COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMER

Before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or dietary supplement program you should
consult a physician first. The information presented herein is not meant to treat or prevent
any disease or to provide the reader with medical advice. If you are looking for specific
medical advice then you should obtain this information from a licensed health-care
practitioner.

This publication is intended for informational use only. Sean Nalewanyj and
www.SeanNal.com will not assume any liability or be held responsible for any form of injury,
personal loss or illness caused by the utilization of this information. The individual results
obtained from the use of this information will vary from person to person and we make no
guarantee as to the degree of results that you will personally achieve.

This publication is fully copyrighted and does not come with giveaway or resale rights. You
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Transformation Blueprint members. Copyright and illegal distribution violations will be
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QUICK-START GUIDE
While it is highly recommended that you read through the complete Body Transformation
Blueprint Manual in order to gain a full understanding of all of the concepts surrounding proper
training, nutrition, supplementation and the smaller details in between, this quick-start guide has
been provided to organize all of the concrete “actionable” steps into one place for easy use.

If you’d prefer to get started with the program right away, you can simply read through the
guidelines outlined here, begin implementing the step-by-step Body Transformation Blueprint
workout system, meal plans and supplement guide, and then gradually make your way through the
main manual over the next few weeks to expand your knowledge further.

This guide also serves as a useful summary for those who have read through the manual already
but would like a quick refresher on all of the most important points that were covered.

Let’s begin…

GOAL SELECTION

• If you are a male who currently exceeds 12-14% body fat or a female who exceeds 19-21%,
you’ll need to begin your program with a cutting phase in order to get down to a
sufficiently lean base first and foremost. Once you’ve reached these prescribed ranges, you
can then shift into a bulking phase and focus on building additional lean mass. If you are
currently already within these ranges or below them, you can begin with a bulking phase
straight away.

• Those who are still relatively new to weight training and/or who are carrying a large
amount of excess fat will usually be able to “recomposition” to a certain degree by gaining
some additional muscle mass even while in a cutting phase. Others who can often
successfully recomposition are those returning from a training layoff or who possess
significantly above average muscle building genetics.

• Aside from the use of a DEXA scan, all methods of measuring body fat contain a
significant margin for error and should not be relied upon to provide accurate readings.
Aside from paying $100-$150 for a DEXA scan to assess your current body fat percentage
(a viable option for those who have the extra money to spend), most trainees will be best
off to simply use visual estimations instead. The following two pages provide examples of
male and female physiques ranging from very low “ripped” body fat percentages up to
those in the overweight category that you can use as a reference.
Examples of male physiques ranging from 6% body fat up to 40%+:

Further examples of male physiques approximately in the 12-14% range:

Examples of female physiques ranging from 13% body fat up to 50%+:

Further examples of female physiques approximately in the 19-21% range:

• If you seem to be right on the borderline with no clear visible muscle definition but only a
very small amount of excess fat (a very difficult body type to accurately estimate body fat
percentage for), both bulking or cutting would likely be acceptable and you can simply
make the decision based on which one is more important to you. If you’re mainly
concerned with adding more mass to your frame and are okay with the idea of gaining
some extra fat during the process (keep in mind that you’ll always put on some additional
 body fat during a bulk), you can go that route to start. Or, if you find the small bit of excess
fat you’re carrying to be bothersome and you’d rather do a quick cut to get rid of it first
before bulking, that’s fine too. Choose whichever path you believe will keep you the most
motivated moving forward.

• There is no set timeframe in terms of cutting or bulking phase length, as it all depends on
your current starting point and ultimate end goal. A cutting phase should simply continue
for as long as it needs to in order to reach the prescribed ranges of 12-14% body fat for
men and 19-21% body fat for women. Going lower than this is acceptable for those who
wish to get even leaner based on personal preference, but 10% body fat for men and 17%
for women would generally be considered as the minimum year-round level that can be
realistically maintained before unwanted side effects begin setting in, such as increased
hunger, strength and energy loss, decreased libido etc. Dropping below these figures for a
certain event (vacation, photoshoot, competition etc.) is acceptable, but only in the short
term.

• A bulking phase should continue either until you’ve reached a level of muscular
development that you’re satisfied with or until your body fat levels have reached the
maximum recommended “cap” of 18-20% for men and 25-27% for women. At that point,
a cutting phase should be inserted to bring body fat levels back down to the 12-14%/19-
21% range before switching back to bulking again.

• Rather than bulking all the way up to these maximum body fat figures, the other option is
to insert “mini cuts” into the mix in order to remain at a leaner year round percentage. For
example, this could involve bulking from 12% body fat up to 16%, and then cutting down
to 12% before going back to bulking again. If you do decide to go this route, just make
sure that you commit to at least 2-3 months of focused bulking during each cycle rather
than constantly switching back and forth every few weeks.
NUTRITION

• Total calorie intake is by far the most important factor when it comes to proper nutrition
and should form the underlying basis upon which the rest of your diet is built. If your
primary goal is to gain muscle then you’ll need to eat in a calorie surplus by consuming
more calories than you burn, whereas if your primary goal is to lose fat body fat you’ll need
to eat in a calorie deficit by burning more calories than you consume. Building muscle is
still possible while in a calorie deficit as mentioned previously, but it will only occur to a
meaningful degree in specific trainees (beginners, overweight individuals, those returning
from a layoff and/or genetic outliers) and won’t produce gains to the same degree that a
surplus will.

• The first step in configuring your daily calorie intake is to calculate your calorie
maintenance level, which is the number of calories required to maintain your current
weight. There are three main calculators that can be used for this: the basic multiplier,
Harris-Benedict formula or Katch-McArdle formula. Each equation is outlined in the main
manual starting on page 39. Keep in mind that all calorie calculators are merely intended to
provide rough estimations at the start and the resulting figure will often need to be adjusted
later on depending on how your body responds. Aside from using a calculator, the other
option is to simply log your regular food intake over the course of a week or so, add up the
calories manually and then use that as your estimated maintenance level assuming your
weight has been relatively stable in recent weeks. Once you have your maintenance calories
in place, you’ll then add or subtract calories from it in order to create either a calorie
surplus for bulking or calorie deficit for cutting.

• If you’ll be implementing a bulking phase, the following surplus figures can be used based
on your level of training experience:

Less Than 1 Year: 300 calories above maintenance

1-2 Years: 250 calories above maintenance
2-3 Years: 200 calories above maintenance
3-4 Years: 150 calories above maintenance
4-5 Years: 100 calories above maintenance

• If you’ll be implementing a cutting phase, 350-500 calories below maintenance will be a

reliable figure to go by. The full 500 calories would be recommended for the majority of
trainees, while those who are looking to reach a fairly lean body fat percentage may
optionally go with the lower end if they’ve already been cutting for a prolonged period and
hunger/energy loss has become an issue.

• Protein intake should fall between 0.8-1 gram per pound of body weight daily. Vegans (or
those who consume very little animal protein in general) should ideally stick to the higher
end of the range for optimal results. As long as sufficient protein quantity is being
consumed for the day as a whole, the specific food sources that are used to reach the total
are of far less importance. That said, some high quality, macro-friendly protein sources that
work well as part of a muscle building and fat burning diet include foods such as lean
poultry, fish/seafood (all types), lean beef, eggs/egg whites, low-fat dairy (yogurt, cottage
 cheese, milk), protein powders and protein bars/snacks. Some higher protein plant-based
sources include tofu, beans, lentils, tempeh, seitan, chickpeas, edamame, whole grains,
quinoa, amaranth, soy milk and meat substitutes.

• Fat intake should land at approximately 25% of total calories. Going a bit higher is
acceptable if you prefer it (up to 30%-35%), but 20% would be considered the minimum.
To calculate the total grams of fat to consume per day, multiply your total calorie intake by
0.25 and then divide by 9, since fats contain 9 calories per gram. A good portion of your fat
intake will be automatically derived from the natural fat content of your protein and
carbohydrate sources, with additional healthy fats being included to make up the rest. A
good guideline is to consume 1-2 servings of monounsaturated fat sources per day
(avocados, nuts/nut butters, olives, seeds, plant oils etc.), along with 1-2 grams per day of
the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA from fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, cod, herring,
tuna, anchovy, sardines etc.) or a high quality fish oil supplement.

• After calculating your protein and fat requirements, the remainder of your daily calorie
intake should be allotted to carbohydrates. To determine how many grams of
carbohydrates to consume each day, multiply your protein intake in grams by 4 (since
protein contains 4 calories per gram) and fat intake by 9. Add these two figures together,
and then subtract it from your total daily calories. Since carbohydrates contain 4 calories
per gram, take the resulting figure and divide it by 4. The majority of your carbohydrate
intake should be derived from higher fiber, minimally processed whole food sources such
as vegetables (all types), fruits (all types), oats, potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, yams, rice,
beans, lentils, quinoa, couscous, pasta, pita, whole grain breads and whole grain cereals.
Regardless of what combination of sources you choose, aim to get in at least 2 servings of
vegetables and 1-2 servings of fruit per day as part of your overall carb intake.

• The specific way in which you space your food intake out during the day (in terms of meal
frequency and meal timing) is a far less important factor in comparison to simply meeting
your overall calorie and macronutrient needs for the day as a whole. That said, in order to
maximize protein synthesis for optimal muscle recovery and growth, you should ideally aim
to get in at least two (and preferably three) separate protein feedings in total, each
containing 25 grams of protein or more and spaced out by at least 2-3 hours each. More
advanced trainees who are trying to squeeze out every ounce of hypertrophy possible (or
those who simply prefer eating a greater number of meals based on personal preference)
can go even higher at 4-6 protein feedings per day, though the additional gain that would
be produced from this would likely be marginal at best.

• Proper pre-workout nutrition should consist of any basic pairing of protein and
carbohydrates consumed 1-2.5 hours before training. If you prefer training on an empty
stomach for whatever reason, you should ideally consume 10 grams of an essential amino
acid supplement 5-15 minutes before your workout in order to offset the slight catabolic
effect of weight training in a fasted state. A scoop of protein powder will accomplish the
same thing. (Keep in mind though that fasted training does not lead to improved fat loss as
is commonly believed, so there is no need to use it specifically this purpose.)
• Proper post workout nutrition should consist of any basic pairing of protein and
carbohydrates consumed 1-2.5 hours after training.

• There is no set guideline for water intake in terms of ounces since the optimal amount will
depend on your body weight, activity level and the type of climate you live in. Just make
sure to consume enough water throughout the day so that your urine is on the clearer side
most of the time.

• It is not necessary that you eat a perfectly “clean” diet 24 hours a day, 7 days week in order
to build muscle and lose fat effectively. If the majority of your food intake (roughly 80-
90%) is being derived from nutrient dense, minimally processed whole food sources,
incorporating some higher fat/higher sugar “treat food” to fill in the remaining 10-20% is
acceptable as long as the calorie and macronutrient content is properly accounted for.

• A weekly average of 1-2 standard alcoholic drinks per day for men (half that amount for
women) is also acceptable assuming the calories are tracked and all other aspects of your
program remain consistent.

• Given equal 24 hour calorie intake, eating in the later evening hours will not lead to
increased fat storage as is commonly believed, nor will consuming a breakfast meal soon
after waking lead to increased fat burning. Net fat loss/fat gain will be almost entirely
dictated by total calories consumed vs. total calories burned for the day as a whole, with the
specific distribution of those calories likely having no noticeable impact on your bottom
line results from a fat loss standpoint.

• Cycling between higher and lower calorie intakes on workout days vs. rest days is fine as a
matter of personal preference, but is not a requirement in terms of optimizing body
composition. For the sake of simplicity, maintaining a consistent intake from day to day
will generally be the best approach for most people.

• When it comes to tracking your nutritional intake throughout the day, there are three main
options to choose from: (1) track all calories and macros down to the precise amount, (2)
track total calories only while roughly estimating macros, (3) eat intuitively based on visual
estimations and “feel” without specifically tracking anything. For the majority of trainees,
the second choice will work well as a default option and will strike a healthy middle ground
balance between overall effectiveness and sustainability. Those who prefer a higher degree
of precision and organization – or who want to “learn the ropes” as quickly as possible in
terms of dietary tracking – can go with option one. Option three should be reserved only
for more advanced trainees who have built up the necessary knowledge and experience
needed to employ an intuitive eating style effectively.

• To track the nutritional breakdown of the foods you’ll be eating, you can use an app such
as MyFitnessPal or Cronometer, an online website like CalorieKing.com, and/or just check
the nutrition labels on each food item and log things manually. You can also utilize the step
by step Body Transformation Blueprint Meal Plans, as those lay out full days of structured
eating at various calorie levels that you can simply print off and follow.
• When portioning out your meals at home, the use of a basic food scale is highly
recommended. Cups and spoons measure volume rather than weight and can often be
inaccurate depending on the shape of the item you’re trying to measure and how tightly it’s
been packed.

• If you’ll be on the go and eating out for a particular meal, the four main options for
tracking its nutritional content are as follows: (1) look up the nutritional info online if the
restaurant has it available, (2) if no nutritional info is available, use the calorie/macro
content for a similar meal from a different restaurant, (3) estimate the portion size of each
individual ingredient for the meal and combine the calories/macros together manually, (4)
simply eyeball things and make the best estimation you can. To minimize the chances of
going overboard on calories before a particularly large meal or event, eating lighter
throughout the earlier portion of the day can be helpful to create a “calorie buffer” for
yourself.

• If you do go too high on total calories for a given day, it’s usually best to simply put it
behind you and get back on course the following day. It’s critical to remember that your
overall results will ultimately be determined by what you do most of the time over the longer
term, and a “bad” day of eating or two is not going to be enough to have any significant
negative impact on your results assuming your diet is on track the majority of the time.
That said, if you do want to be as accurate as possible with your eating plan and/or are
looking to get into a certain shape by a very specific deadline, reducing your calories the
following day and/or implementing some additional cardio can be used to offset any very
minor regression that might have occurred.

• Those in a cutting phase can optionally incorporate a “refeed day” once every 1-2 weeks as
a way of offsetting some of the typical dieting side effects that come with an ongoing
calorie deficit. A refeed day involves bumping calories back up to maintenance, with the
increase coming primarily in the form of carbohydrates.

• Along with individual refeed days, longer “diet breaks” can be added in throughout your
cutting phase as well where calories are increased back to maintenance for a full 1-2 week
period for every 1-3 months of consistent dieting. As an approximate guideline, men
between 10-15% body fat can employ a diet break once every 4-6 weeks, those between 15-
20% can go with 8-10 weeks, and those above 20% can incorporate one every 12-14 weeks.
Women can take the body fat figures above and add 7% to each of them to find their
appropriate ranges.

• If you have or have had issues in the past maintaining dietary consistency over the long
term, make sure to read through the “consistency tips” section of the main manual (page
91) for twelve helpful pointers in this area.
WEIGHT TRAINING

• Aim to perform each set in the gym at an intensity level of 1-2 reps short of muscular
failure. Muscular failure is defined as the point in the set where you cannot complete any
additional reps in proper form despite your best effort. For example, if lifting with every
ounce of available strength meant that you could perform 8 reps with a given weight, you’d
leave 1-2 reps “in the tank” and stop at the 6th or 7th rep rather than attempting that final
“all out” 8th rep.

• If you’re still a beginner, it will take some time to get a feel for things and learn exactly
where the point of muscular failure is and how to properly anticipate it. Rather than just
diving headfirst into the heavier weights, make sure to start off on the moderate side and
slowly scale up your intensity levels over the first few weeks of lifting. Focus on developing
proper technique first and foremost, and then gradually push the envelope further as you
become more accustomed to each exercise.

• In order to make consistent, ongoing gains in muscle size and strength, the total amount of
stress the muscles are subjected to must be gradually increased over time. This is known as
the principle of “progressive overload”. While there are several different forms of
progressive overload that can ultimately be utilized, the most reliable method for anyone
who has not yet reached the advanced stages of training is to simply focus on gradually
increasing the amount of weight lifted on each exercise.

• To achieve these increases as efficiently as possible, it’s very important that you keep a
written record of every workout including the exercises performed, weight lifted and reps
executed on each set, and then aim for continual improvement with each subsequent
training session. The basic approach should be to strive for additional reps with a given
weight until you’re able to hit the upper end of the rep range for that exercise, at which
point you should increase the actual weight on the following workout, go back to training
for reps again, and repeat the process. (A complete explanation of this progression method
can be found on page 108 of the main manual)

• Any time a weight increase is applied, your lifting form should remain exactly the same as it
was with the previous weight. If your technique is being compromised through the use of
excessive momentum, shortened range of motion and/or increased rep speed as you
progress to a heavier load, you’re simply moving at too quick a pace and need to take
things more slowly.

• If everything in your program is being implemented properly, you should be able to

increase the weight on each exercise roughly every 2-4 weeks throughout the beginner to
intermediate phases of training. Larger compound lifts will progress at the fastest rate and
can be increased in increments of 5-10 pounds at a time depending on the movement,
while smaller isolation lifts will increase more slowly and in increments of 2.5-5 pounds.
The rate of increase will also be influenced by calorie intake, with those in a bulking phase
experiencing more pronounced strength gains in comparison to those who are cutting.
• When you eventually progress further into the advanced stages and are lifting weights that
are quite heavy for your body, moderating your loads on some exercises may become
necessary in order to protect your joints and prevent injuries. At that point, other methods
of progression can be utilized beyond just lifting more weight in general, such as
performing more total volume per workout, training each muscle more frequently
throughout the week, reducing rest times in between sets, or adjusting your lifting form and
rep speeds in order to make the same weight more mechanically challenging to train with.

• Each individual muscle group should be directly trained between 1.5-3 times per week.
While there are a wide variety of different training splits available that can be used
effectively given sufficient volume and intensity for the week as a whole, a reliable template
that will work very well for the average natural trainee is as follows:
Beginners: Full body workout 3x per week for the first 6-12 months of training.
Intermediates: Upper/lower routine 3-4x per week for another 6-12 months after having
completed the previous full body training cycle.
Advanced: Legs/push/pull split 4-5x per week for 6-12 more months after the
upper/lower phase has been completed.
4 months is an acceptable length for each of these training cycles as well but would be
considered as the absolute minimum time frame.

• Perform between 8-15 total sets per week for larger muscle groups (quads, hamstrings,
glutes, back and chest), and between 4-8 total sets for smaller muscle groups (shoulders,
biceps, triceps, abs and calves).

• Compound exercises should be treated as the underlying foundation of your workouts due
to their high potential for progressive overload and ability to target multiple muscle groups
simultaneously. After your compound exercises have been completed, additional isolation
movements should be included afterwards to target your smaller muscle groups more
closely.

• Barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines all have their own unique benefits and drawbacks
depending on the exercise being performed, and while it isn’t mandatory that every single
one be included in your workouts in order to achieve significant gains, utilizing a mixture is
typically ideal for the most complete and well-rounded results.

• The details behind the specific structure, function and optimal lifting methods for each
major muscle group are outlined beginning on page 119 of the main manual.

• Virtually any rep range (as low as 3 up to 30+) can produce comparable increases in muscle
size given sufficient intensity, volume and frequency throughout the week, but for optimal
gains in hypertrophy, 5-10 reps per set would be considered the “sweet spot” that the
majority of your training should be centered around, with very low rep and very high rep
work being treated as an optional add-on.
• Muscle burn, muscle pump and muscle soreness are all inevitable by-products of intense
weight training, but are not indicators of a successful workout in and of themselves and do
not need to be specifically strived for in the gym. Progressive overload should always be
used as the primary gauge as to whether or not muscle growth is being successfully
stimulated from your workouts, regardless of how much muscle burn/pump/soreness you
do or don’t experience.

• Every rep of every exercise should be executed with proper form at all times and with the
fullest range of motion that can be comfortably utilized. A small amount of natural body
movement is fine throughout the lift, but you should always have the general sense of
being in complete control of the weight from start to finish. Each exercise listed in The
Body Transformation Blueprint Workout System is clickable and provides a video
demonstration, written description and rundown of important form cues that should be
applied to get the very most out of the lift.

• On the concentric portion of the rep (the “lifting” phase), move the weight as hard and fast
as possible in proper form from point A to B, consciously focusing on contracting the
targeted muscle. On the eccentric portion (the “lowering” phase), guide the weight back
down in 2-4 seconds while actively resisting against it.

• Every muscle group on the body should be trained with equal focus and intensity in order
to develop your physique in a balanced and symmetrical manner. Only when you become
more advanced and have built up a solid size and strength foundation should muscle
prioritization come into play as a means of bringing up potentially lagging body parts.

• There is no specific resting interval between sets that must be abided by at all times. The
basic goal should simply be to rest as long as you need to in order to feel fully recovered
from the previous set and ready to give a maximum effort on the next one. 1.5-3.5 minutes
of rest should suffice for most sets most of the time, with larger compound exercises
requiring more rest in comparison to smaller isolation movements. However, if you do feel
that you require a bit more rest after a particularly challenging set, that’s fine too. If in
doubt, always rest longer rather than shorter.

• Instead of constantly mixing up your training variables from week to week (exercise
selection, exercise order, rep ranges etc.) under the misguided notion of “confusing” the
muscles into further growth, a much more effective approach is to remain consistent with
one set routine for a period of time so that progressive overload can be properly tracked
and strength gains can be maximized on a given set of lifts. Workout structure should only
be modified if: (1) strength gains have plateaued and other possible causes (such as diet)
have been properly addressed, (2) you’re graduating from a beginner to intermediate or
intermediate to advanced lifting routine, (3) a pre-set routine has been followed for a
period of at least 8 weeks or more and you’d like to switch things up for the sake of mental
variety.

• The optimal time to train during the day from a pure strength and performance standpoint
is in the late afternoon to early evening hours due to increased core temperature, muscle
activation and blood flow. Morning workouts are certainly still acceptable if they better suit
 your schedule and/or you feel more psychologically motivated to train at that time
(caffeine or a high quality pre-workout can also be used for an added boost), but if you
have no set preference on the matter, waiting 5-6 hours after waking is ideal to fully
maximize the quality of your workouts.

• There is no set “time limit” that your workouts must be completed in. Just aim to move
through your routine in an efficient manner without wasting unnecessary time in between
sets. Anywhere from 45-75 minutes would be a standard time frame for most hypertrophy-
based weight training workouts, excluding warm ups.

• Incorporate a one week “deload phase” for every 6-12 weeks of consistent training. The
two options for deloading are to either continue with your regular training plan but reduce
the amount of weight on each exercise by 50%, or to simply take a full week off from
lifting altogether. Either choice is acceptable and the decision can be made based on
personal preference. In terms of nutrition, those in a bulking phase should remove the
calorie surplus from their daily intake during the deload week, while those in a cutting
phase can either continue maintaining a net deficit by keeping their intake at the same level,
or add 200-300 calories back in per day if they’d prefer to treat the deload week as a diet
break.

• Injury prevention should always be treated as a primary concern in your training plan, as
your entire ability to build continual muscle size and strength hinges on the fact that your
joints are healthy enough to keep up. Most serious lifters will encounter minor injuries here
and there throughout their training career, but the chances of this can be minimized
through the use of proper pre-workout warmups, correct lifting technique, balanced
exercise selection, keeping training intensity/volume/frequency all within the appropriate
limits, maintaining proper posture outside of the gym, and including joint care supplements
as an optional add-on. (The details behind each of these points are covered starting on page
168 of the main manual)

• If you do experience an injury of some kind and the pain is only minor, you can try
experimenting with different variations of whichever exercise(s) are causing discomfort to
see if you’re able to work around it. If that isn’t possible, your best bet will be to take some
time away from training the affected area altogether and get a professional diagnosis to help
speed up the recovery process.

• If you are forced to take time away from the gym for any reason, keep in mind that muscle
loss won’t begin to kick in until about two full weeks of inactivity assuming you continue
eating roughly around maintenance calories and are consuming adequate protein. Even
then, the process will be fairly slow moving from week two onward. Your physique may
start to look a bit “deflated” in the mirror, but this is primarily the result of decreased fluid
retention in the muscle cells, reduced glycogen storage and lowered levels of inflammation
in the tissue as opposed to significant losses in actual lean muscle mass. Furthermore, due
to the benefits of “muscle memory”, you’ll be able to regain whatever muscle you may have
lost at a much quicker rate than it took to originally build it once you resume your regular
training program.
• To optimize training performance and recovery (as well as overall physical and mental
health in general), make sure you’re getting enough restful sleep each night so that you feel
reasonably alert and energized throughout the day. 7-9 hours will be an appropriate amount
in most cases, though everyone is different and some may be able to operate fine on less
than this. Some helpful tips to maximize the quality of your sleep each night include
maintaining a consistent sleeping/waking schedule from day to day, avoiding work or other
mind stimulating activities while in bed, cutting off all electronics 30-60 minutes before
sleeping, avoiding going to sleep too full or too hungry, keeping your room cool (between
60-67 degrees) and as dark as possible, eliminating sudden background noises by sleeping
in total silence or using white noise, and by avoiding caffeine and other stimulants within 6-
8 hours of sleep.
CARDIO

• Although cardio is not a mandatory aspect of losing body fat during a cut or staying lean
during a bulk (since this can technically be accomplished through proper diet alone), it is
still recommended that some cardio be included in your plan during the week both for its
supplemental calorie burning effects as well as the wide variety of overall physical and
mental health benefits that it provides.

• 2-3 weekly cardio sessions is a reliable guideline for most average trainees to follow,
optionally increasing the frequency later on for those who are deeper into a cutting phase
and are looking to lose additional fat without decreasing their calorie intake any further.
This cardio frequency takes into account both traditional “gym cardio” as well as any other
physically demanding activities you might be performing during the week, such as sports,
outdoor activities or a strenuous job.

• If you prefer including a greater amount of cardiovascular exercise throughout the week
simply out of personal preference then that’s ultimately up to you, but keep in mind that
cardio can become potentially counterproductive to muscle size and strength gains if the
overall intensity/frequency/duration reaches an excessive level and begins interfering with
weight training recovery and performance.

• If you’d like to combine your weight training and cardio together into a single session for
the sake of efficiency, always perform your cardio post-workout rather than pre-workout so
that your lifting strength is not negatively impacted. Weight training should always be
treated as the number one priority in your workout program by far. The other option (and
the ideal one from a pure muscle building and fat burning standpoint) is to separate the
two by a period of at least six hours or more. However, the difference between spacing
your weight training and cardio further apart versus performing your cardio post-workout
will likely be fairly small in the grand scheme of things, so this is typically best decided
based on personal preference.

• LISS cardio (“low intensity steady state” lasting 40-45 minutes per session) and HIIT
cardio (“high intensity interval training” lasting anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending on
the specific structure being used) both have their own unique benefits and drawbacks and
ultimately burn a similar number of calories in the overall picture. Most trainees will be best
off to simply choose the form they most prefer depending on which one is more enjoyable
and sustainable for them over the long term. The only caveat here is that, for those who are
aiming to fully maximize muscle size and strength gains, HIIT cardio should ideally be
limited to no more than twice per week since it can be quite demanding on the body as a
whole. Going somewhere in the middle by using a moderate intensity pace for 25-30
minutes per session is an option as well, as is utilizing a mixture of different forms
throughout the week.

• When it comes to exercise selection, virtually any method that raises breathing/heart rate
and requires sustained physical exertion can ultimately be used as an effective form of
cardio. This could involve any traditional gym cardio machine (treadmill, bike, stairstepper,
rower, airdyne, elliptical etc.), a mixture of different machines during the same session, or
 other activities such as jumping rope, swimming, hitting a heavy bag, body weight intervals,
outdoor activities, sports, gym classes etc. Once again, the decision here should ultimately
be based on the preference of the individual, with the most important factor being that you
simply get your cardio in for the week, period.

• Whatever specific cardio method(s) you do decide to go with, just aim to space them out
during the week so that interference with your weight training workouts is minimized
wherever possible in terms of the major muscle groups being utilized. For example, if you
were on the first day or two of recovery from heavy squats and Romanian deadlifts,
performing uphill sprint intervals or explosive plyometrics probably wouldn’t be your best
choice in that case. Or, if you had an upcoming chest and triceps session in the next 24
hours, repetitive high intensity punching on a heavy bag would be better replaced by
something more lower body dominant.
SUPPLEMENTATION

• Supplements are not a mandatory aspect of an effective muscle building and fat burning
program and it is still possible to achieve significant results without them. However,
including a few properly formulated, scientifically backed supplements in your plan can
provide an extra boost that helps to fully maximize your results over the long term while
also improving the overall convenience of your diet plan.

• Despite the endless number of different supplements available on the market, only a very
small percentage of these are supported by legitimate research showing clear improvements
in training performance, body composition and overall health as a result of their use. The
vast majority of the fitness supplement industry is centered around over-hyped, over-priced
products containing ineffective ingredients and insufficient dosages that will provide
minimal to no benefit at all. When selecting supplements for your program, it’s very
important that you choose carefully and do the proper research first.

• For the average trainee, there are five main recommended items (listed below) that should
form the underlying basis of an effective supplementation plan. This includes certain
“approved” third party brands, as well as supplements from RealScience Athletics, a
company I personally founded as a way of combatting all of the misleading tactics so
common in the supplement industry today. RealScience Athletics takes a much different
approach to most “mainstream” supplement brands by providing only a small list of select
products that are 100% research-backed, clinically dosed, transparently labelled and
manufactured with the highest quality cGMP certified methods available. (Body
Transformation Blueprint members are also eligible for a 10% discount on their first order
by using coupon code BTB10)

• Recommended Supplement #1: Protein Powder. Protein powders can be used to make
a variety of different shakes, smoothies, snacks and other recipes that will allow you to hit
your daily protein needs with improved convenience. Any type of protein powder is
ultimately acceptable (whey, casein, egg, plant-based sources etc.), though whey works well
as a reliable “default” option due to its high quality amino acid profile, taste and mixability.
Anywhere between 1-3 scoops daily would be a standard amount depending on the
individual and their daily protein needs. The specific timing is not important – protein
powder can be utilized at any time of the day when it is most preferred. Three high quality
whey protein options among many include Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey, Dymatize
Elite Whey and Cellucor COR-Performance Whey, with some additional suggestions
outlined in The Body Transformation Blueprint Supplement Guide. Protein bars/snacks
are another acceptable option this category as well.

• Recommended Supplement #2: Multivitamin. A properly formulated multivitamin will

help to ensure that all of your daily micronutrient needs are being fully met to optimize
muscle growth, fat loss, training performance and overall physical/mental health. The
primary vitamins and minerals that most hard-training lifters will benefit from include
vitamin D, magnesium, zinc and vitamin K. The recommended product in this category is
Microcore from RealScience Athletics, as it provides a complete blend of these four
specific micronutrients (along with a full B vitamin complex for added nutritional
 insurance) all delivered in their optimal dosages and highest quality forms. Traditional full
spectrum multivitamins are best avoided in most cases, as they are typically under-dosed,
provide low quality forms of the various micronutrients, and include many vitamins and
minerals that are unnecessary (or potentially even unsafe) to consume in supplemental form
over the long term.

• Recommended Supplement #3: Fish Oil. Fish oil contains the highly valuable omega-3
fatty acids EPA and DHA, two essential nutrients that produce a long list of benefits
within the body related to improving overall health, preventing disease and optimizing
body composition. Unless you regularly consume the equivalent of about 100 grams of
fatty fish per day, chances are that your daily EPA/DHA intake falls below the
recommended 1-2 gram range. O3 Prime from RealScience Athletics provides a premium
quality source of Icelandic fish oil in the highly absorbable “re-esterified triglyceride” form
(providing a higher bio-availability in comparison to the commonly sold ethyl ester and
natural triglyceride forms) and is processed using enhanced molecular distillation for
optimal levels of purity. Consume 2-4 grams of O3 Prime daily (delivering 1.1-2.2 grams of
combined EPA/DHA), ideally split into two dosages taken with breakfast and lunch.

• Recommended Supplement #4: Creatine Monohydrate. Creatine improves the

efficiency of the body’s usage of ATP (the primary energy molecule utilized during
explosive bouts of exercise such as weight training), allowing you to lift slightly more
weight and perform additional repetitions on your sets. Creatine also increases muscle
fullness by drawing more water inside of the muscle cells. Consume 3-5 grams of creatine
monohydrate per day in the form of CreapureTM (Optimum Nutrition 100% Creatine is
one reliable choice of many), taken at any time and mixed with any liquid of your choice.
Full creatine saturation will be reached after 2-3 weeks of consistent use. Creatine does not
need to be loaded or cycled.

• Recommended Supplement #5: Pre-Workout. The goal of a pre-workout supplement is

to maximize the overall quality of your training sessions by increasing levels of energy,
strength and mental focus. Three reliable, research-backed pre-workout ingredients that
would be recommended for this purpose are caffeine (200-300mg), l-tyrosine (2000-
3000mg) and citrulline malate (6000-8000mg). PureForm from RealScience Athletics
combines these three compounds together using their full clinical doses and most highly
absorbable forms into a naturally sweetened pre-workout powder for guaranteed quality
and convenience. The formula also includes 200mg of the calming amino acid l-theanine,
which helps to “smoothen out” the effects of the caffeine and further improve mental
focus without any sedative effects. Consume 1 scoop of PureForm 20-30 minutes before
training.

• To learn about some additional “secondary” supplements that can be optionally added for
those who already have the basics covered and the extra money to spend, as well as a list of
“non-recommended” supplements that are best avoided (and why), you can consult the
Body Transformation Blueprint Supplement Guide for more information.
PHASE TRANSITIONING

• When transitioning from a cutting phase to a bulking phase, the first step is to return to
eating at your calorie maintenance level. You can do this by either re-calculating your
maintenance calories using one of the equations given on page 39 of the main manual, or
by adding calories back in based on your previous rate of weight loss. For example, one
pound of consistent weekly weight loss would represent roughly a 500 calorie daily deficit
since one pound of fat contains about 3500 calories. Give the initial calorie increase a few
days to settle in, and once your body weight has stabilized, complete the transition by
adding in the appropriate calorie surplus figure of either 100, 200 or 300 calories above
maintenance. Your resting caloric expenditure will gradually increase after you’ve shifted
into a surplus as fat burning hormone levels rise in response to the higher calories, so make
sure to continue tracking your body weight and apply an increase of 100-150 calories per
day whenever the scale clearly plateaus for a 1-2 week period.

• When transitioning from a bulk to a cut, you’ll first need to determine your starting calorie
intake for cutting by calculating your new calorie maintenance level and reducing it by 350-
500. You can use one of the methods on page 39 of the main manual for this, or, if your
body weight had remained relatively stable during the final stages of your bulk, whatever
amount you were consuming in that period would represent your maintenance intake.
Next, calculate the difference between your bulking calorie intake and cutting calorie
intake, divide it by three, and then decrease your calories by that amount each week over a
three week period to gradually acclimate your body to eating in a deficit. If you’ll be
performing additional cardio as part of your cut, add in the extra sessions at an even pace
over that three week period as well. For those who want to lose fat as quickly as possible
and are willing to simply tough out the initial spike in hunger, this three week “pre-diet
phase” can be optionally skipped. However, reducing calories at a slightly slower pace is
usually the better approach for most trainees when it comes to managing hunger and
maximizing long term dietary adherence. The one exception here is for shorter 2-6 week
“mini cuts”, as the pre-diet phase is usually not necessary in these cases.

• If you’ll be transitioning from either bulking or cutting into a maintenance phase (either
because you’ve achieved your goal physique or need to put your training plan on hold
temporarily), simply go back to eating at your calorie maintenance level on a continual
basis. In terms of weight training, if your goal is to perform the minimum amount
necessary to maintain your existing muscle mass and strength, roughly 5-6 weekly sets for
larger muscle groups and 2-3 sets for smaller muscle groups should be sufficient, hitting
each muscle directly at least once per week and sticking to the same weights from session
to session rather than actively striving for progressive overload.
PROGRESS TRACKING

• An average rate of overall body weight gain (including muscle, water, glycogen and fat) for
a muscle building beginner would be approximately half a pound per week during the first
year of training. 3 pounds per month should be considered as the maximum upper limit, as
consistently gaining more than this likely indicates excessive increases in body fat. For
every year of proper training thereafter, this rate of growth should decrease by about 50%.
Women can expect to gain muscle roughly half as quickly as men due to hormonal
differences. Since muscle growth is a fairly slow process and the exact rate of increase will
vary between individuals, these figures should all be simply treated as ballpark estimates.

• To track your changes in body weight, weigh yourself first thing in the morning on a digital
scale at least once every 2-3 days before eating and after using the washroom. If your body
weight is increasing at a rate significantly above or below the ranges previously given (or
isn’t increasing at all), the first step is to conduct a “dietary audit” by precisely measuring all
of your daily food intake in detail to ensure that no errors are being made with your
calorie/macro tracking. Assuming no tracking errors are involved, increase or decrease
your calorie intake by 100-150 per day every 5-7 days until your changes in body weight are
landing within the proper range.

• Until you’ve reached the advanced stages of lifting (at which point your progress in the
gym will come at a much slower pace), you should expect your strength levels to be
consistently increasing in some form virtually every single week, whether that involves
performing an additional rep or two with the same weight on each exercise or increasing
the actual weight itself. If you’ve gone two full weeks without any progression at all,
something in your plan is off and needs to be adjusted. Possible steps that may help include
increasing calorie intake, fine-tuning macronutrient intake, increasing training intensity
levels or reducing training volume/frequency. Each of these methods are discussed in more
detail starting on page 244 of the main manual.

• If your body weight and strength are both consistently increasing at an appropriate rate,
you can be reasonably assured that your bulking phase is on the right track for the most
part. To fine-tune your progress tracking approach further, you can take progress photos
once every 2-4 weeks (first thing in the morning before eating or training and using the
same lighting conditions each time) and body part measurements (chest, upper arm,
forearm, neck, waist, thigh and calf, once again taken first thing in the morning before
training).

• Since body fat percentages are notoriously difficult to accurately measure, this typically
won’t be necessary to include as a progress tracking method for the vast majority of
trainees. That said, if minimizing body fat gains is a top priority for you and you’d like to be
as detailed as possible with your tracking, in-home methods such as body composition
scales, handheld BIA devices or calipers can be optionally included as long as the same
method is being consistently used each time. Just remember to treat these measurements as
rough approximations only and to use them as a way of tracking the relative increase in body
fat over time rather than as a tool to determine your actual objective body fat percentage. A
net increase of 0.5-1% body fat per month would be an acceptable rate while bulking.
• An expected lifetime goal for a natural lifter with average genetics would be approximately
30 pounds of total lean muscle mass gained. Those with below average or above average
genetics would likely be looking at around 20-40 pounds respectively. Assuming you’re
following a properly structured program and implementing it consistently, you should
expect to achieve roughly 50% of your total genetic muscle building potential in the first
year of training, 75% after the second year and 85-90% after the third. By year 4-5 and
beyond you should be right up near your maximum natural limit, and while continued
muscle gains can certainly still be made at that point, the increases will be very marginal and
require much longer time periods to achieve.

• When tracking progress during a cutting phase, the same methods outlined above also
apply. In terms of body weight, an expected rate of overall weight loss in most cases (the
majority of which will be in the form of fat) would be between 1-2 pounds per week
depending on the size of the calorie deficit used. You may experience a quick initial drop of
3-4 pounds per week in the first week or two as your body adjusts to the lower calories, but
it should stabilize at around 1-2 pounds per week after that. (Those who are significantly
over weight may be able to comfortably lose upwards of 3 pounds per week on a consistent
basis, at least in the beginning stages of their program.) If your body weight is decreasing at
a rate slower than this (or isn’t decreasing at all) the first step is to once again conduct a
dietary audit. If after accounting for everything in detail it turns out that no calorie/macro
tracking errors are being made, decrease your intake by 100-150 calories per day once every
5-7 days until the scale begins moving at the appropriate rate.

• If your body weight is remaining mostly stagnant from week to week (or is decreasing but
at a fairly slow pace) yet you’re clearly seeing improvements in body composition in terms
of overall leanness, muscle definition, changes in how your clothes fit etc., this indicates
that you are likely recompositioning by losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. In
that case, you can keep your calorie intake at the same level for the time being and use the
other methods described below as your primary means of tracking progress rather than
relying on the scale.

• Changes in strength should be closely monitored during a cut as this will be an important
indicator as to how well your existing muscle mass is being retained as you lean down.
Strength levels should be at least maintained as a minimum on most exercises (though
they’ll often continue to increase as long as your training and diet are properly structured,
especially in novice lifters), only potentially reducing slightly in the later stages, particularly
for those who are cutting down to fairly low levels of body fat. If strength levels are
significantly dropping from week to week throughout your cut, this may indicate the need
to increase calorie intake, monitor macronutrient intake more closely, reduce cardio
frequency and/or reduce weight training volume/frequency. Consult page 256 for more
details on each of these options if necessary.

• Progress photos, body part measurements and body fat percentage readings should all be
utilized during a cut in the same way as was described above for bulking. If you are
currently in a recomposition phase, waistline measurements and progress pictures become
increasingly important in order to determine whether body fat is being consistently lost
despite minimal changes in overall body weight. Body fat percentage readings can once
again be used to track the approximate relative decrease over time, with a 0.25-0.75%
reduction per week being a fairly standard amount depending on one’s current body
weight, body fat percentage and the size of the calorie deficit being used. For those with
the extra money to spend and who want to be as accurate as possible with their tracking,
DEXA scans can be used to obtain more reliable readings.