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Have you reached your muscle-building potential, or have you just reached the limits of the way you’ve been training? A lot of people come to me convinced body recomposition is no longer possible because they’ve been lifting for five, eight, or even ten years. But once I look at their programming, effort, nutrition & recovery, there are often major opportunities they’ve never addressed. They have years of gym experience. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve spent those years training effectively for the physique they want. On this episode of the CHASING CLARITY HEALTH & FITNESS PODCAST, I’m joined by Chris Barakat, researcher, physique coach & coauthor of the 2020 narrative review Body Recomposition: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?  We discuss the difference between training age & training advancement, what Chris has observed in the research he’s been involved with, and the changes we prioritize with clients who want to build muscle while losing fat. From training effort & productive volume to calorie intake, protein, peri-workout fueling & scale fixation, this conversation is about identifying what’s limiting your progress before assuming you’ve reached your ceiling. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER: TRAINING AGE VS. TRAINING ADVANCEMENT & WHY YEARS IN THE GYM DON’T TELL THE WHOLE STORY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORKING OUT & TRAINING WITH STRUCTURE, INTENT & PROGRESSION ASSESSING RECOMP POTENTIAL IN CROSSFITTERS, ATHLETES & EXPERIENCED LIFESTYLE LIFTERS CHRIS’ RESEARCH WITH COLLEGIATE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS & WHAT THEIR BODY COMPOSITION CHANGES REVEAL MAINTENANCE VS. A CALORIE DEFICIT & THE TRADE-OFF BETWEEN FASTER FAT LOSS & MUSCLE GAIN HOW I SET PROTEIN TARGETS BASED ON BODY FAT LEVEL & DISTRIBUTE INTAKE THROUGHOUT THE DAY PERI-WORKOUT NUTRITION & FUELING THE TRAINING THAT DRIVES THE MUSCLE SIDE OF RECOMP PROXIMITY TO FAILURE, RIR ACCURACY & LEARNING TO TRAIN WITH GREATER EFFORT PRODUCTIVE TRAINING VOLUME, EXERCISE EXECUTION & LOGBOOK PROGRESSION HOW SCALE FIXATION & PREMATURE PLAN CHANGES CAN WORK AGAINST YOUR RECOMP GOALS WHY I USE A PRIMER PHASE TO BUILD STRUCTURE BEFORE PUSHING RESTRICTION SELF-BELIEF, PATIENCE & THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “I HAVEN’T DONE IT” & “I CAN’T DO IT” If you’re putting time into the gym without seeing the physique changes you want, cutting calories without improving your training, or convinced you’re too experienced to recomp, this episode will help you evaluate what needs to change. You may not have discovered your ceiling. You may have discovered the ceiling of your current approach. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw WHERE TO CONNECT WITH CHRIS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christopher.barakat/

Most people who want to build muscle and lose fat at the same time are doing everything right on paper except the one thing that actually changes their physique: how they train. You've dialed in calories. You're hitting protein. You're consistent in the gym. And you still look the same as you did a year ago. If that sounds familiar, the issue probably isn't your diet. It's that you've been working out instead of training. This is the fourth episode of the body recomposition series with Jeff Hoehn, host of the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast. Parts one through three covered what recomp is, who can do it, why women are physiologically primed for it, and the nutrition levers that drive it. This episode covers the lever that transforms the physique: training. HERE'S WHAT WE COVER:WHY NUTRITION SETS THE STAGE FOR RECOMP BUT TRAINING IS WHAT ACTUALLY TRANSFORMS YOUR PHYSIQUEWHY THE MARGIN FOR ERROR IS NARROWER IN A RECOMP THAN IN A BUILDING PHASEWORKING OUT VS. TRAINING & WHY ONLY ONE OF THEM DRIVES RECOMPTHE GAP WE SEE IN ALMOST EVERYONE WHO'S CONSISTENT IN THE GYM BUT HASN'T CHANGEDPROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD AS THE PRINCIPLE EVERY OTHER TRAINING VARIABLE POINTS TOWARDWHY TRAINING CLOSE TO FAILURE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE WHEN CALORIES AREN'T IN A SURPLUSTHE REP-SPEED CUE THAT TELLS YOU WHETHER YOU WERE ACTUALLY CLOSE TO FAILURETRAINING QUALITY VS. TRAINING QUANTITY & WHY EVERY SET HAS TO EARN ITS PLACETRAINING WITH INTENT: LOAD, REP QUALITY, VELOCITY, EXECUTION & TRACKINGWHY YOU CAN'T BEAT LAST WEEK IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST WEEKTRAINING FREQUENCYREP RANGES, LOADING & THE DOUBLE PROGRESSION MODEL THAT DRIVES OVERLOAD If you've been consistent in the gym for years and your physique hasn't changed, if you've nailed your nutrition and can't figure out why the muscle isn't showing up, or if you're a coach who wants a clear framework for programming recomp phases, this episode gives you the training side of the playbook. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon's Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDShttps://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw Until next time, keep chasing clarity. #ChasingClarity #MindMuscleConnection #BodyRecomp #BodyRecomposition #TrainingForRecomp #HypertrophyTraining #ProgressiveOverload #TrainToFailure #BuildMuscleLoseFat #JeffHoehn #EvidenceBasedFitness #PhysiqueCoaching #ScienceBasedTraining #HealthCentricCoaching #WorkingOutVsTraining

How much protein do you actually need to maximize muscle growth, preserve lean mass during fat loss, manage hunger & optimize your body composition? Protein is one of the most researched nutrients in sports nutrition, yet there is still a tremendous amount of confusion surrounding how much we need, how often we should consume it, which sources are best & whether higher protein intakes provide additional benefits. On this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined by my good friend Dr. Mikki Williden for our third collaborative episode between Chasing Clarity & MIKKIPEDIA. Together, we break down the science of dietary protein, combining the latest research with our experience working with clients to help you understand how to optimize protein intake for muscle growth, fat loss, satiety, performance & metabolic health. One of the central themes of this discussion is that there is no single perfect protein intake that applies to everyone. The amount of protein required to maximize muscle growth during a Building Phase may be very different from what we recommend to someone in a calorie deficit, an advanced physique athlete approaching contest condition, or an older adult trying to preserve muscle. Throughout this masterclass, we explain how to individualize protein intake based on your goals, body composition, energy availability & risk of muscle loss while separating what actually matters from the nutritional details people tend to overcomplicate. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER: WHY DIETARY PROTEIN IS ESSENTIAL FOR MUSCLE GROWTH, RECOVERY & LEAN MASS RETENTION MUSCLE PROTEIN SYNTHESIS VS MUSCLE PROTEIN BREAKDOWN & HOW RESISTANCE TRAINING INTERACTS WITH DIETARY PROTEIN WHY THE RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCE (RDA) ISN’T AN OPTIMAL MUSCLE-BUILDING PROTEIN TARGET WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS ABOUT THE IDEAL DAILY PROTEIN INTAKE FOR MAXIMIZING HYPERTROPHY WHY 1.6–2.2 G/KG/DAY IS AN EFFECTIVE RANGE FOR MOST RESISTANCE-TRAINED INDIVIDUALS WHY PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS MAY INCREASE DURING A CALORIE DEFICIT HOW DEFICIT SIZE, BODY-FAT PERCENTAGE & TRAINING ADVANCEMENT INFLUENCE MUSCLE-LOSS RISK BREAKING DOWN THE REFALO, TREXLER & HELMS META-REGRESSION ON PROTEIN INTAKE DURING FAT LOSS WHY HIGHER-PROTEIN DIETS CAN IMPROVE SATIETY, DIET SATISFACTION & ADHERENCE PROTEIN QUALITY: ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS, LEUCINE & DIGESTIBILITY ANIMAL VS PLANT PROTEIN FOR MAXIMIZING MUSCLE GROWTH HOW MANY PROTEIN-CONTAINING MEALS SHOULD YOU EAT PER DAY? PROTEIN DISTRIBUTION, NUTRIENT TIMING & THE ANABOLIC WINDOW PRACTICAL PROTEIN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BUILDING, RECOMP & FAT LOSS PHASES PROTEIN CONSIDERATIONS FOR VERY LEAN PHYSIQUE ATHLETES, ENDURANCE ATHLETES, OLDER ADULTS & VEGANS If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re eating enough protein, whether you need to increase your intake during fat loss, or whether protein timing and quality are as important as the fitness industry makes them seem, this episode will help you separate the science from the misconceptions. The goal isn’t to consume the highest amount of protein possible. It’s to consume the right amount for the outcome you’re trying to achieve. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] Follow Mikki on IG: https://instagram.com/mikkiwilliden?psln=eHJzNDk1NTU4cWJ1 My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

What if you could cut a significant amount of time off your workouts without sacrificing the training volume and hypertrophic stimulus you need to keep progressing? In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Eric Helms for a deep dive into TIME-EFFICIENT RESISTANCE TRAINING STRATEGIES for intermediate and advanced lifters who still want to maximize muscle growth but no longer want, or are no longer able, to spend 90 minutes to 2+ hours in the gym. This is NOT A MINIMUM EFFECTIVE DOSE EPISODE. The goal is not to figure out how little training you can get away with. The goal is to figure out how to maintain a high-quality, relatively high-volume hypertrophy program while getting more productive work out of every minute you spend in the gym. In this episode, we cover:  HOW TO USE SUPERSETS TO REDUCE SESSION DURATION WITHOUT SACRIFICING TRAINING VOLUME  AGONIST VS. ANTAGONIST VS. PERIPHERAL SUPERSETS  WHY ANTAGONIST SUPERSETS MAY PROVIDE THE CLEANEST TRADE-OFF BETWEEN TIME SAVINGS & PERFORMANCE  HOW TO CHOOSE EXERCISE PAIRINGS WITHOUT CREATING EXCESSIVE SYSTEMIC FATIGUE  WHY CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS MATTERS WHEN USING TIME-EFFICIENT TRAINING METHODS  HOW TO PRESERVE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR EXERCISES WHILE MAKING THE REST OF YOUR SESSION MORE EFFICIENT  DROP SETS VS. TRADITIONAL SETS FOR HYPERTROPHY  WHY DROP SETS CAN SAVE 30–50% OF TRAINING TIME DESPITE PROVIDING A LOWER STIMULUS PER INDIVIDUAL SET  WHERE DROP SETS WORK BEST & WHICH EXERCISES ARE POOR CANDIDATES  REST-PAUSE TRAINING & HOW IT COMPARES TO DROP SETS AND TRADITIONAL SETS  WHEN REST-PAUSE MAY MAKE SENSE FOR PRESERVING HEAVIER LOAD EXPOSURE  WHY HIGHLY FATIGUING FREE-WEIGHT COMPOUNDS MAY NOT BE THE BEST FIT FOR THESE TECHNIQUES The biggest takeaway from this conversation is that TIME-EFFICIENT TRAINING IS NOT ABOUT DOING LESS. It’s about reorganizing your training so you can preserve as much volume, performance, and hypertrophic stimulus as possible while significantly reducing the time cost. If you’re an experienced lifter whose life has gotten busier but your physique goals haven’t changed, this episode is for you. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

For most of my career I would have told you spot reduction was a myth, and I would have been right to, because that’s what the evidence supported at the time. But over the last decade the research has moved, and it changed my position from “this is impossible” to “this is a small, real effect you can take advantage of under very specific conditions.” Almost every client I’ve ever worked with has a body part they’re self conscious about. For some it’s the lower abs and low back, for others it’s the arms, and for a lot of the women I coach it’s the hips, glutes and thighs.  The question that always comes with it is some version of “what can I do to lose the fat right here.” After coaching over 1,200 clients across the past 16 years, this is one of the most common things people want solved, and it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, I walk through why the old research earned it the “myth” label and why that conclusion was reasonable at the time, the three step physiology of how fat is actually lost, why certain regions fight back harder than others, the mechanism and intervention studies that shifted the conversation, and exactly how I program this with clients when someone comes to me with a stubborn area they want to bring in. Spot reduction isn’t a myth, but it’s also not a miracle. It’s a small, real effect you layer on top of the fundamentals once the fundamentals are already handled. And by the end of this episode you’ll know exactly how to use it. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER:  WHY SPOT REDUCTION ISN’T A MYTH, BUT ALSO ISN’T A MIRACLE WHY THE CRUNCH-YOUR-WAY-TO-A-SIX-PACK VERSION IS STILL A FANTASY  HOW TO REDEFINE SPOT REDUCTION AS A STACK OF CONDITIONS RATHER THAN A SINGLE EXERCISE  WHY THE FITNESS INDUSTRY LABELED SPOT REDUCTION A MYTH FOR SO LONG  THE THREE STUDY DESIGN FLAWS THAT MADE THE OLD RESEARCH COME UP EMPTY  THE THREE STEP PHYSIOLOGY OF FAT LOSS: LIPOLYSIS, TRANSPORT, AND OXIDATION  WHY BREAKING FAT OUT OF A FAT CELL IS NOT THE SAME AS LOSING IT HOW RE-ESTERIFICATION QUIETLY PUTS MOBILIZED FAT RIGHT BACK INTO STORAGE  WHY SOME REGIONS RESIST FAT LOSS: ALPHA AND BETA ADRENERGIC RECEPTORS  THE GAS PEDAL AND BRAKE MODEL OF FAT MOBILIZATION  WHY MEN STORE FAT CENTRALLY AND WOMEN STORE IT IN THE LOWER BODY  WHY DOING RESISTANCE TRAINING BEFORE CARDIO INCREASES FAT OXIDATION  THE INTERVENTION STUDIES THAT FOUND PREFERENTIAL FAT LOSS FROM THE TRAINED REGION   HOW I PROGRAM TARGETED FAT LOSS WITH CLIENTS, AND WHY THE ORDER MATTERS  WHY THE CALORIE DEFICIT IS THE FOUNDATION THE ENTIRE STRATEGY RELIES ON  HOW I USED THIS APPROACH TO BRING IN A CLIENT’S STUBBORN LOWER BACK FOR THE STAGE  THE FOUR MOST COMMON MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE WHEN TRYING TO TARGET A STUBBORN AREA If you’ve ever had one area that just won’t budge no matter how lean you get, if you’ve been told spot reduction is impossible and taken it as settled fact, or if you want to know how to actually target a stubborn region the right way, this episode is going to give you the science and the exact strategy to do it. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

What actually separates the people who successfully lose body fat, keep it off, and build a better physique from those who spend years bouncing between diets without making lasting progress? On this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined by Stan Efferding, IFBB professional bodybuilder, world-record-setting powerlifter, author, coach, entrepreneur, and creator of the Vertical Diet. But this isn’t another podcast about the Vertical Diet. Instead, Stan and I break down the fundamentals that actually move the needle when your goal is to get lean, stay lean, preserve muscle during a Fat Loss Phase, and build more muscle over time. We start by looking at what successful dieters actually do differently, including lessons from the National Weight Control Registry and why having a plan, meal prepping, self-monitoring, staying active, and maintaining consistency across weekends and holidays can matter more than finding another “perfect” diet. From there, we break down how to make fat loss easier to adhere to by improving satiety and managing hunger. We cover protein, fiber, food volume, eating rate, food processing, palatability, meal consistency, and why structuring your diet intelligently can reduce how much willpower you need to rely on. We also discuss how to lose body fat while preserving lean mass, why resistance training needs to remain a priority during a deficit, how protein and carbohydrates support the process, and why faster weight loss isn’t automatically better fat loss. Then we get into one of the simplest interventions both of us use with clients: 10-minute walks. We explain why short bouts of walking, particularly after meals, can improve post-meal glucose control, increase daily movement, and provide meaningful benefits with almost no recovery cost. Finally, we break down the fundamentals of hypertrophy training and discuss how Stan’s thinking around nutrition and training has evolved throughout his decades in the industry. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER: WHAT SUCCESSFUL DIETERS DO DIFFERENTLY WHY LOSING WEIGHT & KEEPING IT OFF REQUIRE DIFFERENT SKILLS LESSONS FROM THE NATIONAL WEIGHT CONTROL REGISTRY WHY HAVING A PLAN MATTERS MORE THAN SIMPLY HAVING A GOAL MEAL PREP, DEFAULT MEALS & REDUCING DECISION FATIGUE HOW SELF-MONITORING HELPS PREVENT WEIGHT REGAIN THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO MANAGE HUNGER DURING FAT LOSS WHY PROTEIN IS SUCH A POWERFUL SATIETY TOOL FIBER, FOOD VOLUME & ENERGY DENSITY HOW ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS CAN PROMOTE PASSIVE OVERCONSUMPTION PALATABILITY, FOOD REWARD & CONSISTENT MEALS HOW TO LOSE BODY FAT WHILE PRESERVING LEAN MASS WHY DEFICIT SIZE & RATE OF LOSS MATTER PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS DURING A CALORIE DEFICIT WHY YOU SHOULD CONTINUE TRAINING HARD WHILE DIETING HOW CARBOHYDRATES SUPPORT TRAINING PERFORMANCE DURING FAT LOSS THE RESEARCH-BACKED BENEFITS OF 10-MINUTE POST-MEAL WALKS WHY WALKING IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST-RETURN, LOWEST-FATIGUE TOOLS AVAILABLE THE TRAINING VARIABLES THAT ACTUALLY DRIVE MUSCLE GROWTH VOLUME, PROXIMITY TO FAILURE, REP RANGES & PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD HOW STAN’S VIEWS ON NUTRITION & TRAINING HAVE EVOLVED OVER TIME If you’ve struggled to lose fat without losing muscle, repeatedly regained weight after dieting, or spent years searching for advanced strategies while overlooking the fundamentals, this episode will help you simplify the process and focus on what actually moves the needle. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected]

Everyone wants to know if you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. But the more important question is how you actually program for it. Over the first two episodes of this series, Jeff and I built the case that recomp is real, covered who can do it, and broke down why women may be especially primed for it. Now it's time to get tactical. In this episode of the CHASING CLARITY HEALTH & FITNESS PODCAST, I'm joined again by Jeff Hoehn, host of the Mind Muscle Connection Podcast, to walk through the exact nutrition and energy-balance levers we pull with clients to actually drive body recomposition in the real world. This is the practical playbook: how we set calories, where we put protein, how we use carbs, and how we handle dietary fat to build muscle and lose fat at the same time. WE GET INTO:  WHY WE START MOST CLIENTS AT MAINTENANCE INSTEAD OF DIVING STRAIGHT INTO A DEFICIT  THE 500-CALORIE THRESHOLD WHERE MUSCLE GAIN STARTS TO FALL APART (AND THE RESEARCH BEHIND IT)  HOW WE TITRATE A SMALL, CONSERVATIVE DEFICIT TO DRIVE FAT LOSS WITHOUT KILLING MUSCLE GROWTH  WHY PROTEIN IS THE SINGLE HIGHEST-LEVERAGE DIETARY VARIABLE FOR RECOMP  OUR TIERED PROTEIN TARGETS BASED ON BODY FAT LEVEL & WHY PROTEIN DISTRIBUTION ACROSS THE DAY MATTERS  HOW TO USE CARBS TO FUEL TRAINING QUALITY, THE TRUE ENGINE OF RECOMP  CARB QUALITY, PERI-WORKOUT FUELING & WHY THE RIGHT CARB SOURCE DEPENDS ON THE PURPOSE OF THE MEAL  WHY DIETARY FAT GETS ALLOCATED LAST & THE TRUTH ABOUT LOW FAT, TESTOSTERONE & HORMONES DURING A DIET If you've ever wondered exactly how to set up your nutrition to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, this is the episode that turns the theory into an actual plan. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

Do refeeds and diet breaks actually improve fat loss, preserve your metabolism and help you maintain more muscle, or do they simply give you more calories and slow down your diet? In the second collaboration between the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast and MIKKIPEDIA, I’m joined again by my good friend Dr. Mikki Williden to break down the science and practical application of refeeds and diet breaks. Rather than a traditional interview, Mikki and I work through the same questions from our individual perspectives as evidence-based practitioners, combining the research with what we’ve learned from years of working with clients in the real world. We start by defining the major intermittent dieting strategies and explaining the important differences between a structured carbohydrate refeed, a diet break and an untracked cheat meal. From there, we break down what happens as a Fat Loss Phase progresses, including increases in hunger and food focus, reductions in energy expenditure and NEAT, declining training performance, diet fatigue and the increasing importance of lean-mass retention. We then take a deep dive into the research to answer what refeeds and diet breaks actually appear to do. TOPICS INCLUDE: CONTINUOUS VS. INTERMITTENT ENERGY RESTRICTION REFEEDS VS. DIET BREAKS VS. CHEAT MEALS WHY DIET FATIGUE INCREASES AS YOU GET LEANER HUNGER, LEPTIN, GHRELIN, PYY & APPETITE REGULATION METABOLIC ADAPTATION, RMR & NEAT DO REFEEDS PRESERVE LEAN MASS? CAN DIET BREAKS PREVENT YOUR METABOLISM FROM SLOWING DOWN? THE ICECAP TRIAL CARBOHYDRATE AVAILABILITY, GLYCOGEN & TRAINING PERFORMANCE HOW MIKKI AND I USE REFEEDS WITH CLIENTS WHEN I USE A LONGER DIET BREAK WHY PRACTICING MAINTENANCE MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED BENEFITS WHO BENEFITS MOST FROM THESE STRATEGIES WHY REFEEDS AND DIET BREAKS ARE TOOLS, NOT MANDATORY PARTS OF EVERY DIET Ultimately, the goal isn’t to make fat loss more complicated. It’s to understand which tools can help the right person continue making progress while managing hunger, performance, adherence and accumulated diet fatigue. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw Contact Mikki: https://mikkiwilliden.com/ https://www.instagram.com/mikkiwilliden/

Why do some muscle groups seem to grow from almost anything you throw at them while others lag behind for years? And when a body part refuses to keep pace with the rest of your physique, is it really genetics, or is the issue more often exercise selection, execution, volume, or the way your training is structured? On this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined once again by Dr. Eric Helms for a deep dive into how to diagnose and bring up stubborn or lagging muscle groups. We start by breaking down what actually qualifies as a lagging body part and why the term “stubborn muscle group” may sometimes oversimplify the problem. Eric explains how genetics, skeletal structure, muscle architecture, biomechanics, and even unrealistic physique expectations can influence how a muscle looks and develops, and why a body part that appears genetically disadvantaged may still have considerable room for improvement. From there, we get into one of the most important parts of the conversation: exercise selection. We discuss why simply performing an exercise that is commonly associated with a muscle does not guarantee that every region of that muscle is receiving an effective hypertrophy stimulus, why biarticular muscles create unique programming considerations, and where isolation work can fill gaps left by compound movements. We also get practical with how to determine whether the target muscle is actually becoming the limiting factor in an exercise using performance, pumps, soreness, drop sets, isolation movements, and other forms of training biofeedback. Then we move into specialization cycles and discuss when it makes sense to stop trying to grow everything equally and deliberately shift more of your training resources toward one lagging muscle group. TOPICS INCLUDE: WHAT ACTUALLY QUALIFIES AS A STUBBORN OR LAGGING MUSCLE GROUP GENETICS VERSUS PROGRAMMING AND EXERCISE-SELECTION PROBLEMS WHY DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE SAME MUSCLE MAY GROW DIFFERENTLY WHY SOME EXERCISES FAIL TO FULLY STIMULATE THE MUSCLE YOU THINK THEY DO COMPOUND VERSUS ISOLATION EXERCISES FOR COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE TARGET MUSCLE IS ACTUALLY LIMITING THE SET USING PUMPS, SORENESS, PERFORMANCE, AND OTHER BIOFEEDBACK INTELLIGENTLY WHY RANDOM EXERCISE VARIATION RARELY MAKES SENSE HOW MUCH EXERCISE VARIETY YOU ACTUALLY NEED WHEN SPECIALIZATION CYCLES BECOME APPROPRIATE HOW MUCH TO INCREASE VOLUME FOR A LAGGING MUSCLE GROUP WHY YOUR PREVIOUS TRAINING VOLUME MATTERS REALLOCATING VOLUME FROM DOMINANT MUSCLES TOWARD WEAK POINTS WHY EXERCISE QUALITY SHOULD USUALLY IMPROVE BEFORE VOLUME INCREASES BALANCING HYPERTROPHY STIMULUS AGAINST FATIGUE, JOINT STRESS, AND INJURY RISK SETTING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS FOR PROGRESS AS AN ADVANCED TRAINEE If you have a body part you’ve been calling “genetically stubborn” for years, this episode will give you a much better framework for determining why it is actually lagging and what variables you can change to get it progressing again. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

Do women actually need to train differently from men? Do women need to lift primarily in very low rep ranges to build muscle? Is HIIT uniquely superior for the female body? Does Zone 2 work differently for women? And when fat loss is the goal, should women prioritize intervals or lower-intensity continuous cardio? There has been an explosion of female-specific training advice across social media, and much of it sounds highly scientific. It references hormones, muscle-fiber types, metabolic flexibility, mitochondrial adaptations, menopause, and sex-specific physiology. But one of the biggest mistakes we continue to see is identifying a legitimate physiological difference between women and men and immediately turning it into a universal female-specific training recommendation. In this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Tony Boutagy for what I’m calling a Female Exercise Masterclass. Together, we separate social media fiction from the human evidence and discuss what actually matters when programming resistance training and cardio for women. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER: DO WOMEN ACTUALLY NEED TO TRAIN DIFFERENTLY FROM MEN? WHICH PHYSIOLOGICAL SEX DIFFERENCES ACTUALLY MATTER FOR PROGRAM DESIGN? DO WOMEN RESPOND DIFFERENTLY TO RESISTANCE TRAINING? THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABSOLUTE & RELATIVE MUSCLE GROWTH DO WOMEN NEED TO LIFT HEAVY TO BUILD MUSCLE? THE MYTH THAT WOMEN NEED TO TRAIN PRIMARILY IN THE 3–5 REP RANGE LOW-, MODERATE- & HIGH-LOAD TRAINING FOR HYPERTROPHY THE FOUNDATIONAL TRAINING PRINCIPLES THAT APPLY TO BOTH WOMEN & MEN WHY SHORT REST PERIODS AREN’T AUTOMATICALLY BETTER FOR WOMEN IS HIIT UNIQUELY SUPERIOR FOR WOMEN? WHY HARDER CARDIO DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN BETTER FAT LOSS HOW EXCESSIVE HIIT CAN IMPACT RECOVERY, NEAT & LIFTING PERFORMANCE IS ZONE 2 CARDIO LESS EFFECTIVE FOR WOMEN? THE PROBLEM WITH USING ANIMAL & MECHANISTIC RESEARCH TO CREATE FEMALE-SPECIFIC CARDIO RULES WHAT THE LARGEST HUMAN DATASET SHOWS ABOUT SEX, MENOPAUSE & MITOCHONDRIAL ADAPTATIONS HOW TO COMBINE RESISTANCE TRAINING & CARDIO FOR BUILDING MUSCLE WHILE LOSING BODY FAT HOW TO STRUCTURE CARDIO WITHOUT COMPROMISING LOWER-BODY TRAINING OR RECOVERY The goal of this episode is not to pretend that women and men are physiologically identical. It is to understand when those differences matter, how much they matter, and whether they are actually significant enough to change what we do in practice. Because not every sex difference requires a different training program. For most women, the fundamentals still matter most: Progressive overload Sufficient training volume High degrees of effort Appropriate proximity to failure Adequate recovery Strategically programmed cardio And consistency over time This episode gives women and coaches a clear, evidence-informed framework for cutting through the noise and building a training and cardio program around what actually drives results. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

Most people think getting shredded is just a matter of pushing the deficit harder and holding on longer. But the deeper you get into a fat loss phase, the more the rules change.  A calorie deficit doesn’t just reduce body fat, it actively shifts your body toward a catabolic state by lowering muscle protein synthesis, increasing muscle protein breakdown, and increasing protein oxidation.  And here’s the part most people miss: those effects get worse the leaner you get. Which means the strategies that worked at 20% body fat aren’t the strategies that will protect your muscle at 8%. Getting peeled isn’t about enduring more. It’s about knowing which variables need to change, and when. In this episode of CHASING CLARITY, I’m joined again by Dr. Eric Helms, WNBF professional natural bodybuilder, Co-Director at AUT in New Zealand, co-founder the MASS Research Review, and author of The Muscle & Strength Pyramid books. Eric is one of the most respected voices in evidence-based bodybuilding and nutrition, and in this conversation we get into the finer details of what it actually takes to get extremely lean while holding onto the muscle you spent years building. WE COVER: THE RATE OF LOSS YOU SHOULD TARGET WHEN GETTING SUPER LEAN WHY YOUR RATE OF LOSS SHOULD SLOW DOWN THE LEANER YOU GET THE DESCENDING AND DYNAMIC RATE OF LOSS APPROACH I USE WITH CLIENTS AND ERIC’S HONEST TAKE ON IT  HOW MUCH FLEXIBILITY EXISTS WITHIN THE 0.5 TO 1% PER WEEK GUIDELINE  HOW A CALORIE DEFICIT REDUCES MUSCLE PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND INCREASES BREAKDOWN  WHY PROTEIN OXIDATION IS HIGHER IN LEANER INDIVIDUALS THE NEW SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-REGRESSION ON PROTEIN INTAKE AND LEAN MASS RETENTION WHY PROTEIN INTAKE SHOULD SCALE WITH BODY FAT PERCENTAGE WHY I TREAT PROTEIN AS AN INSURANCE POLICY DURING CONTEST PREP  EVIDENCE-BASED HUNGER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR DEEP IN A DIET  FOOD VOLUME, ENERGY DENSITY, TEXTURE AND EATING PACE AS SATIETY LEVERS  PRACTICAL COACHING TAKEAWAYS YOU CAN APPLY IMMEDIATELY If you’ve ever gotten lean and watched your strength fall off, your recovery disappear, and the mirror stop changing even though the scale kept moving, this episode will show you where the process broke down. And if you’re a coach or competitor who wants to understand not just what the guidelines say but why they exist and when to deviate from them, this conversation gives you the mechanisms behind the recommendations. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

Hunger is the number one reason most people struggle to stay consistent during a Fat Loss Phase. In Part 7, I walked you through the six strategic principles that build a diet where satiety is produced by your food choices themselves rather than relying on willpower. But even with that strategic foundation in place, hunger and cravings will still show up, especially in the windows between meals where most dieters actually break their diet. This episode is the tactical follow up to Part 7. These are the specific, in-the-moment hunger hacks I use with my clients to bridge those windows and blunt hunger and cravings without derailing the deficit they’ve worked to create at meals. Here’s what most people don’t realize. The strongest hunger hacks aren’t gimmicks and they aren’t tricks. They work because they manipulate the underlying mechanisms that govern food intake and satiety. In this episode, I break down the nine mechanisms that make hunger hacks work, and then I walk you through the specific evidence-based tactics that leverage them. Some of these you’ve probably heard before but may have been deploying ineffectively. Some you may not have heard before but have substantial research behind them. Either way, you’ll walk away knowing exactly which tactics to deploy for your specific execution gaps. Because once you understand how to manage hunger in the moment, staying in a deficit stops being a battle you fight and becomes a system that works for you. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER:  THE NINE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS THAT MAKE HUNGER HACKS ACTUALLY WORK  WHY SOLID FOODS BLUNT HUNGER FAR MORE THAN LIQUID CALORIES AT THE SAME CALORIE COUNT  THE BARBARA ROLLS RESEARCH ON WHOLE FRUIT VS APPLESAUCE VS JUICE AND SATIETY  WHY LIQUID CALORIES FAIL THE SATIETY SYSTEM AND DRIVE OVERCONSUMPTION  HOW EATING RATE DIRECTLY AFFECTS HOW MANY TOTAL CALORIES YOU CONSUME  WHY HARDER TEXTURED FOODS INCREASE SATIETY AND SLOW YOUR EATING NATURALLY  THE SLOWED EATING AND CHEWING TECHNIQUES THAT REDUCE MEAL SIZE  THE TWO CUP RULE: HOW WATER PRELOADING BEFORE MEALS REDUCES CALORIE INTAKE  WHAT THE SWITCH TRIAL REVEALS ABOUT DIET SODA AND FAT LOSS VS WATER  WHY DISTRACTED EATING MAKES YOU HUNGRIER LATER AND HOW MEAL MEMORY WORKS  THE PORTION CONTROL AND PLATE SIZE TACTICS THAT REDUCE INTAKE AUTOMATICALLY  HOW TO USE COFFEE AND CAFFEINE TIMING TO BLUNT APPETITE BETWEEN MEALS  WHY GUM CHEWING BRIDGES THE GAP FOR BOREDOM AND STRESS EATING  HOW SENSORY-SPECIFIC SATIETY EXPLAINS WHY THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR DESSERT  HUNGER RIDING: THE ACCEPTANCE-BASED SKILL FOR LETTING CRAVINGS PASS  THE 10 TO 20 MINUTE PAUSE-AND-ASSESS PROTOCOL FOR DISTINGUISHING TRUE HUNGER FROM CRAVINGS If you’ve struggled to stay consistent between meals, if cravings and hunger have derailed your Fat Loss Phases before, or if you’ve tried hunger hacks that didn’t work because you were deploying them without understanding the mechanisms behind them, this episode is going to give you the tactical toolkit to blunt hunger, beat cravings, and finally make staying in a deficit feel manageable. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

How do you take a physique athlete from a productive Building Phase all the way to stage condition while preserving as much muscle, training performance and recovery as possible? And does the traditional approach of continually cutting calories, adding cardio and pushing harder as the show gets closer actually make sense? In Part 3 and the final installment of my Intermittent Modified Fasting series, I’m joined once again by Lyle McDonald to take the IMF framework into one of its most advanced applications: contest preparation. We start by discussing something that often gets overlooked before the diet even begins: how to transition intelligently from gaining into fat loss. Rather than treating Building and Fat Loss Phases like an on/off switch, Lyle explains his Pre-Diet or Transition Phase and why temporarily moving toward maintenance, adjusting resistance-training volume and gradually introducing cardio may better prepare an athlete for a longer dieting phase. From there, we get deep into contest prep and discuss how IMF allows us to think differently about where we place the calorie deficit across the week. Instead of simply eating less every day, IMF allows RFL days, maintenance days, training, cardio and carbohydrate availability to be strategically organized around the athlete’s needs. Because the goal of contest prep isn’t simply to lose weight. It’s to arrive stage lean while preserving as much muscle and performance as possible. IN THIS EPISODE: HOW TO TRANSITION FROM A LEAN BUILDING PHASE INTO FAT LOSS LYLE’S PRE-DIET / TRANSITION PHASE WHY JUMPING DIRECTLY FROM A SURPLUS INTO AN AGGRESSIVE DEFICIT MAY NOT BE IDEAL WHEN & HOW TO INTRODUCE CARDIO WHY RESISTANCE TRAINING DURING CONTEST PREP SHOULD PRIMARILY BE USED TO PRESERVE MUSCLE HOW LYLE WOULD STRUCTURE A NATURAL BODYBUILDING CONTEST PREP USING IMF HOW TO MANIPULATE RFL DAYS & MAINTENANCE DAYS AS A COMPETITOR GETS LEANER WHY GETTING AHEAD EARLY IN PREP CAN CREATE MORE OPTIONS LATER HOW TO PLACE MORE CALORIES & CARBOHYDRATES AROUND YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TRAINING SESSIONS WHY REFEEDS & MAINTENANCE DAYS BECOME MORE USEFUL DEEPER INTO PREP USING REFEEDS AS PRACTICE RUNS FOR PEAK WEEK HOW TO DETERMINE WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK YOUR BEST AFTER A CARB LOAD WHY PEAK WEEK SHOULD BE PRACTICED RATHER THAN IMPROVISED THE PROBLEMS WITH EXTREME WATER DEPLETION & OUTDATED PEAK-WEEK PRACTICES WHY EVERY REFEED, MAINTENANCE DAY & DIET BREAK NEEDS TO EARN ITS PLACE DURING CONTEST PREP The bigger theme running through this entire series is nutritional periodization. Fat loss still requires an energy deficit. IMF doesn’t change that. What it potentially changes is where we place that deficit, allowing us to push harder when the physiological cost is lower while providing more energy when training performance, recovery and muscle retention matter most. For physique athletes and coaches interested in the finer details of getting stage lean without blindly relying on more restriction, more cardio and more fatigue, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] LYLE’S NEWEST BOOKS:  https://store.bodyrecomposition.com SAVE 20% BY USING CODE: larrywon

Hunger is the number one reason most people struggle to stay consistent during a Fat Loss Phase. It’s not that dieters don’t know they need to eat fewer calories. It’s that staying in a deficit feels impossibly challenging when hunger and cravings take over.  What I want to establish in this episode is that hunger management isn’t about willpower or about white-knuckling your way through a diet. It’s about understanding the specific principles that determine whether food leaves you satiated or starving, and then building your diet around those principles so the deficit becomes feasible to sustain. In this episode, we go deep on the science of hunger and appetite management and the six strategic principles I use with my clients to make a Fat Loss Phase feel dramatically easier. We cover what hunger actually is and how it differs from appetite, the distinction between homeostatic hunger driven by physiological need and hedonic hunger driven by reward, and the six dietary principles that determine whether your food choices fill you up or leave you fighting hunger throughout the day. Each principle is backed by research and operationally tested across thousands of client transformations. Because once you understand how these principles work and how to apply them, hunger stops being something you have to fight at every meal and starts being something your nutrition is structurally producing for you. HERE’S WHAT WE COVER:  WHY HUNGER MANAGEMENT ISN’T ABOUT WILLPOWER OR WHITE-KNUCKLING THROUGH A DIET  THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUNGER, APPETITE, SATIATION, AND SATIETY  HOW THE INTERVENTIONS FOR MANAGING WITHIN-MEAL FULLNESS DIFFER FROM BETWEEN-MEAL FULLNESS  HOMEOSTATIC VS HEDONIC HUNGER AND HOW TO TELL WHICH ONE YOU’RE EXPERIENCING  THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR DISTINGUISHING TRUE HUNGER FROM CRAVINGS  WHY HEDONIC HUNGER OVERRIDES YOUR BODY’S TRUE NEEDS IN THE MODERN FOOD ENVIRONMENT  PRINCIPLE #1: HOW TO USE ENERGY DENSITY TO EAT MORE FOOD FOR FEWER CALORIES  HOW LOWERING THE ENERGY DENSITY OF YOUR DIET REDUCES CALORIE INTAKE BY 223 CALORIES PER DAY  PRINCIPLE #2: THE HOLT SATIETY INDEX AND THE FIVE FACTORS THAT MAKE FOOD FILLING  WHY BOILED POTATOES ARE 7X MORE FILLING THAN CROISSANTS PER CALORIE  PRINCIPLE #3: WHY ANCHORING EVERY MEAL WITH PROTEIN IS THE FOUNDATION OF HUNGER MANAGEMENT  THE HORMONAL MECHANISMS BEHIND WHY PROTEIN SUPPRESSES HUNGER AND INCREASES SATIETY THE PROTEIN LEVERAGE THEORY AND HOW IT DRIVES YOUR TOTAL CALORIE INTAKE  HOW INCREASING PROTEIN FROM 15% TO 30% OF CALORIES PRODUCES A SPONTANEOUS 441 CALORIE REDUCTION  PRINCIPLE #4: WHY FIBER IS THE QUEEN OF FAT LOSS AND HOW IT PRODUCES STRUCTURAL SATIETY HOW INCREASING FIBER BY 28 GRAMS PER DAY CAN SPONTANEOUSLY REDUCE CALORIE INTAKE BY 20%  PRINCIPLE #5: MODIFYING FOOD PALATABILITY HOW ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS DRIVE 508 EXTRA CALORIES PER DAY EVEN WHEN MATCHED FOR EVERYTHING  PRINCIPLE #6: HOW ALIGNING MEAL TIMING WITH YOUR CIRCADIAN BIOLOGY MAKES FAT LOSS FEEL EASIER  WHY FRONT-LOADING CALORIES EARLIER IN THE DAY PRODUCES LESS HUNGER AT MATCHED CALORIE INTAKE If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through fat loss diets, if you’ve struggled to stay consistent in a deficit because hunger and cravings derail you, or if you’ve never fully understood the science of appetite management, this episode is going to give you the strategic framework to make staying in a deficit feel dramatically easier. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] My Reading Recommendations: THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

How much do you actually need to eat above maintenance to maximize muscle growth? And once you’re eating enough to support hypertrophy, does pushing calories even higher build more muscle, or simply make you gain body fat faster? In Part 2 of my Intermittent Modified Fasting series, I’m joined once again by Lyle McDonald to move beyond using IMF strictly as a fat-loss strategy and explore how some of these concepts can be applied across different phases of physique development. We start with one of the most debated topics in evidence-based bodybuilding right now: how large of a calorie surplus is actually necessary to maximize muscle growth? Lyle and I break down the research comparing different surplus sizes, realistic rates of muscle gain across different levels of training advancement, the estimated energetic cost of synthesizing new muscle tissue and why simply eating more doesn’t allow you to force-feed muscle growth. From there, we take the IMF framework in a direction I found particularly interesting: Could strategically placed Rapid Fat Loss days be incorporated into a Lean Building Phase to help control fat gain without compromising hypertrophy? We discuss using a 6:1 approach where the majority of the week supports muscle growth while one strategically placed RFL day helps reduce the cumulative weekly surplus, how this compares with simply running periodic mini-cuts, and which individuals might actually benefit from this strategy. Finally, we shift back into fat loss and revisit diet breaks. For years, diet breaks were promoted as a way to “reset” metabolism and reverse the physiological adaptations to dieting. But as more research has accumulated, that explanation has become increasingly difficult to defend. That doesn’t mean diet breaks are useless. Instead, their biggest benefits may come from improving hunger management, training performance, psychological fatigue, adherence and giving someone an opportunity to actually practice eating at maintenance. IN THIS EPISODE: HOW LARGE OF A CALORIE SURPLUS IS ACTUALLY NECESSARY FOR MUSCLE GROWTH? WHY YOU CANNOT FORCE-FEED MUSCLE GROWTH HOW MUCH MUSCLE CAN BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED TRAINEES REALISTICALLY GAIN? WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS ABOUT SMALL VS. LARGE CALORIE SURPLUSES WHY FASTER WEIGHT GAIN OFTEN MEANS MORE FAT GAIN, NOT MORE MUSCLE HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOUR CALORIE SURPLUS IS ACTUALLY PRODUCTIVE LEAN BUILDING & MINIMIZING UNNECESSARY FAT GAIN USING RAPID FAT LOSS DAYS DURING A LEAN-BUILDING PHASE THE POTENTIAL 6:1 APPROACH: SIX BUILDING DAYS + ONE RFL DAY RFL DAYS VS. PERIODIC MINI-CUTS BODY RECOMPOSITION & WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE IT DIET BREAKS: PHYSIOLOGICAL VS. PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS HOW DIET BREAKS MAY IMPROVE HUNGER, TRAINING PERFORMANCE & ADHERENCE WHY PRACTICING MAINTENANCE MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED BENEFITS OF A DIET BREAK The major theme running through this episode is that more is not automatically better. More calories don’t necessarily mean more muscle. More restriction doesn’t necessarily mean a better diet. And more complexity doesn’t necessarily mean a better strategy. The goal is understanding which nutritional tool fits the individual, their physiology, their psychology and the phase they’re currently in. If your goal is to build more muscle while minimizing unnecessary fat gain, or to better understand how to periodize periods of surplus, maintenance and energy restriction across a long-term physique transformation, this episode is for you. WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME: Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/ For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry Email: [email protected] LYLE’S NEWEST BOOKS:  https://store.bodyrecomposition.com SAVE 20% BY USING CODE: larrywon