My Skinny Fat Transformation (SOLUTION)

Summary

The video script details a personal fitness journey from being 'skinny fat' to achieving a shredded physique. The speaker shares common mistakes made in the gym and diet, such as avoiding strength training, insufficient protein intake, severe calorie restriction, and excessive cardio. They offer solutions like structured weightlifting, proper nutrition with meal planning, and balanced cardio routines. The emphasis is on a 6-8 week commitment to see significant physical improvements, highlighting the importance of combining training and nutrition for body recomposition.

Takeaways

• 🏋️ The speaker used to be 'skinny fat' and has since transformed his physique through proper training and nutrition.
• 💪 He emphasizes the importance of strength training, particularly compound movements like deadlifts, bench press, and squats, to build muscle and reduce fat.
• 📈 The speaker recommends a structured weightlifting program and tracking progress to ensure consistent improvement over time.
• 🥚 Protein intake is crucial for muscle growth, and the speaker suggests consuming 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily.
• 🚫 Severe calorie restriction is counterproductive; instead, a balanced approach to nutrition with proper meal planning is advised.
• 🍽️ Meal planning is key for both cutting and bulking, with the right balance of protein, fat, and carbs according to individual goals.
• 🔄 The speaker suggests a cycle of cutting to reduce body fat first, then bulking to build muscle, followed by another cut to refine the physique.
• 🏃‍♂️ Cardio should be tailored to the individual's goals, with moderate amounts during a cut and high-intensity interval training as an option.
• 📝 The importance of tracking nutritional intake is highlighted, without needing to be overly precise with calculations.
• 🤔 The speaker advises starting with a cut for beginners to see immediate positive changes and build confidence in the process.
• 🔗 He provides resources such as articles and meal plans to help viewers understand and implement the strategies he discusses.

Q & A

What is the term 'skinny fat' referring to in the context of the video?

In the video, 'skinny fat' refers to a body type characterized by having little muscle mass and a relatively high amount of body fat, often resulting in skinny arms and chest with some gut or love handles.

What were the common mistakes the speaker made in his fitness journey that contributed to being skinny fat?

The speaker made several mistakes including: very little strength training, not consuming enough protein, severe calorie restriction, and doing too much cardio. These mistakes led to a lack of muscle gain and an increase in body fat.

Why did the speaker initially avoid heavy compound lifts in the gym?

The speaker was intimidated and scared of heavy compound lifts like deadlifts, bench press, and overhead press due to fear of injury, which led him to stick with cable machines and avoid proper strength training.

What is the recommended average daily protein intake for someone who is training in the gym?

The recommended average daily protein intake for someone training in the gym is around 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

What is the significance of tracking workouts and how did the speaker change this behavior?

Tracking workouts is crucial for ensuring progressive overload and making consistent progress. The speaker started tracking his workouts using a notepad or an app like FitNotes, which helped him monitor his progress and ensure he was getting stronger over time.

What is the 'push-pull-legs' routine mentioned by the speaker and why is it beneficial?

The 'push-pull-legs' routine is a simple workout split that organizes training into exercises for push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull muscles (back, biceps), and legs. It's beneficial because it allows for a structured and balanced approach to strength training.

Why did the speaker hire a personal trainer and what was the impact on his training?

The speaker hired a personal trainer to help him with intimidating lifts like the deadlift and bench press, which he was fearful of due to potential injury. This assistance gave him the confidence to perform these lifts correctly and safely, leading to improved strength and muscle gain.

What is the speaker's advice on meal planning and how does it relate to body transformation?

The speaker advises tracking nutritional intake and having a structured meal plan that includes adequate protein, fat, and carbs according to one's goals. This is crucial because proper nutrition in combination with strength training leads to body transformation by building muscle and reducing fat.

What is the difference between cutting and bulking in terms of the speaker's body transformation journey?

Cutting refers to reducing body fat while preserving muscle, which the speaker did first to lower his body fat percentage to around 10-12%. Bulking is the process of increasing muscle mass, which the speaker did after cutting, aiming to reach around 20% body fat. The speaker suggests cutting first for beginners as it provides immediate positive feedback in the mirror.

How did the speaker adjust his cardio routine to better support his body transformation goals?

The speaker reduced the frequency and duration of his cardio sessions, opting for 3 days a week of 20-30 minutes at low to moderate intensity during a cut. He also mentioned incorporating high-intensity interval training like Muay Thai or kickboxing for its additional benefits.

What is the speaker's recommended time frame for seeing improvements in one's physique when following his advice?

The speaker suggests committing to the program for at least six to eight weeks, after which one can expect to see considerable improvements in their physique.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Overcoming 'Skinny Fat' with Strength Training and Nutrition

The speaker shares his personal journey from being 'skinny fat' to achieving a shredded physique. He explains that 'skinny fat' refers to having little muscle mass and excess body fat, often characterized by skinny limbs and a gut. The speaker admits to past mistakes such as avoiding strength training due to fear, not consuming enough protein, severely restricting calories, and overdoing cardio. These errors hindered muscle growth and contributed to a 'skinny fat' appearance. The video aims to guide viewers on how to correct these mistakes and improve their body composition.

05:01

🏋️‍♂️ Transforming Body Composition Through Weightlifting and Proper Tracking

The speaker outlines his transformation strategy, emphasizing the importance of structured weightlifting and tracking progress. He adopted a 'push-pull-legs' routine, focusing on compound movements like deadlifts, bench press, squats, and overhead press. To overcome his fear of heavy lifts, he hired a personal trainer and started with light weights to learn proper form. The speaker also highlights the significance of tracking workouts to ensure progressive overload and gradual strength gains, recommending the use of a notepad or a fitness app like 'fit notes' to record progress.

10:01

🍽️ The Role of Nutrition in Body Recomposition

The speaker discusses the critical role of nutrition in body transformation, advocating for a structured meal plan tailored to individual goals of cutting or bulking. He explains the importance of consuming adequate protein, fat, and carbohydrates to support muscle growth and fat loss. The speaker shares his personal approach of cutting to reduce body fat to around 10-12% before bulking to increase muscle mass. He also clarifies that nutrition and weightlifting must go hand in hand for effective body recomposition.

15:03

🏃‍♂️ Balancing Cardio for Optimal Body Recomposition

The speaker addresses the role of cardio in the transformation process, advising against excessive cardio that can hinder muscle growth and fat loss efforts. He shares his experience of reducing cardio to three days a week, with sessions lasting 20-30 minutes at a low to moderate intensity during a cut. For high-intensity interval training (HIIT), he suggests two sessions per week, such as short Muay Thai or kickboxing sessions, to reap the benefits beyond regular cardio. The speaker emphasizes the importance of balancing cardio with strength training and nutrition for the best results.

Keywords

💡Skinny Fat

The term 'Skinny Fat' refers to individuals who have a low amount of muscle mass but a relatively high amount of body fat, often appearing slim but with a noticeable lack of definition and some excess fat in areas like the stomach. In the video, the speaker describes his own past experience as a 'skinny fat' person and how he managed to transform his physique by addressing the underlying issues.

💡Strength Training

Strength training is a type of exercise that uses resistance to improve muscular strength, endurance, and size. In the context of the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of strength training, particularly with compound lifts like deadlifts, bench presses, and squats, to build muscle and combat the 'skinny fat' physique.

💡Compound Movements

Compound movements are exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and joints, making them highly effective for overall strength and muscle development. The video discusses the speaker's initial avoidance of these movements due to fear, which contributed to his previous 'skinny fat' status, and his later adoption of them as a key part of his transformation.

💡Protein Intake

Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, and adequate protein intake is crucial for those engaging in strength training. The speaker mentions that his insufficient protein consumption was a mistake that hindered his muscle development, and he later corrected this by ensuring he consumed 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily.

💡Calorie Restriction

Calorie restriction refers to the practice of reducing one's calorie intake to lose weight. In the video, the speaker admits to severe calorie restriction, which he identifies as a mistake that contributed to his 'skinny fat' appearance. He suggests that a balanced approach to calorie intake, aligned with one's goals, is more effective.

💡Cardio

Cardio, short for cardiovascular exercise, involves activities that raise heart rate and improve heart and lung function. The speaker discusses how excessive cardio without adequate protein and calorie intake can lead to muscle loss, exacerbating the 'skinny fat' issue. He later adjusted his cardio routine to three days a week at a moderate intensity.

💡Body Recomposition

Body recomposition is the process of changing body composition by simultaneously increasing muscle mass while decreasing body fat. The video's theme revolves around the speaker's journey of body recomposition, where he used a combination of strength training, proper nutrition, and strategic cardio to transform from 'skinny fat' to shredded.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a principle of strength training where the stress placed upon the body during exercise is gradually increased over time. The speaker mentions that he did not track his workouts or apply progressive overload in his initial training, which hindered his progress. Later, he incorporated this principle to continually challenge his muscles and stimulate growth.

💡Meal Planning

Meal planning involves organizing and planning what and when to eat to meet specific nutritional goals. In the video, the speaker highlights the importance of meal planning in his transformation, as it helped him to ensure he was consuming the right balance of protein, fats, and carbohydrates to support muscle growth and fat loss.

💡Cutting and Bulking

Cutting refers to reducing calorie intake to lose body fat, while bulking involves increasing calorie intake to build muscle mass. The speaker shares his personal approach of first cutting to lower his body fat percentage and then bulking to build muscle, which is a common strategy in body recomposition.

💡Personal Trainer

A personal trainer is a professional who provides personalized fitness and workout guidance. The speaker mentions hiring a personal trainer to help him overcome his fear of certain exercises like the deadlift and bench press, which were crucial for his strength training and muscle development.

Highlights

The speaker was once skinny fat and has managed to transform his physique through understanding mistakes made in the gym and kitchen.

The video aims to help skinny fat individuals correct common mistakes and achieve their best shape.

Skinny fat is characterized by having little muscle and excess fat in undesirable areas.

The speaker shares personal past mistakes, including avoiding strength training due to fear and lack of knowledge.

A lack of protein intake was a significant issue that hindered muscle growth.

Severe calorie restriction and yo-yo dieting were practices that contributed to the skinny fat condition.

Excessive cardio without proper strength training can lead to muscle loss and fat retention.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of compound movements and strength training for muscle growth.

Hiring a personal trainer helped overcome the fear of heavy compound lifts like deadlifts and bench press.

Tracking workouts and ensuring progressive overload is crucial for continuous improvement.

Nutrition plays a vital role alongside training, with the speaker advocating for meal planning.

The speaker suggests starting with a cut to lower body fat before bulking to increase muscle mass.

During a bulk, it's important to maintain strength training to improve lifting performance.

Adjusting cardio according to the goal, whether cutting or bulking, is essential for progress.

The speaker recommends a structured approach of cutting, then bulking, and then cutting again for optimal results.

A combination of proper training, nutrition, and adjusted cardio can help transform from skinny fat to shredded.

Transcripts

i know exactly how it feels to be skinny

fat back in the day i was a skinny fat

guy and i'll show you some photos up on

your screen and i figured out a couple

of key things that i was doing wrong

both in the gym and in the kitchen and i

turned it around i managed to get super

shredded and then i went on to compete

in a number of bodybuilding competitions

so this video is for everybody guys and

gals that are skinny fat that are making

all the same mistakes that i once made

and you want to figure out how to

correct those mistakes and get into the

best shape of your life

stick around i'm going to talk about it

in this video coming up

[Music]

alright my friends welcome back brad

here again brand newton fitness.com it's

my website and my brand new youtube

channel so welcome back for the one

subscriber that we have on this channel

so far this is my third youtube channel

so you got to start somewhere 12th of

october 2021 episode 5 filming from

lockdown city melbourne the most locked

down city in the world that is a fact

now i'm going to jump straight into it

and i'm going to keep this as short as

possible skinny fat what is it you

probably know what it is if you're

watching this video you probably are a

skinny fat which is okay it's how i

started i'll show you the photos of what

i look like as a skinny fat back in the

day

essentially skinny arms skinny chest and

a little bit of a gut right maybe some

love handles as well that's what skinny

fat is

skinny fat is essentially somebody that

has

not much muscle on the frame and quite a

bit of fat in all the wrong places

so that's essentially what skinny fat is

so what causes skinny fat

before i get into the solution i'll talk

about what causes it and so i'll talk

about the mistakes that i made because

they're probably the same mistakes that

you're making in the gym and outside of

the gym as well i've got them listed

here now i've made

all of these mistakes at some point

years ago which was why

i was a skinny fat back in the day the

first one is very little strength

training now when i first started my

training journey

i was intimidated and scared of and this

is truth of doing dead lifting because i

thought i'd break my back i was scared

of bench press because i thought that

i'd drop the bar on my chest and i would

die that's the truth i was scared i was

scared of doing overhead press because i

thought i'd drop the bar on my head so

the truth is is i stayed away from all

of the heavy compound lifts because they

looked very intimidating to me as

somebody that was just starting my

fitness journey and so i stuck with

cable machines predominantly

and even so with cable machine workouts

because they were pretty safe i didn't

track those workouts i didn't know how

to track my training i didn't know

anything about progressive overload so

i'm throwing some terms at you you

probably never heard of them which is

fine that's okay but essentially i

didn't do any compound movements

which i'll talk about in the solution in

the next part of this video i wasn't

training correctly that's the truth

so i was doing predominantly cable

machine workouts i wasn't doing proper

training which kind of

accentuated the skinny fat problem that

i had and the second one here is no

protein so this was a big one now i was

getting a little bit of protein in my

diet but i certainly wasn't getting the

amount of protein that i needed for the

training that i was doing at that time

now you need on average

around point eight to one gram of

protein per pound of body weight per day

i said that really fast i'll throw it up

on the screen i'll also mention it again

later on in the video but i was probably

getting around

i think i was getting like 70 or 80

grams of protein a day

back in those days which is not enough

protein if you're training in the gym

even if you're doing the wrong training

you do you need to get more protein so

that is one of the reasons why i wasn't

building any muscle which led to being

skinny fat was because i wasn't getting

enough protein so we'll come back to

that the third one severe calorie

restriction now a lot of people do this

particularly women right

i did this as well i starved myself at

times i didn't eat enough calories i

thought if i just you know ate 1500

calories a day or 12 i wasn't even

tracking my calorie intake to be honest

with you but i just knew

if i severely restricted my intake of

food then it would be the quickest way

of losing fat

so that was another reason why i

was a skinny fat guy severe calorie

restriction a lot of you guys could

probably relate to that starving

yourself yo-yo dieting that kind of

stuff i've been there i've done this

i've made that mistake the next one is

too much cardio now i've done this you

know hours on the treadmill five six

days a week thinking that the more

cardio i was doing the more fat i would

lose

combining all of these together led to

losing a whole lot of muscle

keeping the fat on my frame which then

accentuated this problem of being a

skinny fat i made all these mistakes

which ones are you making now it's okay

you're probably making several of these

which is fine you need to know what

mistakes you're making so that then you

can correct them so once you know that

we get we get to the solution now how i

turned my body around from being skinny

fat to being shredded

it took time that's number one

i would suggest doing this for at least

six to eight weeks

six to eight weeks and you'll start

seeing considerable improvements with

your physique but you have to trust the

process

one thing my coach always taught me when

i was competing trust the process six to

eight weeks the solution the first thing

i had to do was i had to fix my training

that was the first thing

down here weight lifting four times a

week that's what i did between three to

five times a week i got onto a

structured weightlifting program

if you don't know what that is or what

the best one is i actually wrote an

article i'll link it below called push

pull legs i talk about

the kind of weightlifting i was doing in

that article i'll link it below push

pull legs

and essentially push pull eggs is a very

simple split right organizing your

training into push muscles pull muscles

and legs there's many different types of

splits but that's what i started with

and that saved me this one saved me

weightlifting now

this is what i did

i hired a personal trainer to help me

through the most intimidating lifts the

deadlift

now the deadlift i as i mentioned before

i was super fearful of i thought i was

going to hurt my back it turns out that

i didn't hurt my back provided someone

shows you or

you start off with very light weight

like for me it was around 60 kilos

that's how i started off my deadlifting

journey

60 kilos trying to figure out the

correct form and the technique and all

that kind of stuff and then getting a

personal trainer to just check my

technique a couple of times that gave me

the confidence to then go away in my own

time and start doing a lot more

deadlifting so the first one being dead

lifting the second one being bench press

so if you're a guy watching this you

know what i'm talking about get

confident with the bench press start off

with a light weight get someone to spot

you get a personal trainer to show you

that's exactly what i did that broke me

through my fear of both the deadlift and

the bench press the third one is the

squat either front squats or back squats

again

get someone to show you how to do it do

a bit of research on it incorporate the

squat for your legs right the fourth one

is going to be your overhead press and

start off with light weight once again

and the next one is going to be

you can do pull-ups as well incorporate

pull-ups so that's essentially and i

talk more about those core compound

movements in the article down here

push-pull legs right but i'm just giving

you a very quick summary and then all of

the other weight training exercises that

you do kind of fall in around those core

lifts

so that's how i did it

and i just did that for a good six to

eight weeks

and i started seeing remarkable

improvements in my physique right

because to build muscle you need to put

your body under stress you need to put

your muscles under stress

on top of that weight lifting

i did this so i did this three to five

times a week using push-pull legs

for

dead lifting bench press all that kind

of stuff that i mentioned i also tracked

my weightlifting journey i never did

this before

now you can track using a notepad it's

completely up to you right you can get a

notepad and you can just write down you

know how much weight how many sets how

many reps that you did on a particular

day or you can use an app on your phone

which is what i like to use my thing is

over there

i like to use fit notes

fit notes i've been using for years

so go and get fit notes and with fitness

you can start recording your

weightlifting journey that way there are

many great apps but that's the one that

i still continue to use like six or

seven years later i've been using that

one forever and that helps me keep track

and ensuring that i'm lifting a little

bit heavier weight week after week after

week because you must aim to get a

little bit

stronger on each of your lips every week

it's okay if you have a bad week but

over time you want to train a little bit

heavier a little bit stronger on those

main lifts so that's the first big thing

that helped me reverse skinny fat the

second one is nutrition

i call it meal planning

right so we'll call it nutrition same

thing

now it's important

that you track your nutritional intake

you don't have to be a ninja with the

calculations around calories and macros

or macronutrients

and i'll talk more about this kind of

stuff i'll link some articles below on

my website go and check them out because

there's obviously a lot more to this

than

what i have time to explain but when i

got myself onto a meal plan for both

cutting and bulking

a structured meal plan that incorporated

enough protein enough fat enough carb

according to my goals then i started to

see my body change as well

so you can do all the training that you

want in the gym but if you're not

getting enough calories or your calories

are not set according to your goals

or your macronutrients are not set

according to your goals then you're not

going to get the body that you want it's

super important that these two work

together

right you can do all the nutrition you

want

you can eat clean you can eat amazing

food you can get all the protein you

want but if you don't lift then your

body's not going to change

as mentioned if you lift but you don't

take care of your nutrition

and you eat garbage all day then your

body's not going to change so these two

go hand in hand 100 each

meal plans

so you can either cut or bulk so a lot

of people ask me through my website brad

should i cut or should i bulk first

i always tell people my story

and then i look at your physique when

the photos come through on my website

and then i give people better advice

based on individual circumstances but

for me

i started off with a cut first

i started off with a cut

and i cut down to around 10 or 12 body

fat from memory

and then when i got to around 10 to 12

body fat i then went to a bulk

i bulked up to around

20

and i used meal plans for this so i use

a cutting meal plan to cut down to about

10 to 12 body fat and then when i got to

that i then bulked to around 20 percent

and then after i bulked to 20

and while i was bulking by the way i was

also doing strength training

dead lifting bench press overhead press

all those all those lips i mentioned

before i was still training the same way

during a bulk

but my lifts were much better because

when you're in a calorie surplus when

you're bulking your lifting performance

increases versus being in a cut and then

when it got to about 20 percent then i

cut again for the second time

and then when you cut

you're actually removing all the fat

not all the fat but as much fat as you

can while preserving as much muscle as

possible

right during your second cup which one

should you do should you cut or should

you bulk now if you have a lot of fat on

your frame

right if you're a guy watching this and

you're around 20 body fat

then you need to cut i would say you

would need to cut first

uh

if you're around 10 to 12 body fat as a

skinny fat then i would say bulk

so it depends on your in your frame what

you're currently sitting at

but it's usually easier to cut first in

my experience because when you're just

starting this journey of doing what they

call a body recomposition

where you're changing your body

composition you're increasing your

muscle and you're reducing your fat

right so body recomposition

and you're just starting this journey

for the first time when you start off

with a cut you're actually

seeing

you're getting positive reinforcement in

the mirror which actually helps build

your confidence

in that this process actually works

whereas if you're a beginner just

starting out and you jump straight into

a bulk

and you get heavier

it doesn't look so good in the mirror it

doesn't give you that positive feedback

loop that as a beginner you really do

need

and you need that positive feedback loop

to give you confidence that what you're

doing is working and when you're bulking

off the off the bat

and you don't you can't see all your

muscle definition because when you're

bulking you're putting on a bunch of fat

you're also building muscle providing

your weight training

you can't see any of your striations you

can't see any of that muscle you're

building because the fat is covering it

so you don't get the same feedback loop

in the mirror that's why i like cutting

first

then bulking then cutting as a general

rule of thumb

and the last one i want to mention is

cardio

now the cardio that you set depends on

your

the goals you you're trying to achieve

now when you're cutting

i like to increase my cardio but again

i'm not doing too much cardio what does

that mean too much cardio well i was

doing

one one and a half hours of cardio a day

five days a week too much

too much because i was not getting

enough protein and i was also severely

restricting my calories which led to

this problem in the first place

so i dialed back my cardio

for a cut

i was getting around

three days i was doing around three days

of cardio a week

at around 20 to 30 minutes a session

that is it

low to moderate intensity up to three

days per week of cardio during a cut and

if i was doing high-intensity interval

training like if i'm doing muay thai

kickboxing for example then i might do

two

high-intensity interval training

sessions a week of around 20 minutes of

muay thai kickboxing

uh because hit training has its own

benefits right over and above normal low

intensity cardio

so you have to dial in your cardio

these three things

do this for six to eight weeks and you

will see

you will definitely see positive changes

in your body and you will definitely get

away from this problem of being skinny

fat so that's a quick summary i'll link

up some articles below go and check them

out push poor legs i'll give you links

to some meal plans to check out and a

few other articles that i think was

going to really help you that helped me

turn my situation around if you have any

questions please let me know guys more

than happy to help you out and i'll see

you in the next video