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00:00For the next year, I'm going to train as perfectly as humanly possible.
00:04That means I'm going to run the most science-based, optimized plan
00:07and track every single set of every workout.
00:10No skipped workouts, no lazy sets, no exceptions.
00:14I'm also going to track every single calorie I eat every day for a year straight.
00:19And in this video, I'll show you my full results.
00:21To start the experiment, I'll get a DEXA scan to measure my body fat percentage
00:25and an ultrasound to measure my muscle size.
00:28Then, after a full year of optimized training, we'll measure exactly how much muscle I gained.
00:34But here's the best part.
00:35For any of you that are new to the gym, I'm going to also do the exact same experiment
00:39on my biological brother, who's a similar height as me, with a similar genetics,
00:44but here's the catch.
00:45He does not lift at all.
00:47He's a completely untrained beginner.
00:49This way, we'll get to see the difference between someone who's been training for over 15 years
00:53versus someone totally new to lifting.
00:56You see, you build most of your muscle in your first few years of lifting.
01:00Then it slows down.
01:01And there's a theory out there that once you've been training for 5 or maybe 10 years,
01:06you've built all the muscle you can build.
01:08People call this your natural ceiling for muscle growth.
01:11And for the last few years, I've been thinking that I've reached it.
01:15Despite training as hard as usual, I just haven't really seen any noticeable gains in the last few years.
01:20And once you hit your natural ceiling, you have a decision to make.
01:23You can either maintain what you've built, saying goodbye to any new gains,
01:27or you can take anabolic steroids.
01:29I've definitely thought about using steroids, but I don't want to, because the side effects scare me.
01:34I also don't want to just maintain if I can still make gains.
01:38As a bodybuilder, making gains is kind of the point, right?
01:41And besides, there's really no science on this so-called natural ceiling anyway.
01:46It might not even be a real thing.
01:47So for me, this experiment will answer the question of whether or not I've reached my natural ceiling,
01:53or if I simply haven't been training as hard and smart as I could be.
01:57For my brother Brad, it'll show how much muscle a new lifter can gain in one year of dedicated training.
02:03Let's find out.
02:03Okay, guys, it's day one of the experiment.
02:08We're here at McMaster University, and we're going to get a whole bunch of tests on.
02:12Then we're going to come back exactly one year from today and see how much muscle we built.
02:16Let's get started.
02:17To start, every good experiment needs a good hypothesis.
02:21And upon deeper reflection, I think I have not reached my natural ceiling for muscle growth.
02:26I think that if I really give it my all for a full year, I'll see some new growth.
02:31And to set the standard high, I'm going to take an ambitious guess at how much muscle I'll gain this year.
02:37I'm going to guess that I will gain four pounds of muscle.
02:41I think Brad will gain double that, eight or nine pounds of muscle.
02:46I'm going to say nine pounds of muscle.
02:47What do you guys think?
02:48Is that ambitious?
02:49Is that too much?
02:50I think four pounds of muscle is quite a bit.
02:53Do you know who I am?
02:55No, I'm sorry.
02:56For him, you might be undershooting a bit.
03:00For you, man, you know natural bodybuilding.
03:03Like, it's hard, man.
03:05Challenge accepted.
03:06So, with my own research team as my biggest haters, we got our starting measurements done.
03:10Can I put 4.7?
03:120.7, yes, sir.
03:13Take that, internet.
03:15It says 5.2.
03:17First up, we use this DEXA machine to measure our starting body fat percentage and lean mass.
03:21So, what did you predict you were at?
03:23I think I said 14.6.
03:25It said that I was 15.8% body fat.
03:30That was a bit higher than I expected.
03:32I thought I'd be closer to 13 or 14%, but hey, maybe I'll get that down by the end.
03:36It also said I had 132.7 pounds of lean mass.
03:40Lean mass includes your muscle mass, but it also includes your organs and body water.
03:44After that, we got our muscle thickness measured using ultrasound.
03:48This device sends sound waves through your body that reflect back, creating echoes that can generate an image of how thick the muscle is.
03:55We did thickness measurements for our biceps and quads.
03:58Brad's starting body fat was 36.2%, also higher than both of us thought.
04:03Most people probably do think they're leaner than they actually are.
04:06We're also doing regular posing updates to assess our visual progress.
04:10Brad and I made our own posing room to make sure we'll have the exact same lighting and angle for the before and the after.
04:16For our first workout of the experiment, we're doing an upper body session, and this is the split we'll be running all year.
04:20It's a mix between an upper-lower split and a push-pull-leg split.
04:24Upper on Monday, lower on Tuesday.
04:26Those are the more strength-focused workouts.
04:28Then we'll take a rest day, followed by three hypertrophy-focused workouts.
04:32A push day, chest, shoulders, and triceps.
04:34A pull day, back and biceps.
04:36And another leg day.
04:37Now, at this point, you may be wondering exactly what I'm doing differently this year.
04:41If I've been training already for 15 years, what am I doing differently for this experiment that I wasn't doing already?
04:47Well, with training, there are three new things.
04:50First, I'm taking the last set of every single exercise to failure.
04:54No exceptions.
04:56Even on heavy compound lifts like presses and squats, I'm pushing that last set until I physically cannot get the weight up and literally drop it.
05:04Obviously using safety bars.
05:05I don't know if failure makes a big difference for hypertrophy, but the latest science definitely shows a trend.
05:11The harder you push, the more growth you tend to see.
05:14Before, I'd always leave one or two reps in the tank on compound exercises, even on the last set.
05:18And I still think that's a good idea for most people.
05:21But I want to go ham this year, leaving no uncertainty of whether I could have done more.
05:26Second, I'm only doing optimal exercises.
05:28If it doesn't build maximum muscle, I'm not doing it.
05:31Third, I'm meticulously tracking all my weights for progressive overload.
05:35And my goal is to add a little weight or a rep each week.
05:38Now, since Brad's a beginner, I have to ease him into the workouts.
05:41So we're starting with one set per exercise in week one, two sets in week two, and then three sets from week three on.
05:48And yes, he has to run the exact same program as me for scientific control.
05:52It's definitely a bit too advanced for him, but I think he can do it for science.
05:57You see that shakiness?
05:59That's how we know you're a new lifter.
06:01That is your body saying, what are you doing right now?
06:04I have not done this.
06:07For that first week of training, my main priority is just getting Brad familiar with the technique on the different exercises in our program.
06:13All you're going to do is just stick your butt back as you lower the bar straight down with straight legs.
06:19Good. And then up.
06:21Oh, that's it?
06:22That's it. That's the whole movement.
06:23Oh, okay.
06:23Don't bring the bar out in front. Lower it straight down.
06:28It's not going to hit your knees because you're moving your butt back.
06:31There you go. That's it.
06:33That's your RDL.
06:33And you can stop about just below knee height.
06:35So we'll stop about there.
06:38Okay.
06:39We're not doing any failure training in week one or two just to get adjusted.
06:42The real failure work is going to start in week three.
06:45All right, man. That's one week of training down.
06:48I enjoyed it more than maybe I even thought I would.
06:50Yeah. Yeah. Nice, man.
06:51Good job.
06:52Thanks.
06:52You did it because now it's just repeating that.
06:55Yeah.
06:5552 times.
06:56All right.
06:57Nice.
06:57Well, 51.
06:59Oh, 51 times.
07:00That's right.
07:00That's right.
07:01By week three, we were cruising.
07:02The initial soreness from starting a new program had settled down.
07:05And before we knew it, it was time for our first check-in.
07:08Moment of truth.
07:09I'm a little nervous.
07:11Are you?
07:11No.
07:12No.
07:13What are my nervous about?
07:14So this was shocking.
07:15After just one month of training, Brad is already up 12.7 pounds of lean mass.
07:22His body fat percentage dropped from 36.2% down to 33.4%.
07:27And the ultrasound showed he gained 14 millimeters on his quads and one millimeter on his biceps.
07:33That's in one month.
07:34Bruh.
07:35Nicely done, dude.
07:36Holy crap.
07:37I gotta tell him I'm on that.
07:39But my one month results were even more surprising.
07:42So wait, how much lean did I gain?
07:451,400 grams of lean mass.
07:48Fat-free mass.
07:48So 1.4 kilos of lean mass.
07:51Believe it or not, I'm also up just over three pounds of lean mass.
07:55Unlike Brad, I did gain a little fat.
07:58My body fat went from 15.8% up to 16.7%.
08:02So with that check-in as a massive motivator, Brad and I got back to work.
08:06And in five months, we'll finish our bulking phase and do another check-in.
08:09People say that bulking is pointless because you just get fat.
08:12So how fat will we get?
08:14That's what we'll see in five months.
08:16At the nine-month mark, we'll do a third check-in.
08:19This will be the end of our recomp phase where we'll try to build muscle and lose fat at the same time.
08:25Most people say that's impossible for advanced lifters, but I want to see for myself.
08:29Then after 12 months, we'll do our final update.
08:31This will be the end of our cut phase.
08:34I want to get back down to my starting body weight to see if I'll actually keep the muscle that I gain during my bulk
08:40or if I just lose it all again and look exactly the same as before.
08:44You may also be wondering what we're doing for our diet.
08:46Obviously, we're both eating the exact same calories and macros.
08:493,000 calories, 150 grams of protein, 410 grams of carbs, and 85 grams of fat per day.
08:56And this is what a typical day of bulking meals looks like for me, if you want to pause and screenshot.
09:00All this means that I'm eating about 15% above my maintenance calories,
09:04and I'm aiming to gain around 2 pounds per month.
09:07Now, obviously, Brad shouldn't be bulking at 33% body fat.
09:11To get his best possible transformation, I should absolutely put him in a 5 to 20% caloric deficit
09:17and have him lose fat while building muscle.
09:20But I can't do that.
09:22If Brad's in a deficit while I'm in a surplus, that's an uncontrolled variable,
09:26and we need every variable to be the same except our training experience.
09:30So, unfortunately for Brad, he has to eat the same calories as me for science.
09:34And I didn't realize I ate so much fat.
09:36Every night, it's like, I've run out of fat, but I got like 30 carbs left,
09:43so I just gotta drink a glass of orange juice.
09:47I've just been staring at this orange juice now for like 10 minutes.
09:51I really just don't want to drink it.
09:53I kind of just hate orange juice now.
09:55So, every single day, we're tracking every calorie we eat.
09:58Weirdest thing has happened.
09:59I was having this dream about like work.
10:02I went out to lunch.
10:03I realized that I didn't track the calories or anything for the lunch that I just had,
10:08and it was like fast food too.
10:10There was like a bag of like Skittles or something that I was eating,
10:13and I was trying to like scan it with my phone
10:16while my co-worker was like talking to me and stuff and getting angry.
10:20And then I dropped some,
10:22and like it literally just like landed in like a pile of dirt.
10:25And I was like, oh, I don't have a scale.
10:28So, it's like how am I going to know how many grams of candy?
10:30I just lost all this stuff.
10:33So, I guess I've started dreaming about counting calories now.
10:37It sounds like a lot of work,
10:38especially for someone new to tracking macros,
10:40but because we've been using my nutrition app Macro Factor,
10:43it's super easy.
10:44The app has a fast barcode scanner that quickly pulls up the macros,
10:47and it has multi-food plate logging to capture many foods at once.
10:52It only takes me about 5 to 10 minutes a day to get everything tracked.
10:55It's the app we're both using every day for the whole year.
10:58And if you'd like to try it out for yourself,
11:00I'll put a free two-week trial in the description box below.
11:02Just use code Jeff when you download the app,
11:04and you'll get two weeks for free.
11:06Whether your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, or do both at the same time,
11:09the app will use advanced algorithms to scientifically guarantee that you reach your goal
11:14as long as you follow the plan.
11:15All you have to do is track what you eat and log your weight.
11:18That's it.
11:19Sleep is another big part of this experiment.
11:20Brad and I both wear an aura ring every night, aiming for 8 to 9 hours of sleep,
11:25and we're trying to go to sleep and wake up around the same time as well to set our circadian rhythm.
11:29New research shows that it's not just about the total sleep you get,
11:32your sleep-wake schedule also matters.
11:35Supplements are a small part of this,
11:36but here's the list of supplements that we're both taking if you want to pause and read.
11:40No steroids, obviously.
11:42Yet.
11:42Just kidding.
11:43I think.
11:44Okay, so this is our full plan,
11:46and for the next five months, we're just going to follow it.
11:49Drive it.
11:50Drive it.
11:51Go again.
11:53Get a big breath.
11:55Come on.
11:55Push it.
11:56Push it.
11:56Push it.
11:56Push it.
11:57Push it.
11:58Push it.
11:58Push it.
11:59Push it.
12:01You're so close.
12:02Oh, no.
12:03I'm two months into the experiment,
12:04and I'm doing a three-week writing retreat in Mexico with Steph.
12:07Woo!
12:09Wow.
12:10This is where I'm going to finish writing my first hard copy book.
12:12Travel always throws me off a bit for the first couple days,
12:14but once I found a really cool gym and a grocery store,
12:17I was able to lock in, and while there are more temptations
12:20and very delicious tacos and tequila down here,
12:23with a 3,000 calorie per day bulking budget,
12:25I was able to fit in a little Mexican delicacy without any issues.
12:28One of the beauties of bulking.
12:30After Mexico, one of the hardest things for me
12:32was balancing the training I needed to shoot for videos
12:34and balancing my own actual off-camera training.
12:38A few of the cheerless videos took me seven or eight hours to film
12:41with all those exercises,
12:42and then I'd still have to actually train after.
12:44But for this year, regardless of what I'm filming,
12:48I'm still getting all my workouts in.
12:50Yesterday, I did a collab with Jesse James West.
12:53We filmed a few workouts for his channel.
12:55Normally, I would count that as my workout,
12:57whereas yesterday, after we filmed for a couple hours,
13:00got a bite to eat, and then did my workout,
13:02even though I really didn't want to.
13:04It's those little things,
13:06like those workouts that you want to skip but don't skip.
13:09It's the sets where you don't want to push yourself,
13:12but you do it anyway.
13:14I think that those things can really add up
13:16and make a big difference,
13:17and that's something that I've definitely learned
13:19on this experiment so far.
13:21I did a light deload week in April.
13:23Not only is this a good idea regardless,
13:25but I was starting to get sick,
13:26and my body was definitely overworking.
13:28I'm actually not feeling too well today,
13:30and so this is going to be the first day
13:32that I skip a workout that I have scheduled.
13:36Yeah, if I went to the gym today,
13:37I just know it would be a subpar workout,
13:39whereas if I rest today and then go tomorrow,
13:42I'll probably perform much better,
13:44or hopefully anyway,
13:45so I just want to do a quick little update on that.
13:47After the deload, Brad, my dad, and I
13:49did a boys' trip to Arizona.
13:51I hadn't seen Brad for a while,
13:52so it was great to link up
13:53and get in some good workouts together.
13:56Drive, drive, drive, drive.
13:57Come on, Brad, come on.
13:58Come on, you can do it.
13:59Come on.
14:01Come on.
14:01My dad immediately commented
14:14on how much bigger I'm looking,
14:16and that's definitely true
14:17when I'm wearing clothes,
14:18but I think I'm actually looking softer
14:20and kind of smaller in my posing updates.
14:22Brad is definitely up in weight too,
14:24but the main thing I noticed
14:26is that he's so much stronger.
14:28It's kind of insane.
14:29He's actually getting close
14:30to using some of the weights
14:31that I'm using on back exercises.
14:33That's definitely his strong point.
14:34Today, we went for a hike in Sedona,
14:36and I was starting to worry
14:37that maybe we were both gaining
14:39a bit too much weight.
14:41I decided to have a heart-to-heart
14:42check-in with Brad.
14:47The cardio is not quite there yet.
14:49What would you say is something
14:51that you're most surprised by so far?
14:53I'm noticing that my social anxiety
14:55is almost gone completely,
14:56and that was debilitating at times.
14:59Like, you would go to a store,
15:00and you'd just turn around
15:01in the parking lot
15:02and be like, yeah, not today.
15:03But now, I don't even find myself
15:05like thinking about anything
15:07as I'm like going up to a counter,
15:08or if I'm approaching like customer services,
15:11I'll just go ask for something now.
15:13Before, I was like,
15:13I'm figuring this out myself
15:14because I'm not getting anything out.
15:16That's right.
15:17This was a lightbulb moment for me.
15:18This entire time,
15:19I've been so focused on the visual gains,
15:22I almost forgot about all the other
15:23life-changing benefits
15:24of lifting weights.
15:25Ba-boi!
15:26Let's move!
15:28Nice shot!
15:30Back from Arizona,
15:31and it's time to buckle down
15:32before our six-month check-in.
15:34I've only got two months left
15:35before the end of my bulk,
15:37and at this point,
15:37I'm feeling more motivated than ever.
15:39I definitely have some size on.
15:41Brad's feeling motivated too.
15:42He's much more of a night owl than me,
15:44so he'll often train later at night,
15:45but he still hasn't skipped
15:47a single workout,
15:48even if it means going to the gym
15:50at 3 a.m.
15:51Going so late
15:52that the lights are off.
15:53Oh, there we go.
15:54Locking in
15:55and all the lights turning on.
15:57And just like that,
15:59we're the end of the bulk,
16:00and it's time to see
16:01how much muscle we put on
16:03and how much fat we put on.
16:05All right, dude.
16:06Ready for the six-month
16:07physique check-in?
16:08Yeah.
16:09Let's do it.
16:10Give me a flex.
16:12Give me a shoulder flex.
16:15I don't know.
16:16Like, just kind of...
16:17Yeah.
16:18So we both put on 15 pounds.
16:25Yeah.
16:25How many of those pounds for you
16:27are lean out of the 15?
16:29Did you say three?
16:31Three pounds were lean.
16:32It's definitely more than that.
16:33There you go.
16:34At the end of the six-month bulk,
16:36Brad is up 13 pounds of lean mass,
16:39and his body fat percentage
16:40is down 1.2%.
16:43He went from 36.2% at the beginning
16:46to 35.0% now,
16:48and that's while eating
16:503,000 calories per day.
16:52It really goes to show
16:53the power of building muscle.
16:54I was a little confused
16:55at first, though,
16:56because when you look
16:57at his one-month data,
16:58it looks like he gained
16:5912.7 pounds of lean mass
17:01in that first month,
17:02which means he only gained
17:03another 0.3 pounds of lean mass
17:05in the next five months?
17:07Probably not.
17:08Remember that lean mass
17:09includes muscle and water,
17:11and so I think a lot of
17:12Brad's initial gains
17:13were actually water gains
17:14from taking creatine
17:15for the first time
17:16and from getting rammed
17:17into a high-volume
17:18training program.
17:19Regardless,
17:20his six-month trend
17:21shows impressive
17:21body recomposition,
17:23being up 13 pounds
17:24of lean mass
17:25while being down
17:261.2% body fat.
17:29Okay, my turn.
17:30You get the results?
17:31Are they in?
17:32They're in.
17:33After six months
17:34of fully optimized training
17:35and with more than 15 years
17:37of training
17:37already under my belt,
17:39I added
17:40four and a half
17:41pounds of lean mass.
17:43The thing was,
17:43I also gained,
17:45ready for this?
17:4611 pounds of fat.
17:49That's a bit much.
17:50It means my body fat
17:51went from 15%
17:52at the beginning
17:53to just over 20% now.
17:56I'm kind of excited
17:57to cut down
17:57and see how much muscle
17:59I retain.
18:00But let's put this
18:00in context.
18:01If we pretend
18:02this chicken breast
18:03is my lean mass
18:04and this pile of lard
18:05is my fat mass,
18:06this is what I put
18:07on my body
18:07during the bulk.
18:09Again,
18:09not all my lean mass
18:10is pure muscle tissue.
18:12Some of it is water.
18:13But yes,
18:13I did put on
18:14four and a half pounds
18:15of lean mass.
18:16But I also put on
18:18this big pile of fat.
18:20So now,
18:21the real question is,
18:22what will happen
18:23if I lose
18:24all this extra fat?
18:25Will I keep
18:26this new muscle
18:26that I added
18:27or will I lose
18:29that too?
18:29All right.
18:30That's six months
18:31of that.
18:33So,
18:34for the recomp phase,
18:35we're dropping
18:35our calories down
18:36to 2,800 calories
18:38per day,
18:39which Macrofactor says
18:40is our new
18:40maintenance intake.
18:41And these will be
18:42our new macros
18:43to follow
18:43for the next three months.
18:44And again,
18:45our goal for this phase
18:46is to gain muscle
18:47and lose fat
18:48at the same time
18:49while maintaining
18:50our weight.
18:51A few weeks
18:52into the recomp phase,
18:53the first thing
18:53I notice
18:54is that my strength
18:55is basically
18:56hitting a plateau.
18:57It's not a big deal.
18:58I'm still pushing
18:59just as hard.
19:00I'm just not seeing
19:01my numbers go up
19:01every week
19:02like I was
19:03during the bulk.
19:04But I do feel
19:05like my physique
19:05is tightening up a bit.
19:06I definitely think
19:07when I cut down,
19:08I'm going to be a lot
19:09fuller, rounder,
19:10have better shape
19:11because I can notice
19:13the increase
19:13in muscularity now
19:14even at a higher
19:15body fat.
19:16Once I trim
19:17the body fat out,
19:18I think it's actually
19:19going to be a pretty
19:20big, big, big difference
19:20honestly.
19:21I feel better about it
19:22than I expected.
19:23One month
19:23into the recomp phase,
19:24Brad and I went to
19:25Japan for three weeks.
19:27So, for this trip,
19:28also I got a haircut.
19:29For this trip,
19:29we're going to do
19:30as much walking
19:30as possible
19:31because we're in
19:31recomp mode.
19:32So, we're not
19:33going to take
19:34the escalator.
19:35we're going to
19:36actually walk.
19:38Oh!
19:42We had an absolute
19:43blast, but the trip
19:45was our biggest
19:45challenge yet,
19:46especially diet-wise.
19:47I found it hard
19:48to get enough
19:48protein in,
19:49and we both got
19:50a little more
19:50flexible with our
19:51diet than would
19:52have been truly
19:53optimal.
19:53Tuna.
19:54Oh, a toro.
19:58Can I try it?
20:02Oh, that was so good.
20:03We still got
20:07everything tracked,
20:08and I don't think
20:08we got too far off,
20:09but we were a bit
20:10more lenient than
20:11usual, and sushi was
20:12definitely the highlight.
20:13I've never had such
20:14delicious fish in my
20:15life.
20:15All right, it's our
20:16first workout in Japan.
20:18We're going to switch
20:18over to a full body
20:19split.
20:20Full body, three days
20:21a week, and that'll
20:23just allow us to get
20:23in slightly more
20:24efficient workouts and
20:26not spend quite so much
20:27time in the gym so we
20:27can actually enjoy Japan.
20:29Tokyo was a gorgeous
20:30city, so clean and
20:31futuristic.
20:32We also got to see
20:33some incredible shrines
20:34and parks in Kyoto.
20:36Once we got back
20:36home, we switched
20:37back to the tried
20:38and true upper-lower
20:39push-pull legs hybrid
20:40split, still taking
20:41the last set of every
20:42exercise to failure.
20:44Oh, yeah.
20:46Let's see that fifth
20:46one.
20:47Smoke it.
20:48Smoke it.
20:49Go down again.
20:49You got another one.
20:50I know you do.
20:53Go down one more
20:54time and I'm with
20:54you, okay?
20:55I'm with you.
20:59Drive it.
20:59Drive it.
21:00Drive it.
21:00Drive it.
21:00Drive it.
21:01Yes, sir.
21:04Come on, dude.
21:06Come on.
21:08Good job, dude.
21:09Good job.
21:10Good job.
21:10Oh, God.
21:12Oh, it hurts so much.
21:13Oh, I don't know
21:14where to go.
21:15I was maintaining my
21:16weight at around 180
21:17pounds and I felt like
21:18my physique was looking
21:20a bit sharper.
21:21The month of September
21:21flew by and it was
21:23time for our post-recomp
21:24check-in.
21:25Did I manage to gain
21:26muscle and lose fat at
21:27the same time or did I
21:28just spin my wheels for
21:29the last three months?
21:30Let's find out.
21:32Turns out I actually
21:34lost 0.8 pounds of lean
21:36mass since our last
21:37check-in.
21:38That's within the DEXA's
21:38margin of error, but it's
21:40still a bit disappointing.
21:41It's also kind of what I
21:43expected.
21:43At my level of advancement,
21:45I think you really need at
21:46least a slight caloric
21:47surplus to keep muscle
21:48growth moving.
21:49Maintenance calories
21:50probably just won't cut it.
21:52I guess it's also possible
21:52that switching to the full
21:53body split and our time in
21:55Japan threw me off a bit,
21:56but I was still training
21:57super hard and I was still
21:58eating a high-protein diet,
22:00so I really just think that
22:01maintenance calories wasn't
22:02enough to drive new growth
22:03for me, at least not within
22:04three months.
22:05On the upside, I did lose
22:06half a pound of fat, so my
22:08body fat percentage dropped
22:09ever so slightly.
22:11Brad's results were a bit
22:12better.
22:12He lost three and a half
22:13pounds of fat and this got
22:15his body fat percentage down
22:16to 33.8%, and that's
22:18despite not actually doing a
22:19fat loss phase yet.
22:20He did lose 0.7 pounds of
22:22lean mass since the last
22:23check-in, but that's also
22:25within the margin of error
22:26and I suspect that if there
22:27was any loss, it's probably
22:29not actual muscle tissue,
22:30especially since he didn't
22:31lose any strength.
22:33You see, at every check-in,
22:34we've also been testing our
22:35muscle strength using this
22:36Biodex isokinetic
22:38dynamometer.
22:39Basically, you just press
22:40against this foot pad as
22:41hard as you can and the
22:42computer measures how hard
22:43you pushed.
22:48Since the beginning of the
22:49experiment, Brad's strength
22:50has trended up.
22:51My strength also trended up,
22:53but not by as much as Brad's.
22:54And at my last check-in, it
22:56was down a bit.
22:57So, this time, I was
22:59determined to have my best
23:00strength test yet.
23:01I buckled myself into the
23:02machine, and on command, I
23:04pressed as hard as I possibly
23:06could.
23:10I got a massive isokinetic
23:15dynamometer PR of 359.2
23:18Newton meters.
23:19We always take three
23:19measurements, though, so I
23:21buckled back in for round
23:22two.
23:23Two, one.
23:25Go, go, go, go, go!
23:26Oh, hold on.
23:26No, no, no, no, no, hold on.
23:28I, uh, I felt something really
23:29weird in my knee.
23:30And I injured my knee.
23:32Partially torn tendon.
23:33So, that sucks.
23:34I'm leaving this recomp phase,
23:36not only having gained zero
23:37muscle in the last three
23:38months, but with a freshly
23:40injured knee.
23:41So, I just finished up, uh, the
23:43first workout, basically the
23:44first rehab workout after I,
23:46uh, injured my knee.
23:47I'm basically using lighter
23:49weights with a really slow
23:50tempo for now.
23:51So, I've been using a three
23:52second negative pause in the
23:54stretch, three second
23:55positive.
23:56That will keep some tension
23:57on the quads, but it just
23:59pales in comparison to, uh,
24:01the intensity and the load
24:02that I'd normally use.
24:04Not an ideal way to kick off
24:05the cut, but, um, this is
24:08just a normal part of
24:08training.
24:09I think you could make the
24:10case that the more you try
24:10to optimize, the higher your
24:12risk of having a setback is
24:13as well.
24:14Even though in this case, I
24:15don't think it had anything
24:16to do with my training.
24:17I think it was just being
24:19fasted, not having anything
24:20to eat, and then having to
24:21go and do an all-out
24:23isometric strength test is
24:25probably not, like, the
24:27safest thing in the world.
24:29Um, and we also, because of,
24:30like, time constraints and
24:31everything, didn't do any
24:32warm-up before that test.
24:34So, like, regardless, it is
24:36what it is.
24:36It happens.
24:37Could have been worse.
24:37My physiotherapist said
24:39it'd probably be at least a
24:39month or two of rehab, so I
24:41did my best to keep things
24:42optimistic and really just
24:44focus on getting all the
24:44excess fat off and finishing
24:46off this experiment as strong
24:48as I can, given the
24:49circumstances.
24:50It's officially time to
24:52start the cut.
24:53Nice.
24:54I am tired of having extra
24:56weight on, and I'm excited
24:57to get into something
24:59cleaner eating and just,
25:00like, not having to gorge
25:01myself every day.
25:02Yeah.
25:03For a cut, we're dropping
25:03down to 2,200 calories per
25:05day and bumping our protein
25:07up to 190 grams.
25:09It's actually really exciting
25:10to have a new goal, and I'm
25:12pumped to see Brad finally
25:13start his weight loss journey.
25:14About a month into the cut,
25:15my motivation really started
25:17to ramp up.
25:18I had to train my quads with
25:19really light weights for a
25:20while, but my strength was
25:21starting to come back.
25:22I was also finally getting to
25:23see the gains that I'd made
25:25during the bulk, and the fat
25:26was melting off.
25:27Since it worked so well during
25:28the bulk, we decided to keep
25:29going with the upper-lower
25:30push-pull leg split, swapping
25:32out a few exercises, but keeping
25:34the overall structure the same.
25:35For my own recovery, I started
25:37stopping about one rep shy of
25:38failure on compound lifts.
25:40That's just because I really
25:41didn't want an upper-body
25:42injury to deal with, too, and
25:43with less calories, you do need
25:45to be a little more careful.
25:46I'm still pushing the last
25:47sets of all the isolation
25:48exercises to failure, though.
25:49And with some good visual
25:50changes happening, we were
25:51both determined to hold on to
25:53as much of that muscle we
25:54built as humanly possible.
25:56At the one-year mark, Brad and
25:57I aren't quite back to our
25:59starting body weight yet, and I
26:00really need us to both get back
26:01to the weight we started the
26:02experiment at for the true
26:04test of net muscle gain.
26:06I don't want to rush things
26:06and crash diet either, since
26:08I know that can accelerate
26:09muscle loss.
26:10I think I'm going to extend
26:11it until March, under the
26:14assumption that we're both
26:16giving it 100%.
26:18If you're in, I'm in.
26:20Yeah, man.
26:20100%.
26:21So we locked back in for
26:22another two months, and then
26:24it was time for the final
26:25check-in.
26:30I'm so excited for this to be
26:31done.
26:34It's been so long.
26:35It blew my mind that we both
26:37nailed the weigh-ins exactly
26:38to the decimal.
26:40I started this experiment at
26:41164.6 pounds, and I'm ending
26:44it just over one year later at
26:46exactly 164.6 pounds.
26:50The question is, am I carrying
26:52more muscle now?
26:53Let's start with Brad's final
26:55results.
26:56All right, Brad.
26:57Any final words?
27:00Nope.
27:01After the cut, he has...
27:0440 yards.
27:05Wow, that's good.
27:06So he's up 4 kilos of lean mass.
27:10Lean mass, yeah.
27:11That means from the start of
27:12the experiment to now, he's up
27:1410 pounds of lean mass and down,
27:17get this, 10 pounds of fat mass.
27:20That's incredible.
27:21And his final strength test was
27:23also his best ever.
27:25Perhaps even cooler, though, his
27:26aura ring is now saying that his
27:28heart health has improved by about
27:30four years.
27:31Amazing stuff.
27:32Okay, and as for me...
27:34I just want fries.
27:35Chicken burger, fries, and just
27:39some really good tequila, bro.
27:40Yeah.
27:41Okay, so from the beginning of the
27:43experiment to the end of the
27:45experiment, at the exact same
27:46body weight, I gained...
27:492.7 pounds of lean mass.
27:56That may not sound like much to
27:58some of you, but think about it.
27:59This is what the lean mass I added
28:00would look like if it were ribeye
28:02stakes.
28:03So that's basically like putting on
28:04almost four huge stakes worth of
28:07tissue in one year.
28:09And at just under 5'5", adding that
28:11much tissue across my body is going
28:13to make a visual difference.
28:15I definitely see the biggest
28:16difference in my chest and my back,
28:17but I see some gains in my
28:18shoulders and hamstrings, too.
28:20Now, if you remember, the reason I
28:21cut down is because I really wanted
28:23to see how much muscle I'd retain
28:25from my bulk.
28:26So at the end of my bulk, I was up
28:284.5 pounds of lean mass, and now
28:31I'm still up 2.7 pounds of lean mass.
28:34So yes, I did retain most of those
28:36gains while cutting down.
28:38I kept more than half the lean mass
28:39that I put on, which I think is
28:41pretty solid.
28:42I'm also leaner now.
28:44I started the experiment at 15.8%
28:46body fat, and now I'm down to 14.5%
28:50body fat.
28:51So not only did I shred all the 11
28:53pounds of fat that I put on during
28:54the bulk, I also lost another 2 pounds
28:57of fat beyond that.
28:58The ultrasound results also showed
29:00that I gained net muscle in my biceps
29:02even after the cut.
29:04My quads also grew significantly
29:05during the bulk, but basically came
29:07back down to baseline after the cut.
29:09I'm going to blame that on my knee
29:10injury, especially my left quad,
29:12which did lose more muscle, and
29:13that's the knee that I injured.
29:15I did hold on to some net muscle gain
29:16on my right quad though, even after
29:18the cut.
29:18Also, for the sake of scientific
29:19transparency, we also took BIA, or
29:22bioelectrical impedance measurements
29:24throughout the study.
29:25This is the type of device you'll often
29:26see in commercial gyms.
29:28It says that I lost 1 pound of lean
29:30mass.
29:31This probably would have gutted me if
29:32I didn't have access to higher quality,
29:34more expensive, and more sensitive
29:36equipment.
29:37BIA has about twice the error margin of a
29:39DEXA machine, and I honestly just think
29:41my gains were well within the error
29:42bars for that device.
29:44Plus, the DEXA results, the ultrasound
29:46results, the strength results, and the
29:48before and after photos all quite
29:50clearly show that I made gains.
29:52So, I say this just to say that you
29:54shouldn't feel bad if you get a BIA test
29:56done and the results aren't what you
29:57expected.
29:58They're often not sensitive enough to
29:59detect real changes in muscle mass in
30:01experienced lifters.
30:03So, the question we all want to know,
30:05am I going to use steroids?
30:07No.
30:08I think I proved to myself that I can
30:10still make gains even 15 years deep
30:12if I really commit.
30:14I don't have any regrets about the
30:15training program, but if I had my
30:17time back, I think I would have bulked
30:19a little less aggressively.
30:20I think that if I had gained, say,
30:22half the weight during my bulk, I may
30:24have gained a similar amount of lean
30:25mass, but with less fat.
30:26As for the so-called natural ceiling,
30:29I still do think it theoretically exists,
30:32at least on paper.
30:33If you could just keep building muscle
30:34indefinitely, anyone still lifting in
30:36their 70s or 80s would be the biggest
30:38bodybuilders alive.
30:39But, I think I did show that you can
30:41kind of push your natural ceiling up
30:43with optimized training and diet.
30:45At the very least, I think I showed
30:46that's possible.
30:47So, my next goal now is to get shredded.
30:50Properly shredded.
30:51Under 8% body fat.
30:53And Brad said he's going to keep going
30:55with the cut too.
30:56Actually, well, I was editing this video,
30:58he lost another 5 or 6 pounds,
31:00and this was his latest physique update
31:01that he just sent me.
31:03I want to get in my best shape
31:04ever this year.
31:05If you're looking to do the same,
31:06I'd recommend running my new
31:07upper-lower push-pull legs program
31:09for yourself.
31:10It's the same program we ran
31:12for this experiment,
31:13except it's written to be
31:14more individualized to you.
31:15So, there's a beginner version
31:16and an intermediate to advanced version,
31:19and I give you two substitution options
31:20for every exercise,
31:22and full instructions on how to swap
31:23exercises in and out.
31:24I'm calling it
31:25the Bodybuilding Transformation System
31:27because it really is
31:28more than just a program.
31:29There's video demos
31:30for every exercise,
31:31volume analytics,
31:32technique cues,
31:33and a full handbook
31:34explaining all the science
31:36behind the program.
31:37If you run this
31:38for the next 6 months,
31:39I guarantee
31:40you'll build muscle.
31:41If you don't,
31:42I'll give you a full refund,
31:43no questions asked.
31:44I truly believe
31:45this is the most effective program
31:46I've ever written,
31:48and I had a blast running it.
31:49You can pick up
31:49either the beginner version
31:50or the intermediate to advanced version
31:52on jeffnipper.com,
31:54and it's 25% off
31:55for launch week.
31:56If you're watching this video
31:57after launch week,
31:58I'll still go ahead
31:59and leave a discount code
32:00in the description box below
32:01so you can still save some money.
32:02Now, obviously,
32:03it's not enough
32:03to just dial your training in.
32:05Your diet is also super important.
32:07So, you can download
32:08my nutrition app,
32:09Macrofactor,
32:09for two weeks for free,
32:11which is like having me
32:12as your own personal nutrition coach,
32:13but for a tiny fraction of the cost.
32:15Oh, and when it was all said and done,
32:17I did end up getting
32:18what I really wanted.
32:19I'll do six McNuggets
32:22with large fries,
32:23and then I'll also add a McCrispy.
32:25Mmm, bro.
32:30Mmm, very good.
32:31This is exactly what I wanted.
32:33Nice.
32:47Hey, what's up, man?
32:47Yo, what's up?
32:48Not much, man.
32:49Just barbecuing, relaxing.
32:51I'm so glad that we're done.
32:53Done?
32:55Bro, that was just the first part.
32:57Yeah, we've got a whole other
32:59experiment to do.
33:00Oh.
33:01Hey, I'll see you at the gym, bro.
33:03Yeah, yeah, okay.
33:04Okay.
33:05I'll see you at the gym.
33:22Okay.
33:32Bye.