The Smarter Sculpted Physique: Training | Nutrition | Muscle Gain | Fat Loss

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♦ Struggling with Fitness or Diet Goals ♦

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Perspective helps frame an individual’s definition of struggle. Some report “struggles” with diet or fitness goals, while others deal with life issues of sickness or the death of a loved one. Scott doesn’t think they compare.

♦ “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” -Helen Keller

• How people define struggle and suffering varies.

• Some people see working toward diet and fitness goals as true struggle.

• Considering the suffering associated with sickness and loss of life, diet and fitness struggles don’t seem to compare.

• Scott shares recent examples of people he knows who are dealing with disease and loss of life.

• Larger life issues—such as terminal disease or loss of loved ones—add perspective when considering fitness and diet “struggles.”

• Fitness and diet struggles are frequently self-imposed, unlike death and disease.

• A healthy lifestyle should be a choice…something to be enjoyed.

**Struggling with diet or eating issues? Scott can help.

Check out Scott’s Food Freedom course. The first module is FREE.

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ How to Build a Great Physique, Part 2 ♦

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Surf’s up!! Scott applies a surfing analogy to explain program design and mastery for muscle hypertrophy and physique development.

♦ Surf the curve, then ride the wave ♦

• Optimum muscle development benefits come once a workout program is mastered, but you first must “paddle out into the water.”

• “Surfing the [reps] curve” requires first getting into a program for a while.

• Once “in the water”, the trainee can then “surf the curve” of rep ranges, based on the program goal.

• The physique athlete shouldn’t be concerned about their “weights going up.”

• Muscle hypertrophy (bodybuilding) programs and rep ranges aren’t the same as for powerlifting or strength.

• No single rep range is best all by itself.

♦ Rep ranges: 6-8 || 8-10 || 8-12 || 12-15 || 15-20 || and 20.

• The purpose of the program influences the rep range.

• Program mastery becomes possible after a few weeks of following it.

E.G, Scott followed Hardgainer Solution for two years.

• It takes time to get familiar with a program before mastering it becomes possible.

• Using the surfer analogy, “riding the wave” refers to the mastery phase. Mastery is when most adoptive benefits become evident.

• Don’t abandon a program too early and move on to another before you reach the mastery phase.

• Programs operate over three realms of time: immediate, residual and cumulative:

- Immediate refers to today’s workout,

- residual refers to recovery and short term, and

- cumulative refers to the overall, longer time frame of the program.

• Think in terms of whole workout programs instead of individual workouts.

• Personal trainers especially should check out Scott’s Program Design Masterclass:

https://scottabelfitness.com/program-design-masterclass/

**Special Offer - Get a FREE week of workouts from my most popular workout program, The Hardgainer Solution:

http://hardgainersolution.com/free/

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♦ The Precept of Occam's Razor ♦

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Achieving and maintaining a lean physique is much simpler than the diet and fitness industries might want you to believe. Scott applies the principle of Occam’s Razor to illustrate the point.

♦ “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” -Albert Einstein ♦

• Occam’s Razor:

1. a philosophical principle that says that the simplest solution tends to be the correct one.

2. The more assumptions that must be made, the less likely an explanation.

• People who eat mostly plants tend to be leaner, which should be simple and easy to understand.

• People often ask questions to get answers that support their current beliefs.

• Correct solutions may disagree with those beliefs, and there’s a tendency not to listen to different opinions, regardless how simple or correct they may be.

• “Clinically tested” doesn’t mean “clinically proven”.

• Cultures that have historically had the longest life spans consume a high percentage of carbs in their diets.

• Complicated ideas abound in the fitness and diet industry when the best eating strategies are simple.

• Choose the goal, then choose the sacrifices required to achieve the goal.

• Expectations often exceed efforts [a person’s willing to make to achieve them.]

**Get an entire module of "Food Freedom" as a Free Email Course. 100% Free. No Credit Card Required.

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ How to Build a Great Physique ♦

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What’s the best training strategy to build a bigger, more muscular physique?

Recent research supports what Scott learned and preached in the real world of bodybuilding: training for strength isn’t the quickest path to a more muscular physique.

♦ Physique development and strength aren’t the same thing ♦

• Popular gym dogma says that training heavy is the way to build a better body, but recent research says it’s not about how much weight is on the bar.

• A 2016 study found that the amount lifted per rep doesn’t muscle size or—surprisingly—develop strength.

“…contradicting dogma, …the relative load lifted per repetition does not determine skeletal muscle hypertrophy or, for the most part, strength development.” - Morton et al, Journal of Applied Physiology

• Current recommendations that suggest "heavy resistance training with relatively heavy load is a prerequisite for maximizing hypertrophy" isn’t supported by long-term studies.

• Results from a 2012 study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggest that more sets may result in greater muscle hypertrophy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22518835

• These studies support Scott’s statement, “train for development and strength will come.”

• High reps, lighter weights, doesn’t mean training easy.

Intensity is the common underlying factor when it comes to muscle development.

• The muscles work the weights, the weights don’t work the muscles.

• Higher reps were a central principle during the golden age of bodybuilding. The late French bodybuilder Serge Nubret—as seen in the documentary Pumping Iron—seldom trained with fewer than 15 reps per set, often repping 20 or higher.

• Scott covers these concepts in The Abel Approach, The Hardgainer Solution and his FREE course Innervation Training:

https://scottabelfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Innervation-Training-Primer.pdf

**Get a FREE week of workouts from my most popular workout program, The Hardgainer Solution:

http://hardgainersolution.com/free/

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♦ Superheroes and Villains ♦

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Every superhero needs a super-villain, even in nutrition dogma. Pop science portrays protein as the hero nutritional macro, with carbs playing the bad guy. Research suggests protein may be the real villain.

♦ There’s a difference between conclusions, based on research, and dogma ♦

• Protein has become the nutritional superhero.

• Protein’s superhero status isn’t supported in research. In fact, research shows that protein may be the villain.

• The low fat, lower protein diet is emerging as the true superhero for weight loss and overall health.

• Animal protein correlates to weight gain.

• A 2017 study concluded "the claim that consumption of dietary BCAAs stimulates muscle protein synthesis or produces an anabolic response in human subjects is unwarranted.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28852372

• Protein is being marketed as something needing in greater and greater amounts. Now, even nightclubs offer drinks with protein added.

• The (total/optimal) RDA for protein in the U.S. is set at 56 grams for men, and 46 grams for women.

• According to bariatric surgeon Garth Davis, MD (whose practice centers on treatment of the severely obese, and author of Proteinaholic) “in virtually every study, animal protein is correlated with weight gain… People whose diets are high in animal protein have significantly higher rates of chronic diseases: hypertension, cancer, diabetes, heart disease.”

• “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.” –Albert Einstein

**Get an entire module of "Food Freedom" as a Free Email Course. 100% Free. No Credit Card Required.

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ Keto Diet is an Epic Fail ♦

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Lose weight short term on keto…but at what cost? Scott presents clinical research that highlights the long-term health and cosmetic downsides of the popular low carb, ketogenic diet approach.

♦ “Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true.” – Francis Bacon ♦

• Most dieters select a diet for weight loss and don’t consider long-term effects.

• There’s not much evidence in clinical research to support keto as a sustainable diet strategy.

• Keto diets are hard to follow for long periods of time. It’s difficult to find someone who is advanced in years who’s followed a high-fat low-carb diet.

• The National Weight Control Registry states fewer than 1% of subjects lost weight and kept if off with a low carb diet.

• The Inuit study that high-fat low-carb advocates use to support their argument has been discredited since its publication.

• The 1970s study of the Inuit people of Greenland, that jumpstarted the fish oil supplement market, contains highly questionable data, according to researchers who’ve studied the topic since.

https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2014/08/fish-oil-and-eskimo-diet-another-medical-myth-debunked

• A study published in 2006 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition documented severe metabolic and emotional consequences after only six weeks on keto.

• Loss of lean tissue is a long-term side effect of keto dieting according to a 2015 study published in Clinical Metabolism. Keto coincided with increased protein utilization and loss of fat-free mass, meaning muscle mass.

• Another study documented low energy and fatigue in keto dieters, reducing the desire to exercise.

• A study of 10,014 adults and 200 other papers investigated health and nutrition indicators and popular diets. It found that BMIs (Body Mass Indexes) were significantly lower for men and women on the high carbohydrate diet; the highest BMIs were noted for those on a low carbohydrate diet.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11320946

• Okinawans live healthy, long lives, often into their 100s. Their diet is heavy in fruits and vegetables and low in meat, refined grains, sugar and full-fat dairy.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20234038

• Low carb diets have been associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23372809

**Get an entire module of "Food Freedom" as a Free Email Course. 100% Free. No Credit Card Required:

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ Let's Get Nuts! ♦

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We go nuts for nuts in this episode, discussing how nuts deliver a nutritional punch and contribute to metabolism in a way that few other foods do.

Scott shares scientific research about their physique, health and disease prevention benefits.

♦ Eat Nuts Freely! ♦

• Calorie counting and macro tracking go out the window when discussing nuts as a nutritional source.

• Nuts increase fat-burning metabolism. They’ve been associated with weight loss in some studies.

• Nuts are energy-dense but due to their metabolic benefits, do not contribute to adipose tissue.

• In nearly two dozen clinical trials researching body weight, not one study showed that regular consumption of nuts led to weight gain.

• One study showed nuts improved risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome.

• Walnuts have been shown to burn fat.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20439557

• The far-reaching positive effects of a plant-based diet that includes walnuts may be the most critical message for the public.

• The body uses calories differently. The way the body uses calories, not just the amount consumed, determines contribution to weight gain.

• Nuts reduce cardiovascular risk among people who already have Type 2 diabetes.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19420347

• People who eat nuts tend to live longer.

• Eating a plant-based diet is economical…at least as cheap as fast food, yet much healthier.

• Overall dietary and physical activity pattern is critical to reduce chronic disease risk.

• Eating plant-based allows for larger portions over time.

• Eat nuts freely! "Eat when you’re hungry and until you’re full…no portion control, calorie counting or carb counting."

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ A Journey into Food Freedom ♦

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This episode explores how our perceptions shape reality. Scott illustrates how personal and cultural expectations shape the standard of perfection and influence our own body images.

♦ We nurture what we love and we love what we nurture ♦

• People perceive what they see based on their perspectives. Scott illustrates this by using audience participation, showing a series of pictures and asking the viewers what they see.

• Personal perceptions apply to how we view food and diet.

We see what we want to see.

• If a person is disgusted by their own body, they will often sabotage best efforts at weight loss.

We disrespect what we find disrespectful.

• Scott asks: Are you working from a place of self-acceptance or self-rejection?

• The “thin cage” is as much a prison as the “fat cage.” If a person’s lost a lot of weight but still worries about calorie counting, macros, etc., they’ve traded life in one cage for another.

• Physique transformation success Ange Golding achieved permanent weight loss by setting a realistic, achievable goal: to look feminine and be able to wear pretty clothes. She achieved her goal and now lives in food freedom.

• Cultural imprints are powerful and may not reflect realistic body image expectations.

• Ideals of beauty change. Beauty contest winners from the mid-60s were curvier and fuller-figured than ideals who followed.

• Twiggy—with her “streamlined androgynous appeal”—replaced Marilyn Monroe as an ideal body shape. The ideal then went further. The new term became “anorexic heroin chic.”

• Are these ideals realistic and achievable, or unrealistic and unhealthy?

• Women today often want a six-pack, where that would have been unheard of years ago.

• The beauty industry markets products by establishing impossible standards and making consumers feel inadequate. Food and eating issues are often the result.

• Body image and food issues go together.

• Change is a process, not an event. Scott’s new Food Freedom course provides helpful guidance for dealing with body image.

• The first module of Food Freedom is free!

http://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/

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♦ Hardgainer Solution 2.0 ♦

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Coach Scott Abel introduces subtle tweaks to his bestselling workout program, the Hardgainer Solution. Fitness model Andy Sinclair—himself a hardgainer—joins Scott to discuss the program’s evolution and applications.

The Hardgainer Solution (HGS) became a bestseller and later produced as a video program.

http://hardgainersolution.com/

♦ HGS 2.0! BOOM! ♦

• Scott kicks off the show by sharing Seth Godin’s blog about shortcuts and its relevance to the diet and fitness industry.

https://seths.blog/2018/06/the-shortcut-crowd/

• HGS was designed specifically for trainees who work hard but have difficult time developing their physiques, related to anatomy, genetics or age.

• People over 50 are automatically hardgainers.

• Several genetic and age-related factors define a person as a hardgainer:

- Narrow collarbones

- Tall and lanky

- Long limbs

- Long trunk

- Tendon length and attachment location

• HGS works well for people who travel a lot.

♦ The Tweaks! ♦

+ Two days on, one day off.

+ All biplexes. No triplexes in this revision.

+ Five sets for large muscle groups, four for biceps and triceps.

+ 10 reps or greater for all other exercises.

+ Active recovery days (tweak prompted by feedback from clients.)

+ Rotate of the first muscle group each day.

Example: Day 1 would begin with chest, Day 2 back, Day 3 shoulders, and Day 4 legs.

+ Low reps, heavy weight has moved up to six reps from five.

• Apply these tweaks to the existing HGS program.

• Hardgainer Solution 2.0 is as versatile as the original:

https://www.amazon.com/Hardgainer-Solution-Training-Building-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B00S3XFDCQ

Scott recently developed an HGS variant for a military client on deployment that used his duffel bag as resistance.

• Scott experimented with performing two exercises for the first body part in each workout, but quickly learned it wasn’t sustainable.

• Active recovery allows trainees who find three or four straight HGS days are too much, but don’t exactly want an off day.

Here are a few options for active recovery days:

- Andy’s Awesome Abs

http://absbyandy.com/

- Great Glutes

https://scottabelfitness.com/greatglutes/

- Busy Woman’s Train at Home

http://busywoman.fitness/

- Long walks. Scott takes his long walks on the hilly terrain around his home on his off days.

- Yoga

• There are many ways to use HGS and stay true to its operating principles, using good program design.

https://scottabelfitness.com/program-design-masterclass/

• Other forms of training can be integrated. This is an example of what Scott calls “tweakology.”

• HGS 2.0 stays true to the original principles:

- Whole Body, Peripheral Heart Action protocol

- Uses inter- and intra-workout recovery

- Reps-based, not exercise-based program

- No training to failure

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♦ Breaking Vegan: Client Edition ♦

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Straight from the Inbox, Scott shares emails from clients around the world, received during only a two-day period, raving about their own "breaking vegan" experiences and success stories.

♦ Even Better for Us Than We Thought ♦

• It can be tricky to switch to a healthier diet without unintended consequences, underscoring the value of coaching.

• “Food is very personal. People have memories tied to food,”…”heavily restrictive diets can lead to disordered eating that can lead to eating disorders.”1

• Scott made his decision to “break vegan” only after considering the mountains of research suggesting it’s the healthiest diet strategy.

• When Scott uses the term “vegan”, he refers to whole food-plant based. Not processed foods [that don’t use animal products].

• Clients report being able to eat more on a vegan version of the Cycle Diet. They say they’re feeling better and stronger and leaning out.

• The amount of food that can be consumed surprises people who don’t understand how the Cycle Diet works, particularly the plant-based version. What appears like bulking is what revs metabolism and maintains leanness.

• Scott’s vegan version of the Cycle Diet prevents deprivation.

• Not all Scott’s clients are vegan. Some of them aren’t ready for a vegan diet because they struggle maintaining an omnivorous diet.

• None of the clients count calories or keep track of macros. They report the diet is easy to follow.

• Highlights from client emails:

“I feel leaner.”

“…now I don't have the cravings to eat anything and everything.”

“I never binge anymore!! I could follow this easily forever.”

“I tell everyone what I am doing!! I see so many people who have rebounded badly from deprivation diets.”

“…my muscles and body just feel “better” since I started this vegan thing.”

“I just had my 4th meal today and I think I will have some oatmeal before bed as my system is in overdrive again.”

“…it’s so easy to eat very very healthy food.”

“…the fat seems to have dropped off me this last two weeks.”

“Feeling amazing - it keeps getting better!”

“Really starting to see and feel fat loss, especially around my waist.”

“The amazing thing is it’s so easy and simple .... If you are too hungry or starving just up portions.”

• Scott’s personal results combined with those of his clients are giving him even more reasons to be passionate about the completely plant-based approach to eating.

[Reference]

1. Melissa Halas-Liang, a dietitian and spokeswoman for the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, as quoted in healthline.com.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/vegetarian-diets-may-be-better-than-we-thought#3

**Scott’s just-released Food Freedom course speaks to relationship with food. The first module of Food Freedom is FREE!

https://foodfreedomcourse.com/free/