When people finally come to the decision to “get in shape” – they often don’t know where to start. Well, maybe “where” isn’t the right question. Most people don’t know HOW to start – even if they’ve had experience doing it in the past. Well, here’s a step by step blueprint on how to build a savage – straight from the horse’s mouth. Let’s get into this…
“Man… it’s time for me to get in shape.”
How many times have you heard this sentence from your friends or loved ones after they find themselves unable to perform even the easiest of athletic activities or when they realize that their weight gain isn’t muscle?
Worse…
How many times have you said it?
The problem with “getting in shape”? Being “in shape” is purely subjective. What you consider to be “in shape” may be totally different from what I consider that state of being. So, that’s where we’ll begin to build our savage…
Defining what “in shape” means.
My definition of “in shape” (and the definition for the rest of this conversation) – is three fold: strong, lean and athletic.
In my eyes – if you’re strong and not lean or athletic – you’re just a furniture mover. If you’re lean and not strong or athletic – you’re just a runner. If you’re athletic and not strong and lean – well, you’re a freak of nature. Bottom line is – to be considered “in shape” you need to exhibit aspects of all three of these “bases”.
Now that we’ve got a goal established – let’s see what each aspect takes.
How To Start: Get Stronger
Strength is the easiest base to build – so, it makes the most sense to start there.
It’s simple: do resistance training. Or as I like to say, “lift heavy things”. Now, calisthenics are great – don’t get me wrong – but if you want to build real strength – you need iron. You need to push heavy weight till it becomes light – then… you add more weight till that weight becomes light, and so on and so forth. The process of progressive overload will build strength – it’s science. Do it – and you will get stronger… if you feed your muscles.
If you want to get stronger – you have to make sure your muscles are getting the basic nutrients they need to grow. Namel
Now, being athletic can be a little bit harder. Now, when I say “athletic” – I’m not talking about being the fastest or most flexible. Nor am I talking about being able to do flips or any other gymnastic move. No, by athletic – I mean you should have some kind of cardiovascular capacity. Meaning you can operate with an elevated heart rate AND have the ability to recover during rest.
If you can’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded or play a game of basketball without tossing your cookies – you need to work on your cardiovascular health. My suggestion? A two fold approach. Steady state cardio to help build endurance and kick your metabolism up a notch. And High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to increase your VO2 max.
For those wondering, your VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise. It’s a metric to measure just how strong your heart and lungs are – the higher it is – the better your capacity for athletic activity.
Plus, it’ll help you with the FINAL base of “getting in shape” – getting lean.
Now, you can achieve a level of leanness through a combination of strength and cardio – but what it comes down to, really, is what you put in your body.
Food Is Fuel
Food isn’t “food” – it’s fuel – but as humans it becomes so much more. Our sustenance has become comfort… a coping mechanism for the stresses we endure as inhabitants of the planet Earth. However, what we eat was never meant to be an emotional anchor (or trigger) – it is simply what we put in our bodies to keep it moving. Fuel for our brains to operate, our muscles to move and our cells to regenerate.
That’s what food is.
So, what you put in it should have no other purpose than to fuel what you do. Some of that fuel will taste better than others – but how it tastes should be way less important than what it does for you.
Meaning, if you want to get lean – the food that you put into your body needs to be high quality, high protein and if you’re trying to get lean… it needs to be lower than your basal metabolic rate. Meaning, you have to eat less calories than you burn. Which doesn’t mean starve yourself – it means finding innovative ways to give your body what it needs in a way that doesn’t make you want to go crazy.
There are tricks you can do too. Hacks, if you will… to stay within your calorie goals and get the protein you need.
For instance, I started eating Carnivore 6 weeks ago. For those that don’t know – carnivore is mostly just eating meat and dairy – but specifically red meat, eggs and butter – preferably grass-fed and pasture raised. Does it work? Well, anecdotally – for me – so far, it has. I’ve lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks. I’ve lost ZERO strength – but have definitely gotten leaner. Though… I’m cheating a little.
By putting ISOFIT Vanilla Bean Ice Cream into my morning iced coffee – and another one made with raw milk at night – but with Chocolate Shake.
I’m hitting my calorie goals and FINALLY getting enough protein to see some real muscle growth.
Cheat Code For Faster Results
Of course, that’s not all I take – as I said – I’m cheating a little.
Right now, my stack is as follows: ISOFIT whey isolate protein, EAA+ HYDRATION, LIQUID L-CARNITINE, ANABOL NIGHTTIME, LIPO-6 NIGHTTIME & NIOX.
The protein should be self-explanatory…
The EAAs I take to speed up muscle protein synthesis and to keep me hydrated. I tend to workout 2-3 times a day – and I need the hydration factor to make sure my muscles have everything they need.
The LIQUID L-CARNITINE – I take to help speed up the fat-burning process – as carnitine helps turn fat into energy.
I take the ANABOL NIGHTTIME to help me sleep (I’m a terrible sleeper) as well get my body into a primed anabolic state.
LIPO-6 NIGHTTIME also helps me sleep (did I mention I’m a TERRIBLE sleeper?) and it helps jumpstart my metabolism while I sleep. It’s a win/win.
And finally, I take NIOX for an UNBELIEVABLE pump before I train – and I take it before training BJJ to get oxygen to my muscles. I’ve had GREAT results on this stuff – and make sure I never run out.
This stack is helping me turn into the savage I always knew I could be…
But it all started with the decision to “get in shape”. If I can start and STICK with the process – anybody can.
All you have to do… is start.
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale
Editor’s Note: Shawn presented one heck of a stack – and it’s working for him. Losing 30 pounds in 6 weeks is HUGE. The biggest key is knowing how to start – and he’s given you a step-by-step formula to get on track. You can get on his stack – or your OWN stack and save up to 35%! With our BYOS (Build Your Own Stack) feature on Nutrex.com – you can stack 4 or more products and save BIG. Try it… build a stack and see how much you’ll save. Try it here…
