I've never done things very conventionally.

Most of us probably want to get jacked and revitalize our energy because we aren't sold on conventionality in the first place.

The conventional way of living is 40 - 50 years of self-inflicted mediocrity...

...Followed by 15 - 20 years of looking back wondering why we didn't push ourselves to be more than mediocre when we "had the energy."

I'm not saying it's just as easy when you're 70 as it is when you're 20. The reality is that your muscles atrophy more easily, and require more care to rebuild. Your blood cells become more resistant to insulin, increasing your risk of diabetes and decreasing your capacity to lose weight.

Transformation is still possible however.... and if you're 40> take this as a que that nature is still on your side.

But time IS ALWAYS running out, and if the only war is you vs your own discipline, it's time to start fighting.

You don't know what you don't know,
and you didn't know what you didn't know.

Proficiency comes from practice, combined with guidance. And here you are, ready to get that guidance and take epic action.

At the end of this article, you'll have a step-by-step schedule that will ensure you're get that JACKED 1% physique in 6-12 months.

Before we get started I'd like you to be aware of 2 short-term mindsets that lead to long-term failure.

I once had a client say to me "I need to lose 30lbs in the next 3 months or I don't think I'll ever get fit."

Her sisters wedding was approaching and she had a vision of who she wanted to be when she showed up as a bridesmaid.

I get it.

The "special events" in our lives create a strong contrast between WHO WE ARE and who we WANT TO BE.

And this is powerful motivation. It doesn't always lend itself to the transformation we NEED to go through in order to actually get the results though: the push to become disciplined.

When someone hands me a time frame in which the consequences of NOT achieving it is quitting, my advice is always the same- "Give up."

Sound harsh? Maybe.

....But it's just a reflection of what they're already planning to do. They've set a goal from a place of desperation.

The goal is built solely on the perception that people other than themselves have of them. There's zero intention of maintaining the lifestyle that would be necessary to achieve the goals.

Without that commitment, there's very little chance they'll reach the goals.... and there's essentially ZERO chance they'll maintain the results.

From this point on, I'm giving you a straight-to-the-point HOW-TO tutorial on creating an epic physique the way I did.

This isn't particularly HARD(in fact if you copy and paste this strategy into your life, when we meet up in 2 years you'll tell me this was pretty fucking easy).

The point of the yap-session up until this point was to make ONE thing crystal clear:

If you don't plan to do this for LIFE, your results will be slow and frustrating. If you DO accept that this is a series of changes you're going to make for the rest of your life.... the results will come more quickly than you ever imagined.

Beyond anything, this is about shifting your identity.
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PHASE 1:

The early years

I grew up eating healthy. Fruits and vegetables. Minimal processed carbs. Whole-food protein sources. I reference the Canadian Food guide constantly. That's what my diet looked then, that's how my diet looks now(just without the animal products). 

If right now, you look at your diet and immediately think "this isn't very healthy," you HAVE to start there. No other change will be as impactful as this will.

You'll have more energy, and will naturally find yourself moving and seeking to move more. You will recover more effectively, which means the muscle you accrue from working out will come easier.

The first step for me personally was consistent exercise. And that consistent exercise would boggle the mind of most modern fitness nerds: I held 6-inches for 10 minutes every night before bed.

"THAT'S IT?"

Pretty much. On top of eating 95% whole-healthy foods, getting pristine sleep, and walking 2 - 3 miles each day as a student.

This is where my journey began.

PHASE 2:

Challenge

I discovered a love for the gym early. This was a huge advantage, specifically for an already skinny kid. Building muscle increases overall metabolic rate, which at the time probably wasn't super advantageous for me as my goal was simply "gain as much weight as possible."

Long term though, I was setting myself for life-long fitness success and I didn't even know it.

From 14 - 19, working out in the gym helped by improve my confidence. It helped me see muscle growth, and have an outlet to challenge myself based on my own passion/interest....... rather than relying on the school system for feedback on my character/accomplishments.

I was a C/B student at best, and on top of that I have multiple vivid memories of teachers telling me I was stupid. Another story for another day.

The gym gave me a place to strive for personal greatness.

Despite being convinced I didn't have a brain for academics.... I did go to college. For the first time in my life, I was amongst other gym-rats who also solely focused on strength and muscle building. This gave me an additional boost of motivation and discipline. Some of these guys were significantly more built than I was, and they had habits in their eating and workout methods that were clearly creating epic results for them. Much of these methods, I would attempt to model over time.

I already had the discipline to be able to show up at the gym. Now I was sharing my living spaces with people who were pushing themselves to the max, matching every second of their lives with the goal of being as strong as possible.

Being around these people renewed my sense of what was possible for myself, and gave me the resources to achieve a whole new set of goals.

When I think about where I'd be in my fitness journey if I'd continued for years keeping to myself only ever exercising alone.... I'm certain that never reaching incredible physical potential would be something I'm ashamed of.

1/5 will give exercise a try. 1/5 of those will ultimately find consistency. 1/100 of them will get a glimpse of their true potential by truly challenging themselves.

You have to set up SYSTEMS to consistently challenge yourself.

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Some examples:

Any one of these examples could be applied to your current workout methodology.

Remember, you'll learn the most effective methods for challenging yourself from OTHER PEOPLE. Whether that's watching my videos, or spending time in the gym with someone far further along in the journey than you are. 

When inspiration meets technical knowledge, the result is infinite potential. 

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PHASE 3:

Ease(and the schedule you can copy)

I would like to introduce you to the emotional cycle of change, a graph that perfectly describes why most people fail:

You can probably relate to this experience:

1. You learn about what sounds to be an incredible opportunity in some area of your life(maybe it's the first time you heard about the keto-diet, or drop shipping).

2. You get started, and after a couple of weeks you realize that this grass that was supposedly much greener than yours was still filled with fire-ants and dog doo doo!

3. You realize this "opportunity" is actually going to be pretty damn difficult, but look! Over that fence there's another green pasture which is CLEARLY much better than this one!!

4. You start over with an entirely different process, expecting paradise but discovering a world of hurt. 


Most of us never actually make it to seeing consistent success, because we don't realize the pain is implied. The beginner's stage of suffering is REQUIRED in order to have the necessary skills and experience to generate success. 

That's how any journey that's worthwhile is going to go. Hard at first, easier and easier once you level up. 

I'm sharing this to try and help you understand that what I'm about to share isn't a hack. It's the routine I've arrived at after years of trial, error, reflection, and optimization. 

It will generate results for you, but YOU have to have the discipline to follow it. 

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Morning:

Wake Up 7:30 - 9:30

Waking up early doesn't guarantee anything.

Sorry, just the truth. You need to make sure you're getting plenty of quality sleep to ensure muscle recovery and low-inflammation. High stress and fatigue will cause your body to prioritize fat accumulation over effective micronutrient uptake and muscle recovery. 

I'm lucky to be self-employed, but I don't think external time-bound morning obligations are a good excuse to get very little sleep that has to be interrupted by an alarm clock.

Get enough sleep, and then set the intention for when you want to wake up. If you're well rested, you'll find waking up when you want to wake up will happen naturally. More in the evening routine section. 

1st phase of the morning: 

-Water

-Light Cardio

-Sun

• Water because you need to stay hydrated in order to maintain good health and healthy metabolism.
• Light cardio to burn the remaining glycogen out of your blood and put your body into a ketogenic state(yes, it can happen without a multi-day fast).
• Sun because it'll provide you a boost of energy which will help to physically-engage your body as soon as possible in the day. 

>>>>>If you have a dog, it's as easy as taking your dog for a brisk 20 minute walk at the beginning of the day. 

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2nd phase of the morning/afternoon:

I eat my first meal somewhere between 12pm and 2pm. I try to curb my last meal between 7 and 8pm. 

There are a plethora of reasons why intermittent fasting works to keep you strong and shredded. 

If you'd like specific citations for this information, check out this article.

Here's my summary, just to condense the learning a little bit for you:

Intermittent fasting enhances fat-burning by influencing hormonal and metabolic processes. During fasting, insulin levels significantly decrease, promoting the breakdown of fat since insulin is a hormone that inhibits fat metabolism.

This period of low insulin enhances the body's ability to use fat as energy. Fasting leads to an increase in growth hormone levels, which supports both fat loss and muscle gain. As fasting continues and glycogen stores deplete, the body shifts from using carbohydrates to burning more fat for fuel.

Fasting also stimulates the release of norepinephrine, a neurotransmitter that boosts metabolism and further enhances fat breakdown. These combined effects make intermittent fasting a powerful strategy for reducing body fat ESPECIALLY when combined with a calorie deficit.

 Intermittent fasting is one of the first recommendations I make to my clients looking to get shredded. 

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THE FIRST MEAL

The first meal of the day is going to be pretty similar to what you'll hear most athletes advise: prioritize protein and carbs. 

I usually eat 3 - 4 pieces of fruit and take my multi-vitamin. I once interviewed a nutritionist who claimed that consuming high-vitamin foods on an empty stomach made it easier for the nutrients to uptake. 

I haven't corroborated that information. I have no idea if it's true or not. 

What I DO know is that it feels pretty damn good to start your day off with some fruit. 

And then it's easiest to prepare the largest meal of the day when your focus is at a high-point, and so too is your energy. 

What you may start to notice as you begin consistently fasting is the subsequent DROP in your energy that comes after you eat, especially big meals. 

Some more advanced athletes actually recommend that you don't eat anything at all until your work day is over and you can afford to zone-out a little bit. 

Just something to consider. I have had extended periods of eating only at the very end of the day. It worked great for me. The results were frankly astounding in terms of overall strength increase and aesthetics. Admittedly, it just takes more discipline than I've wanted to have on a regular basis.

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THE WORKOUT PROGRAM:

This is the method that works for pretty much any goal.

Step 1. Main lift for strength building

There are only 3 choices here: bench-press, deadlift, squat. 

All of these demand huge amounts of work from your entire body, while focusing on one major muscle group. Obviously you're going to have to spend a few days recovering the main muscle group, while still being able to get some work out of the rest of your body even if it was worked before. 

If you are BRAND NEW to fitness, you may need multiple additional rest days. That's ok, just do some kind of exercise everyday to maintain the habit of working out and continuing to build metabolic/cardiovascular efficiency. 

When you're all healed up, get back in the gym for the next major lift. 

We do the main lift at the beginning of the workout so we can put maximum effort in, with the goal of getting maximum power out. 

A couple different splits you can use for the main lift:

 

• 5 sets x 5 reps
• 7 sets x 2 reps
• 1 set x maximum reps

 

All of these work. Pick one split and follow it for at least 4 weeks before trying another one.

 

 

Step 2. Accessory lifts for aesthetics and injury-prevention.

Once we've put as much effort into our main lift as we can, we'll move on to accessory lifts. The point of these is simply to sculpt our muscle. We don't need to do a lot of weight, we just need to connect with the muscle in order to encourage growth. 

Right now, I advise following the Mike Mentzer approach for building muscle with your accessory lifts. 

 

"That last rep where you're trying as hard as you can and you barely make it!

That is what turns on the growth mechanism in your body.

That last almost impossible rep where you're bearing your teeth, you're shaking all over, you need assistance!

That rep is very special, that rep is very different. There's something special going on inside your body when that happens."

~ Mike Mentzer

 

Over the last few years I've been prioritizing having FUN with my body.

Right now I do MMA 3 days a week which is leading to significant increases in my cardiovascular capabilities, however I'm saying this to be transparent about what I'm doing NOW vs what I did to get to my current stage. I spent 10+ years exclusively lifting weights, barely doing any "sports" or physical "hobbies" at all. 

I recommend that stuff to find enjoyment, and while assuming there's challenge involved you will make gains... I can't speak ultimately to using basketball or MMA training as a means to becoming ripped simply because that's not how I did it. 

 

THE REST OF THE DAY'S MEALS

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(just fully vegan, please and thank you). 
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 Eating Post-Workout

Ideally you're eating post-workout in order to get your body utilizing some carbohydrates instead of your own muscle for energy... and then supplying the protein necessary for strength increase.

As long as you know your general macro goals, you're going to be fine here. Again I think most people underprioritize fiber which is keeping you healthy and maintaining metabolic efficiency, and over prioritize protein from the perspective that you need it to build muscle. 

You do, just way less than you think. And most protein sources come with fat/unnecessary calories which no one seems to ever really consider. 

Look find out your basic macro needs and then do a little bit of tracking. You'll probably find that you're making gains no matter how your protein looks. The classic "one gram of protein per pound of body weight" can be cut all the way back to .3g of protein per pound of bodyweight and I guarantee you'll be making just as many gains. Here's a clip from Nimai Delgado, one of the most famous jacked vegans, on the Rich Roll Podcast explaining how he calculates protein. 

See if you can find holes in his logic. 

Your final meals should be keeping you satiated and meeting your micro nutrient goals. All of my meals follow the same structure(the plant-based version of the canadian food guide). 

The first one is the biggest, the middle "meal" is basically a snack. I have a few other snacks throughout the day but they're always whole foods(think peppers and hummus, fruit, whole grain bread, etc). The final meal comes after the resistance training workout so I can re-uptake the energy I spent working out. 

Simple. 

 

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HOW TO MAKE IT ALL EASY 

There both is, and is NOT a simple answer here. 

The simple answer is to habituate every aspect of your routine to the point that it feels second nature. 

It should not only take zero effort, it should feel weird NOT doing things correctly. Not eating healthy will have you expecting to be lower energy. Not working out will have you thinking about nothing else other than getting that workout in. 

Sound uncomfortable? It is! 

....when you're not following your routine. Which, you will be IF you made it to the point where it's uncomfortable not to. 

Fundamentally, this is going to be a mindset/identity shift that comes in tandem with time/practice/evidence.

Here's the video version of this article where I explain my personal experimentation, to a degree:

P.S.
I have a training called "Full Guide to Making Your Own Meal/Workout Plan." If you feel like you're looking for more SPECIFIC information in the form of a follow-along plan for getting healthy and getting in great shape, this resource will likely be very helpful for you. 

Send me a DM on Instagram, or email me at zach@veganstrongfit.com and say "I want the full-guide!." 

Then..... well, I'll send you the full guide!

See ya soon.

-Zach