How Shredded Can You Get? There's A Limit!

[@shawnsuth9830]

I've had glutes on my face a few times. It was great.

[@magicalfrijoles6766]

Did you push long and hard? Dr Mike says that can be the last problem we face.

[@gordbert]

I did the math; 0% body fat is the leanest you can get. Only once, though.

[@entitiessoul]

@salt_factory7566 He's stating what the detaX said.

[@MicroObjectif]

​@@salt_factory7566-2 ftw!

[@MaddTurna]

Lmao!!!!!

[@adday.]

My mother insists she had an old aunt who had negative % body fat, and she's not joking. Have told her it's not possible 😅

[@MxPinky]

Wake up, go to Uni class, check in with Dr Mike miss the first second and hear “I hate you” this is going to be a good video I just… can tell

[@oakley6889]

Clearly we have similar morning routines haha

[@billygreenbean7119]

Man i listen to no one else but you now Dr. Mike. You are critically honest in places where it fits but you are very encouraging to listen to. I get i sense of "i got this" when i listen to your videos. I am at week 6 of a 12 week fat loss and am going to do cycles of these and maintenance and hit the training hard until i have defined abs. So far my muscular hypertrophy comes in fast and thick. My body gets fat easy when i loaf and eat fast food or sweet treats, but when i am dieting and training my body gets visibly musclar. It reacts quickly both ways and now i have two abs on the bottom coming in under the belly fat that is still there. i have you to thank for giving me the encouragement to stick with it. When i am less broke i will find a way to monetarily thank you as well! Blessings, man!

[@michalkuna_coach]

As someone who is now in the last 2 weeks of 18 week contest prep this video hits home. I never thought I could get to such a low bodyweight. When I started at 95kgs (209lbs) I thought I am already lean! Now at 83kg (183lbs) i can see I was wrong haha! Really enjoyed the video, keep it up and thank you for all the great content :)

[@themagicdude1135]

Good luck on the show man, you got this in the bag

[@sabinovazquez2235]

What’s your height? I’m currently at 209lbs

[@michalkuna_coach]

@@themagicdude1135 Thanks a lot dude! Doing the WNBF so its going to a tough line up, and its my second ever show.

[@michalkuna_coach]

@@sabinovazquez2235 I am 185cm (6 feet). What is your goal now?

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

It's true, I cut from about 85kg to 77.8kg last year over about 4 or 5 months and had lower back abs and visible striations in shoulders, chest, lower abs veins, shoulder veins for the first time ever, etc etc but still had pinchable love handles haha, lifetime natural, leanest ever, likely 10% if I'm being generous. If I wanted to get totally nutty lean (I didn't, it was to make weight for an armwrestling competition) I could have done a water cut too but didn't think that wise at all.

[@PlayerSkillFTW]

I started out at 269 pounds and probably close to 50% BF as a 5'8, 31 year old male. By 34, I had gotten down to 167 pounds (10% BF), but was having to eat just 1,100 calories a day to get down to that and maintain it, and felt depleted as fuck. I workout around 20 hours a week (15-16 weights/4-5 cardio at 60s-70s% HR). I'm a lifetime Natty. I had a shoulder surgery, and reverse-dieted for 2.5 months, and went up to mid 180s pounds (18% BF). It took me 6 months of dieting on just 1,400 calories a day to get back down to 173 (12% BF). I'm reverse-dieting this Fall, into a Lean-Bulk this Winter, and within 1.5 months of eating 2,300-2,500 calories a day, I've gone back up to 184 pounds (15% BF). If you put my metrics into a calorie calculator, my maintenance level should be at least 3,000 calories a day, but in actuality is around 1,800-2,000. This is due to extreme metabolic adaptation, otherwise known as adaptive thermogenesis. There have been studies done on this on subjects that lost 100+ pounds of fat, and even years after maintaining the weight loss, their basal metabolic rate is still heavily suppressed. Between that, and still having loose, excess skin in the abdominal region, I can regain fat (especially in the belly) ridiculously fast, on a calorie level that should still have me losing weight. In order to get sub-10% BF, I'd have to diet down on less than 1,000 calories a day while doing tons of cardio (when I already do more cardio than most guys do weights). You can see proof of this on my IG, at "TroyHartz87".

[@PhreeX0707]

Helmut Strebl is the absolute pinnacle of leanness

[@Lehajri]

DAMN, what a video to watch during my fat loss 💯

[@Andrew-be6eh]

I'm on my first cut, down from 214 to 202 with 2.5 weeks left. The appetite issue is fine, surprisingly enough, I'm hungry and looking longingly at the pizzerias I walk past but I can manage that. The low energy at the end of the day is killing me, however. I have a 5 year old and a 19 month old, and not having the energy to play with them and put them to bed is killing me. Really wishing I did this stuff much earlier in life (I'm 39), but better now than never.

[@HeadCannonPrime]

I just threw in the towel when I had kids. It was basically impossible to keep that energy to interact and make 3 different meals at every meal because kids don't want to eat diet plan food.

[@magicalfrijoles6766]

I saw massive improvements from one 2 week wrestling camp. J Robinson's Intensive Wrestling Camps! I get your point. I just felt the need to honor J Robinson.

[@Paroex]

The main reason most guys want to get lean (notice I didn't say all) is to have visible abs. My advice, speaking from experience, is that it takes a lot less suffering and food-obsession if you, instead of dieting down to single-digit bodyfat or close to it, just focus on dedicated ab training specifically for hypertrophy. The more developed your abs are, the higher the body fat percentage you'll be able to be and still have them be visible. It saves a lot of time and energy that would have been spent on micromanaging diet. I used to hit a bodyfat where my shoulders and arms were defined long before my abs started showing clearly. I could keep going, dieting down further, but that brought on its own host of issues. Instead I made sure to develop my abs to the point where now, they come out roughly at the same time as my shoulder and arm definition. Just my experience and 2 cents.

[@M19pickles]

I am currently working on building my abs. I have never been able to see them. 2 years ago I started trying to get my abs visible through dieting. Lost weight to the point where my arms and legs looked great but my abs still didn't show. I was doing 100 situps 3 times a week. Got discouraged and gained some weight. I learned more about how to work my abs. Now that I'm doing situps right I can't do near as many but am working my abs. Also doing other ab exercises to work all parts of the abs. I hope to have my abs visible in the next year.

[@karansharma2352]

All the best brother. May you get the success you so sincerely want! @@M19pickles

[@eventheone6975]

@@M19pickles Don't lose hope mate, to achieve bigger Abs you have to treat them like any other muscles, biceps, Hamstrings, don't care, have to hit them hard and heavy, moderately at least, and give them enough rest, and hit them again. They are relatively tough and after 1 month of regular training you can expect them to be able to fully recover in less than 24h, at this point you can train them everyday.. But at this point you do as you want.

[@M19pickles]

@@eventheone6975 Thanks for the encouragement. I still have lots of hope. Which is why I set what I think is a reasonable goal of having visible abs in a year. I have been hitting my abs hard enough that they are sore for 1 to 2 days and then hitting them again for about 2 months now. Using a mix of machines and situp variations. On the machines I have more than doubled the weight and have moved to more advanced situp variations so I don't have to do as many reps. I think I am on the right track even though I am slightly gaining weight I think it's muscle.

[@DoomiePookie]

My problem is my abs grew with the training, so i did have visible abs while at around 23% bf, but i pack on fat on the hips and lower back. So i had a muffin top and abs lol.

[@allenknicely2720]

Perfect timing on this video. I was just thinking about this, this morning

[@Epicraatti]

My annual work health checkup gave me numbers for weight, body fat percentage, and ideal weight. All, of course, based on BMI statistics in a population I’m not even a part of. I did the math on their numbers and if I lost enough fat to reach the ideal, I’d be 4.8% body fat. Really inspires confidence in the clinic conducting these checkups. At best unprofessional, at worst malpractice. Being the snarky wise-ass I am, of course I’m planning to ask for clarification for this recommendation next time. (The doctor also told me to exercise more to lose weight and sleep better after I told her I lift 5 times a week and told her about not sleeping well. I did try letting her know how that is likely just a symptom of acute overtraining on quite a harsh calorie deficit as I’ve experienced it before. She just told me that’s not how it works and exercise makes you sleep better.)

[@michaelharris8598]

Been there. Played three competitive sports growing up so I was in training all year round. To me a light run for gym class was 4.5 miles a day and I would train outside school hours. Doctors in general are good with the general population(fat, pre diabetic, and hypertensive). If you wanna see a doctor and you play sports or train heavy see a doctor that specializes in that. I know they cost more but at least you will have your sanity.

[@workoutunleashed]

Great video, Mike! Many people expect exotic leanness from the first 6 weeks of a fat loss phase, but that is just the beginning. Once you've put together 16 - 20 weeks of fat loss in total, then you can expect to be exotically lean or certainly within striking distance. Stick-ability is the secret sauce for long-term success.

[@siraa2008]

I got the RP app 3 weeks ago. Loving varied exercises suggested by the app and I can already see a difference in my motivation. Can also see marked improvement in my shoulders and chest. Thank u from Down Under.😅

[@IntegraDIY]

I agree on the genetics part that regulates the persons appetite. There’s people that can say no thanks to food, then there’s others who are constantly snacking and grazing on food, some people can’t control it. Fortunately I built up discipline to say no, when I absolutely want to snack.

[@icingcake]

People who don’t have much of an appetite seem to have to force themselves to eat or have digestive issues so I guess I’m happier being normal

[@Magic_beans_]

@@icingcakeThat’s me. Even in a mild deficit I have to make myself eat at the appointed times or else I just won’t. I can rock a huge deficit and the problem I run into won’t be hunger, it’ll be fatigue.

[@ADHDlanguages]

Best summary of Psalm 23 I've heard

[@TocoaPuffs]

Mental fortitude is definitely the name of the game for me. I'm struggling now because I don't have the same psychological strength that I did when I was younger, but low energy and fighting grelin spikes was the norm. Also 2 daily workouts to increase my calories burned. Not excited for this next cut. I made it down 22 lbs, got sick, gained 10 back. Honestly, probably the best thing to do is to turn off the TV so you don't mindlessly eat any more. When I do that some days I only get in 1000 calories on accident. But then your energy absolutely tanks. So be careful with the very low calorie days while in a cut. Fasting a day in a cut is way different than fasting a day while otherwise in maintenance.

[@lorenzoflorenzano789]

Thank you Dr. Mike! I'm thrilling to know when the Fall 2023 Session RP Certification for Nutrition Coach opens 💪

[@hjewkes]

1:30 - I've never heard someone called a butt face as a compliment before

[@Shreadington]

So true about having a lean fat set point after years of competition. I'm 45 and started competing at 21. 8 weeks post show right now and still have veins everywhere and glutes. Was 5% body fat for the show. That's my typical competition body fat now. The suffering isn't that bad as it used to be. Staying lean in my rebound phases makes prep easier. I'm 5'8" 200lbs. Current Macros are 400g carbs, 265g protein and 27g fat on training days.

[@spec24]

You don't look 200 lbs at 5'8". Maybe your scale is broken.

[@Shreadington]

@@spec24 my picture is from about four weeks out from my August competition. Probably mid 180s in that one.

[@chrischavanu7561]

Such a great video and topic Dr. Mike! Well done! Truly. Bravo!

[@eyereviews292]

I learned this on my own this past year through trial and error. I wish I had seen this video back then because seeing it laid out like this makes brain hurt less.

[@cbrowninbuffalo]

One of the best videos yet. The trade-off of strength to lean us is the mental battle.

[@anthonycarr6732]

I’m 6’0”, 155 lbs. I’d post my body fat %, but people love to argue with me so I’m not going there. I would like to get a bit leaner; however, I’m not sure if it’s worth the trade off. I’ve got a good combination of strength and speed. I love running 5ks and wouldn’t mind getting faster, but I don’t want to lose muscle. 6’0” 155 lbs is already somewhat light. But this statement is pure fact for a true natural: you cannot gain muscle without SOME fat gain; you cannot lose fat without SOME muscle loss.

[@Michael-ke8on]

6'0'' and 155 pounds is really light. Some people can be shredded at 190 at 6'0''.

[@sewerrat7612]

I'm 6'3 don't look that lean till 155lbs abs not till 140 genetics can suck.

[@cw1774]

​@Michael-ke8on I wouldn't call 155 at 6 foot really light if you're quite lean. Unless you have a large frame, getting to a lean 190 at 6 foot is going to take many years of commitment

[@GeneralTeiLing]

Death isbonly the beginning, no excuse to stop the cut

[@hi_saylee]

This is so spot on. I started at 330 pounds and have had to go through so many phases in the past 14 years.

[@elizaveta.r]

Such an interesting topic thank you for this !! Wait for every other video 🔥🔥

[@ozztynn]

Trying to get lean for the first time in my life. Ive lost 50 pounds so far and put on a good amount of muscle. Thanks for all your videos its been a great source of info to help me get this far.

[@davidpenwell3432]

I have striations in my side delts and Quads at 30% bodyfat being and I'm a male. So fat storage area sure can be deceiving

[@kluks1]

i've gained 11kg in muscle mass within 3 months. I am a rockclimber but after weight training the past few months it has shown i have an affinity for building muscle. I am 1,96 meters and 82 kg rn with about 10-12% bodyfat. i dont know if i want to keep training to be a pro climber or be a natural bodybuilder now. I really enjoy getting bigger but its not much use for rockclimbing.. my friends keep telling me i'd be a great bodybuilder and others in the climbing gym are staring me down more and more the past months. im torn between two worlds were in one you dont want to be to big or heavy yet i want to be big, heavy and climb hard.

[@pablowentscobar]

"And ye as I walk through some dark sh*t, and some such other sh*t, but it is cool, because God has in fact, got my back. Amen." Saint Dr Mike's prayer.

[@Slapwagons]

Yes my brother in Christ! Tattoed on my upper back so I'll never forget the words. Psalms 23:4 "Yea shall walk through the valley of the whatever the fuck and not be whatever because God's got my back." Amen brother. Jesus himself could not have said it better.

[@fitfranco]

Thank you for this, and as a small time coach myself, I agree 1000 percent.

[@velinivanov607]

Love the example you gave with Wrestling which reminds me can you talk some time about strength and conditioning abut wrestling i know that that'sno really your thing but surely theses something you can share

[@spencersivco8503]

You talk about that fork in the road to get lean lean. When I started training a few years back, I was around 175ish. When I got down to my show weight, this year, I was 175 again. A VERY different 175, but still. Man, I felt small, but damn did I get lean.

[@robertosalgado7268]

I like that comment. Mental resilience. yes siiir💪🏼

[@isaarunarom7830]

I had an 8 pack at 120 lbs in the 7th grade, I was still 120 lbs come 12th grade and still had an 8 pack, never worked out a day in my life at that point. Now I work oit everyday but you can't see my abs anymore, I'm at 160 now. Being young was great

[@baz1184]

Being young didn't have anything to do with it. It was because you were underweight. You would have an 8 pack at 120 lbs no matter your age.

[@Magic_beans_]

@@baz1184Ultramarathoner Dean Karnazes (61 years old as of this writing) is a good example of this. He doesn’t lift _per se_ , just goes a bit of body weight training for injury prevention. He’s 4% bodyfat though, so to a casual observer he’s pretty ripped.

[@MrJ1S]

​@baz1184 right I'm 160 and ill be 40 in March. 8 pack and 10% fat (according to that gadget the LA fitness guy had me hold) so could be 2% more or less... but easily visible abs obliques some shoulder striations. Didn't have any of that under the age of 32

[@user-he4ef9br7z]

I had abs since middle school and I was always a heavier guy. Where people store more fat is largely genetic. For me I store most of my fat in my legs and ass while my upper body is always relatively lean.

[@mestresci3721]

It was probably because u were 120 lbs as opposed to 160 lbs lol

[@robotempire]

I was chronically starved by my parents when I was a very young child. I have struggled with obesity my entire life. I think being deliberately malnourished in this way really fucked my body up. I won’t get into it here. But I think it fucked my DNA up or something. I promise I have a very active lifestyle and a healthy diet. But I can’t get under 25 or so %BF. I’m in my mid-40s. This has been a lifelong thing.

[@BrofUJu]

Lol, I was that kid. Early 20s I started working out and had a 6 pack pretty quick but I was also like 5'9, 150 and no muscle. Now I'm more like 180 with no six pack and much happier.

[@shawnlinnell7547]

"What is that like Christian prayer, Yay shall walk through the valley of whatever the fuck." LoL, It's a psalm from the Ketuvim and you're Jewish, that's so funny. 😂

[@adriennegray783]

From the population n=1 of post-menopausal women who like to structure their training and fueling based on science-based information, and who have the sense of humor of a 12 yo boy, would you please consider a video on training/eating recommendations for peri- and post-menopausal women? I would gladly pass such content along to my people... Thanks in advance for your consideration! :)

[@KyleDayne]

The verse is from the old testament Dr. Mike, that's your people!

[@chrisblatchley4262]

I was just going to come post this! 😂

[@chakrow]

Marvin is the champ!

[@502gaming4]

Dr Mike I have a question that may sound stupid. But, stupid questions is what make us learn. The question is. Why does not the body utilise its energy stores to create a surplus and build muscle. Why does it have to come from excess calories even if I have 15kg of fat which is around 77,000 calories. It will only use it to compensate calories to maintain basic life and muscle mass if I lift weights. But not go further from that? even if I had an excess for example 25% or 30% bodyfat.

[@502gaming4]

Seems inefficient at using stored energy from fat even though it prefers to store it like that.

[@502gaming4]

If I modify my car to go faster. It will use more fuel than the baseline to go faster. Instead of lowering the horsepower on its own to continue using the same amount of fuel it is used to. Its a dumb question. But, I am serious!@

[@harrison1504]

Incoming greg reaction video where he flogs his cook book in 3....2....

[@Wtiberon]

I had a buddy in the Army who was naturally built like a model. He was a desk jockey, did the standard PT and ate pretty much whatever. I was an Airborne Ranger, lifted in the evening, on a strict diet, and didn't look as good as him.

[@KINGAMSTAFF1]

I had big troubles getting lean. So I was very fat couple of years ago, loosing almost 40kg. Started dieting at 97kg and went to 60kg on keto. Lost a bunch of water face was lean af but no abs. Then a year later I started working out, bulked for like 5months. And then my plan was to diet down to a low % bodyfat so I can go on a small surplus for 2-3 years and start a long muscle building phase. I did put on some muslce in the bulk and even in the diet phase. Yes I know newbie gainz. But i was dieting for 26 weeks with like 2 one week long diet breaks. I did consistently loose fat and my upper abs where slightly showing but I still had way to much bf on my lower stomach and abvoe my hips. I couldn´t handle the deficit much longer since my maintance cals before the diet where at like 2200kcal, since im quite short and didnt have much muscle, so I wasn´t eating much. And I was kinda disappointed in myself I coulnt make it and I didnt. And the question is was there not enough muscle to get really lean? I mean I started the bulk at 60kg went up to 71kg and came back to arround 60kg with a totaly different look much more muscular, but I was far away from being like single didget lean or even at like 10-12%. I did one test 4 weeks before I finished at came out at 15%. Does anyone has experience with this shit, I was and still am kinda frustrated it didnt work out as I wanted.

[@FoieGrasMan]

Dr.Mike, can you do a video about muscle memory?

[@lavernfrancis2081]

Thank you 🙏!

[@noname-pz9kb]

Did my first show in June. Did a 12 week prep. Took 4 weeks to taper from 4000 to 2000 calories per day and rode 2000 for 8 weeks. Also, added cardio 5 tomes per week. Went from 212lbs and 13% fat to 187 and 4.4% fat. I am super proud of that. Anyone who has done a prep k ‘knows how hard it can be, physically and mentally. It took iron discipline. When posing the dudes next to me were huffing and puffing, sweating like crazy. I wasn’t, my conditioning had been achieved naturally. That’s why I didn’t win anything, not even close. Didn’t have enough mass as a natural athlete. It was tons of fun though and I learned a lot.

[@MailmanMuscle]

How tall are you? And also, are you saying that you got to 4.4% staying at 2K calories for 8 weeks (only reduction was the gradual 4K to 2K)? If so, you’re giving me hope.

[@noname-pz9kb]

@@MailmanMuscle I am 6'3"and I naturally tend to be on the lean side. And yes, I did to 8 straight weeks of 2000 calories per day. But I will say that I was extremely disciplined. Only whole foods, mostly tuna, chicken, some steak, leafy greens, peppers, asparagus. I had one beer in three months and no deserts at all. The discipline is what I am most proud of

[@noname-pz9kb]

@@Fartoogreasy I did between 20 and 40 minutes of low impact cardio after my workouts. For me that was staying below a pulse of 140.

[@soloalphahd196]

I needed to hear this

[@Lehajri]

BEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME 👐🏼, I AM GOING TO BE CAAALM AND WIN THIS EXOTICALLY LEAN! LET'S GOOO!!!

[@anie4221]

Holy shit, Marvin is scary. I gotta replace my 9kg of fat and get my muscles back. Glad I found you, definitely motivated me back to the gym :D

[@Paul-yk7ds]

In a society where it's considered offensive to suggest that losing weight should even be a goal for health reasons-god forbid doing it for aesthetic/visual reasons-it's refreshing to hear someone just give factual explanations of what it takes to get very lean, what is possible, and what are the benefits/drawbacks etc. Bodybuilders are so different from mainstream society in how they view these issues lol.

[@MarcoFeldman]

Theres no limit to how bulked you can get. I'm 100% bodyfat 💪🏻

[@zezeti2246]

Never look at Ronnie Coleman,he got to negative 3%😂😂😂

[@coreyfill8358]

Great content as always. Along with the random funny ass shit comments. They are the best

[@dom5648]

Watching while eating lunch, perfect timing lol.

[@joyrogers5385]

Same lol

[@joyrogers5385]

I do feel like i am stuck where i am at. Luckily, its a healthy weight. I am always hungry no matter how much protein i eat. I also find my metabolism is quick to readjust. If i eat more/less i will initially gain/lose only to quickly end back at maintenance for whatever amount i eat.

[@slumking112]

This video was super insightful...definitely details how to break those fat loss plateaus the body tends to go through...damn....

[@jonathanmckay7713]

Dr Mike, I have a question, I'm near the end of a 12 week fat loss cycle. Can I go right into a muscle building phase or do I need to do 8 weeks of maintenance first?

[@RPT155]

My last fat loss phase, I ended up at 9% body fat. Now I’m doing a bulking for the next 8-10 weeks and plan on doing my first show. Looking forward to it.

[@scottsherman5262]

I don't believe 9% at all...I bet you can't even send me a bunch of tasteful nudes to prove this. I'm not attracted to men at all, so I'd only review them for science. They'd be for masturbating, but anyhow, ya, I bet you don't even know how...I'm attempting child psychology.

[@MatteLson66]

What am I doing wrong? I started dieting and weight training 3-4 days a week about 8-9 weeks ago. Started at 213 lbs, now at 202. But I have been at 202 for over 3 weeks now. Eating around 1700-1800 cal per day, so I should be at least at a 500 cal deficit. 3 weeks ago I started taking creatine daily. I don’t cheat too much but once a week I might be over 2000 cal, even that slightly under maintenance. I have a ‘normal’ build, 6 ft tall. Not skinny but no huge arms. I cannot figure out why my weight drop has stopped.

[@kitompoglavi]

Considering you dont go too hard with the deficit and do everything you can (eat, rest, lift heavy) to maintain muscle.. when should/could you expect some muscle loss? Below 10%BF? 15%? Or extremely low BF%?

[@pyrexbtw6212]

i would say you can get to 10% easily without losing muscle,you’ll be less full but that’s not muscle loss

[@752shashank]

In most cases you will easily gain lost muscle mass.

[@RDS_Armwrestling]

Probably 10% and below yeah, you can hit maintenance calories at around that point and not lose muscle for a week or two (or even a small surplus to really help reduce fatigue and replenish glycogen stores, but not gain fat) then you can cut again with another small deficit etc

[@Football__Junkie]

Hey Dr Mike, how do I inject myself with better genetics?

[@OcultaManu]

I dieted for 15 weeks and lost 60lbs. It was very easy until the last two weeks. I planned on going a little leaner but I took a break for a bit. I would love to email you the whole thing so you can tell me how I am ridiculously extreme about it

[@kaleb3251]

You lost 4lbs a week for 15 weeks?? That’s insane man, did you keep it off after you were done dieting?

[@OcultaManu]

@@kaleb3251 I have kept it off pretty well I even lost a few more lbs after I stopped dieting. I have gone up and down between 189-199 since I stopped dieting but ended my diet at 191lbs. Started dieting at 251lbs. Usually balance out on most days at 195

[@OcultaManu]

@@kaleb3251 yes some days my deficit was closer to 3000 calories! I was continuously in the gym and moving a lot!

[@OcultaManu]

@@kaleb3251 I wasn’t starving myself just eating very low calorie high protein foods! I ate more then than I do now in volume and frequency

[@MrOrthodox13]

1:00 So that's that, 5'9'' 154lbs. You can get lean, but you can't build much muscle. I am all for it, but the rest of the video may not be necessary for the majority of us. Edit: watched all of it anyways, worth it.

[@mestresci3721]

Caffeine is what helps me with my diet. Keeps my energy levels feeling "normal" when they'd otherwise be extremely low, and keeps my hunger at bay (somewhat).

[@jason2014]

some people don't look good when they are lean. I'm one of them. Nose looks weird and cheeks are too sunk when I am 10%.. my sweet spot is 15% where I can actually be confident in my general appearance..

[@foundationsmedicalinformat2420]

Doctor Mike! I’m here so early and I have a question for you. How does water intake around a meal affect protein absorption? Pepsin breaks down protein in the stomach but only is converted to its active form from Pepsiongen under low pH conditions in the stomach (Created by Hydrochloric Acid release by the Parietal Cells). Does this mean that drinking a large amount of water with a meal (or perhaps worse, before a meal) could cause stomach pH to be increased, leading to a reduced level of protein absorption?

[@drfistface]

Can you talk about the role of cardio. I feel like movement is needed so i can feel loose and fast but I know that it has crushed my muscle gains over the years. Is it better to do intense anaerobic cardio that can build muscle or to do mild, low intensity cardio that has a minimal physiological effect ?

[@Chuckycheeze87]

Dr. Mike, how would you advise someone who is significantly overweight to get started? Some days it feels sisyphean.

[@zezeti2246]

That why i avoid going less than 165,thats my sweet spot😅,i get my biceps veins,my abs are visible,i get lower abs veins,id say im around 10 to 15% at that point,im one of those lucky bastards that is leaner on his upper body and has more bf in my legs😂

[@realbluesalad]

I could watch Dr. Mike blink all day long.

[@Philboh8]

I'm one of those lucky enough to have them cheat code genetics for leanness. I was also an elite athlete at one point which helped.

[@Ketobodybuilderajb]

Yep. I went to 6% body fat, maintained that and just lost muscle.

[@RaidRoyce]

Dr. Mike, could you do a video on the rebound effect?

[@adamw9248]

Now this is some primo content. Having a clen diet is important for visible abs.

[@HeadCannonPrime]

Not really. You can find people walking around with abs that eat cheeseburgers all day and you can fine people lean as a string bean that have soft abs. I think genetics is by far the greatest influence. All the work put in is just tuning in that genetic difference. Same thing with forearm veins. You can lift for years and never have much vascularization. Or be totally veiny and never touch a weight.

[@adamw9248]

@HeadCannonPrime @@salt_factory7566 I think you're right. Stick to the diet anavar give up.

[@mr.conran356]

A question I have in getting super lean. Those last few pounds, and the most stubborn fat store locations on your body. Once you remove them, say love handles and the pooch under your bellybutton...will those stubborn spots be the 1st place to store fat again once you go into a gain phase? Or can you remove them for good? And last thing, I am around 9-10% bodyfat now, anyone else notice you can feel the fat/skin on the back of your head jiggle when pushing hard in cardio or am I just a weirdo?

[@deyvisonwillamy6931]

There's no limit, Ronnie Coleman achieve NEGATIVE NUMBERS of body fat , a true lia.. I mean, Legend 💪

[@TheMasterblah]

Its not a lie if the dexascan told him he was negative %

[@drecon549]

Hey Mike, do you take private clients still? Like independently not through the app? I love your content and would love to talk about training with you

[@tapioperala3010]

I think that the thing why people are so gasped on this is because no one wants to work anymore. While I've lost 40+ Lb (I live in Finland, so we use actual measurements such as kilos so ::shrugs:: ) since May 2023. It's been fairly stupid, the way I've done it, but I had to cut eating a lot 'cause of major injuries. In any case, now that I've lost that 20 kilos, I'm really starting to struggle with the rest of the 5 - 10 kilos I want to lose. But that's ok; I've got time now that I'm no longer in jeopardy to die :D

[@julianarguindegui6863]

my question is...ideally speaking, how long should ur first bulk last?

[@dasdodo851]

What are your thoughts on 2 weeks 1k calorie deficit, 2 week maintanace? Ofcourse both with alot protein etc

[@thebigdelreal]

If you have a strong enough "why" anyone can get lean.

[@hgiles7280]

He might have said, but how long is enough of a diet break after 12 weeks? I’ve been losing 1 pound a week for 10 weeks and am wondering if I can take 1 week off after 12 weeks. I’m also taking a few weeks off in September for surgery recovery, so can I just push out the break till then? My diet has been really easy cause I’m flexible outside of calories

[@sniktythwip5524]

When will the RP store get a t-shirt with Dr. Mike’s catch phrase”Gee whiz!”?

[@Compressthis]

I am not exotic lean but, I have lost 40 pounds in the last 4 months. About 12% body fat. I am sitting at 28% right now and don’t really feel any mental fatigue. I know we are supposed to go loss maintenance loss maintenance but I don’t FEEL badly.. should I keep going or pause for a bit?

[@Smc-gm2nx]

Deffo keep going till you're around 20% then maybe a maintenance phase then try get to 15%. You shouldn't notice any bad energy effects until you're way under 15% so you're all good for now. Don't cut too fast though otherwise if you take away too many kcal now, it'll be harder to carry on the cut as you get leaner and already been on low kcal

[@HexadecimalDump]

I was something like 35-36% body fat, and dieting down to 20-25% was quite easy because of all that fat, now I'm somewhere in 18% and it got much harder. I'll try to push it to below 15% and start maintenance phase

[@Smc-gm2nx]

@@HexadecimalDump yeah keep it up. It's alot easier to lose the first half of your target fat loss% compared to the second half. Im about 12% now 220 6ft/183cm and I'm sure I have ghrelin and lepton problems as im starving on just under 4k kcal a day

[@chrisweidner4768]

Yep. The limit is Andreas Munzer.

[@diamondhands3671]

13:23 i stop cutting when i start to pass out randomly because im out of energy and basicly my body is dying lol

[@thetroothhurtz]

YESYESYES!!!

[@Shorjok]

Hello Mike. It bothers me that your fitbit smartwatch thing is not sitting flat against your wrist. Also, get a g-shock. That is all.

[@a-terrible-fate532]

I know that I could probably never get to even 10% body fat, because I like food too much and I do not enjoy starving myself for too long. I just do not see the point in starving myself of the food I like just to get down to a certain body fat level.

[@SassPeach]

Dr. Mike, please tell me how I can change my genetics and my psychology. I'm at 6% body fat right now but my idol says I'm fat (AthleanX btw) and I want to be 3% body fat just like him. Please send help! :D

[@mdanam]

Reincarnate as Jeff😅

[@SassPeach]

Not just killing my gains but KILLING my gains! @@salt_factory7566

[@josephbloxham3992]

Pretty hurt you listed every name prefix but Dr. Feels like you're excluding me intentionally Mr Mike

[@SeuOu]

take my like

[@drumminggt3322]

Would you feel more or less hungry, or the same one day one of a maintenance phase as you would on the last day before another cycle?

[@aba192]

Dr Mike; do I need a maintenance phase 2/3 of the duration after I stop a slow bulking phase, or can I just go into cutting, currently finishing maintenance after a successful cut so I was just curious! Thx for the content, and ❤ the RPH app!

[@illicitphantom]

Come on, there are drugs that will make you leaner. Even test helps improve you’re muscle to fat ratio