a beginner, it’s really difficult to decipher between quality information and gimmicks.
This led me to write Training 101. It was time to create a scientifically backed program so you can take full advantage of the amazing progress you can make as a beginner!
that you must do a heavy bulk to gain muscle and that it is impossible to build muscle while losing fat. But the latest scientific research tells us that simply isn’t true.
If you want to learn how to completely transform your body by gaining muscle WHILE losing fat, this is the best truly science-based guide for doing it!
You will learn exactly how to set up your calories, protein, carbs and fats depending on whether your main goal is to build muscle, lose fat or do both equally.
Even though a flexible approach is encouraged, meaning no foods are strictly “off limits”, there are still MANY details we should pay attention to for the best results. The sample meal plans included can take the guesswork out for you when it comes to food choices.
How much cardio? What type? LISS, HIIT, both or neither? Should you do cardio before or after weights? What about fasted cardio and stubborn fat? All your questions are answered in Chapter 12.
Supplements are not the most important factor for your transformation, but they can make a difference when it comes to body recomp. You will learn the 3 Supplements Tiers based on safety, cost and efficacy.
How much sleep do you really need for body recomp? What are the best tips for getting more and better quality sleep for muscle repair and recovery? Chapter 14 explains everything you need to know about sleep and stress.
While the majority of the book is dedicated to diet, there is still a full chapter dedicated to weight training for body recomp. Sample splits and programming details are included.
Often neglected by many people these days, how you time your nutrition around your workouts can actually impact how well you recomp. You will learn how to time your meals around training to maximize performance and recovery.
Chapter 6 is titled “The Art of Self-Coaching” and will explain how to adjust your diet on the fly and exactly what to do once you’ve reached your target level of bodyfat to keep progress coming.
"Your book has really helped me get in the best shape of my life at 38 years old! & I've been training for 15+ yrs. If you feel like you’re spinning your wheels and haven’t been able to dial in your nutrition, the Ultimate Guide to Body Recomposition walks you through a step-by-step process to set up your diet (calories & macros) & teaches you how to optimize your peri-workout nutrition, when to make adjustments & why, how to potentially use cardio as a tool & much much more."
Yes, of course! Chapter 8 explains exactly how to set up your calories, protein, carbs and fats based on your bodyweight, estimated bodyfat, and other factors specific to you. There are many detailed examples given for calculating macros based on whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced trainee.
Yes! Anyone who is looking to build muscle and lose fat will benefit from this plan. It includes multiple examples of different males and females with different ages, experience levels, and goals to teach you how YOUR nutritional approach should be optimized to build muscle and lose fat!
Yes! Chapter 9 specifically discusses important protein considerations for vegans. For example, you will learn the importance of consuming complete proteins that have all nine essential amino acids and their role in muscle protein synthesis (crucial for recovery and growth). There are practical examples of how pairing two incomplete proteins can be used to ensure that your meal contains all essential amino acids. There are further details included that dive into the science and make practical recommendations for vegans and vegetarians.
Yes! Chapter 12 explains the frequency (times per week), intensity (high or low), and different modalities of cardio you should use, while also providing multiple examples with mock-subjects who have different goals, starting points and dietary approaches.
Yes, even people with lifting experience can recomp. The latest research shows that trained individuals build muscle while losing fat quite commonly in exercise science studies. If you’d like a little more background, check out my video explaining the science behind body recomposition.
Recomp. Because of the muscle memory effect, you will be able to build muscle very quickly, making it quite simple to see simultaneous muscle gain and fat loss. Whether you should enter a caloric surplus, caloric deficit or eat maintenance calories depends on your current bodyfat level, how long your break was and a few other factors. The book details exactly how to set this up to best leverage the muscle memory effect and transform your physique efficiently.
“Skinny fat” is a slang term for people who have a high bodyfat %, but low level of muscularity. While a bulking approach may be tempting (since you want to build muscle quickly), bulking will lead to even more fat gain, along with the potential associated health risks. Probably not the best option. Cutting may also be tempting (since you want to lose fat quickly), but an aggressive cut will seriously dampen your muscle building goals. This is why recomp is the ideal route for anyone who falls in the “skinny fat” category. Chapter 7 is entirely dedicated to “The Skinny Fat Dilemma”.