Doing everything right one step at a time.

[letmein]

After trying to tell people how I went from 12% BF to 4% for my show I looked at all of the things that I felt were key. Non bodybuilder friends are always asking for advice on how they can get ripped.

Below is the list of the things that I beleive were the keys. As it is difficult for a non bodybuilder to go from doing few to none of these to doing all of these every day I am trying to determine a method for introducing these behaviors step by step.

I am looking to the AR brothers and sisters to help me stack rank these from the first behavior someone should incorporate to the last. (ans add any that you see fit). The initial order is my personal order of difficulty thus in reverse implementation order. The idea is that if a person would add one behavior a week for 10-12 weeks they would be doing all of the right things at the end and make great progress. This is not meant to replace a contest diet but to use the principles for a normal person. Unlike us ;-)

1) Cardio x 45 min/ 6 days/week pre breakfast
2) 1 gallon of water per day
3) No high GI carbs
4) Cardio x 30 min/ 6 days/week before bed
5) No carbs after noon
6) Low fat meals
7) Take vitamins/ECA
8) 6 small meals/day
9) 1.5g protein per lb
10) Intense weight training x 4-5 days/week

This is the order that I found the most difficult so I might reccomend someone incorporate them in reverse order. Can anyone suggest a better order? Do you think that having someone master one behavior at a time would be effective for long term change?

As always I eagerly await the AR wisdom!

[nuke]

WE had a conversation about this brother. You definately have this down to a science. Your pics dont lie.

You know that I has incorporated this into my routine , Slowly adding all the steps. I will be adding step four in 2 weeks.(Final step) I truly expect to see some major changes over the next 8 weeks or so.

( Im munching on some oat battered chicken bro !)

Anyway excellent post.
Keep all of us here at AR informed.

Its 90% MENTAL !

[letmein]

Thanks Nuke,

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

I truly beleive successful fitness is a behavioral change and a modification of limiting beleifs. I know you can't do all of these at once but if you make them yours one at a time at the end you will find a new you!

[Dr. Derek]

Well sense this is to be used by a normal person I dont know how to respond.

Bro if you got down to 4% for your show, nuke is right you got the techniques FOR YOU nailed down. I haven't seen to many ameaturs at 4 % BF.
IMO everyone is different and should not follow one specific plan for maximum results i.e if I did the cardio listed in your post I would weigh 160 lbs. It depends on many many factors before soemone even enters the dieting phase to cut BF.

I have seen obese people loose alot of BF very quickly by just changing thier eating habits, and I have seen these same people to a shitload of cardio and not loose and ounce of fat. On the other hand I have seen people who do carido and loose weight. It all depends on what god gave you.

[letmein]

Who knows if was really 4% but the same guy did it with the calipers and it went from 12 to 4 maybe it really was 14 to 6 or 24 to 16. I don't kmow, but it worked enough for me to be as lean as any in the show.

I dig what your are saying about what works for me. What I am tyring to do is give my friends a road map that they can progressively attack until they reach thier goals. When I tell them waht I did they look at me like I am crazy. This approach is intended to let someone ease into good habits.

I was being a smart ass about normal as I truly feel that anyone that will diet down to the low single digits and then dehydrate themselves is "abnormal". Like me!

[primodonna]

Everything that has to do with diet/food should go first...and if you break it down by larger changes vs smaller ones, then 6 meals a day would go first...if it's 6 meals a day of whopper jr's, so be it...they'll get used to eating frequently, (make themselves sick probably) then you can incorporate the smaller parts easier vs having them eat 2 meals a day (if that's what they're used to) with 150g of protein in each meal

If these "normal" people aren't following any of the keys you mentioned, the only way they will stick to it for more than a week is if they slowly incorporate each one into their lives so they do it without having to think about it

Or you could make one diet and one exercise change a week...that shouldn't be too much of a shock...but if they are doing no exercise at all, i wouldn't have them start out at the frequency you mentioned

I would add having a diet journal (for the first few months at least) into your list...most people would be surprised how much crap they put into their bodies

[Dr. Derek]

Bro- Most of us on this board are very ABNORMAL. Matter of Fact most bodybuilders are abnormal people, with abnormal behavior. Or at least the behavior is viewed as abnormal but its all very normal to me. Does that make any fucking sense what so ever. But thanks for clarifying the post. I would say frequency of good meals would be essential to ease into first.

Peace