Lean Hybrid Muscle Building

By Mike Westerdal

Sometimes a guy wants to look as super-shredded and lean as possible. It might be for a competition, photo shoot or maybe just a hot date. Whatever the reason, besides muscle definition, there are two factors that impact just how lean and defined you look–body fat and water retention. Obviously, you can’t look shredded if you’ve got a layer of fat covering the muscles. But even if your body fat is in the single digits, excess water can make you look less defined and sometimes, even bloated. Minimizing excess water weight is what we’re going to explore here today.

Aldosterone is one of the hormones that manages the volume of fluids held in the body–water in particular. And while for most guys water retention isn’t going to be an everyday issue, if you are a competitive bodybuilder or you need to look extra-ripped for a photo shoot or special event, retaining even small amounts of excess water can make all the difference in the world.

First, a little background on Aldosterone, which is released by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone is one of the hormones that helps regulate the body’s sodium and potassium levels. This in turn helps control blood pressure and the balance of fluids and electrolytes in the bloodstream.

The adrenal glands produce more Aldosterone when the body is trying to conserve fluid and salts. This means that high levels of Aldosterone equate to more fluids being retained in the body. When Aldosterone levels are low, the body retains less water.

The entire process is actually managed by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). If you’re looking to get super shredded and hard with that contest-ready, ‘paper-thin’ skin, then how to manipulate the RAAS is definitely something you want to understand. By learning to manipulate the RAAS you can influence Aldosterone levels and affect how much water your body retains.

A typical strategy that many guys use to reduce the amount of water they retain is to decrease their salt intake and cut back on the amount of water they drink. Decreasing salt intake is good, but it only helps so much. And unfortunately, because the body is always striving to maintain a state of homeostasis (aka the status quo), drinking less water causes the body’s metabolic systems to conserve water.

This actually causes Aldosterone levels to spike, so drinking less water doesn’t have the effect that you want and actually causes the body to retain more water.

So with this in mind, we know that we have to look at another strategy. Strangely enough, one of the ways you can manipulate the RAAS, lower Aldosterone levels and reduce the amount of water retained, is to actually drink more water, not less. This seems to contrary to what you want to achieve but it’s not the way the body works. But it’s a little more complicated than just drinking gallons of water before a competition or event.

Successful manipulation of the RAAS to reduce water retention requires timing and strategy. Finding the right ‘window of opportunity’ is essential to success. Before you start trying to reduce water retention, you’ll need to first make sure that you’ve already shed any unnecessary body fat.

There’s no point in going through the trouble of shedding water when there’s a layer of fat underneath. So step one is to get your body fat percentage into the low teens or even single digits. Once you get to that you point, you’ll be in a position to be able to get shredded by reducing how much water your body retains.

The next step is to follow a specific protocol that incorporates the manipulation of protein and carbohydrate ratios combined with a period of high water intake (hyper hydration) followed by a rapid, timed period of limited water intake (dehydration). You will begin the hyper hydration and dehydration phases several days before the competition or other event for which you want to appear super shredded.

This strategy works because the hyper hydration phase will cause Adosterone levels to drop, meaning that your kidneys are flushing out most of the water you’re drinking–also causing you to piss a lot.

The targeted period of dehydration will allow you to rapidly shed water weight, leaving you super shredded and ultra-lean. But because you’re doing it for such a short period of time, the inevitable spike in Aldosterone levels and the accompanying increase in water retention, won’t happen until after the competition or big event.

For those of you that have been asking for more information about cutting water weight we hope this sheds some light on the topic.

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Now if you want a step by step 4-day plan that tells you exactly what to to do, day by day we’ve got something cool for you. We put together our LHM “Dry Report“. It’s based on the science from this article and from the results of real people that have used this protocol.

If you’d like to get your hands on our Dry Report for FREE just pick up a copy of John Roman’s Final Phase Fat Loss or what we’ve termed Lean Hybrid Muscle Phase 3. This will be the third phase of your LHM Reloaded program when you want to get your body fat levels into the single digit range.

After you complete Phase 3, use the 4-day protocol outlined in your FREE Dry Report to take some killer after pictures.

We have some really cool LHM Transformation contests coming up soon with some cash bonuses. If you want to do well this is definitely by the far the strategy we’d recommend.

Here’s what to do next. Pick up Final Phase aka LHM Phase 3 from this link: http://www.LHMphase3workouts.com and simply forward your receipt to leanhybridmuscle at gmail.com and we’ll hook you up with your FREE copy of the DRY REPORT.

Notes From The Presentation:

Problem Area: “love handles”
Hormone to Blame: Insulin
Solution Hormone: IGF-1
How to stimulate IGF-1 release: “Dynamic” Training

Problem Area: hips, butt, thighs and/or “man boobs”
Hormone to Blame: Estrogen
Solution Hormone: Testosterone
How to stimulate Testosterone release: “Density” Training

Problem Area: “belly/stomach”
Hormone to Blame: Cortisol
Solution Hormone: Growth Hormone
How to stimulate IGF-1 release: “Lactic Acid” Training

Why Is Roman Lean Hybrid Muscle Approved?

1. When we first said it was possible to build muscle and burn fat people told us that was impossible. They said it had to do with calories in vs calories out. We said, no way it has to do with hormones not calories! Roman is on the same page there.

2. Roman agrees that the best kind of cardio is hybrid cardio. He calls it “metabolic resistance training” but it’s the same thing. We know that adding resistance to your cardio will develop the type 3 muscle fiber that is bigger, stronger, more resistant to fatigue and uses more fat for energy. So Roman gets a check mark there.

3. He’s approved because he is personally jacked and ripped and a professional trainer. Elliott and I both cringe when guys “pretend” to be coaches online just to make a buck. Makes us sick! Not a problem there, Roman is a top personal trainer in NYC.

4. In our Lean Hybrid Muscle RELOADED program we use more than one training modality. We implement bodybuilding specialization, powerlifting, power-building, some strongman, intense intervals, and hybrid cardio or resistance cardio days and exercises. The same goes for Roman he also takes a hybrid approach by combining Dynamic Training, Lactic Acid Training, Density Training and Strength Circuits.

5. Since we launched LHM Reloaded some people were looking for a Final Phase or a Phase 3 they could follow to really tap into those single digit body fat levels. Please note this Final Phase is not for everyone. It’s only for those people that want REALLY low body fat levels. You will have to sacrifice some strength if you decide to embark on LHM Phase 3.

6. Elliott and I battled it out on the football field in college. I went to Central CT State and we beat his school St. Johns twice while I was there. (Had to twist the knife there.) Roman played high school football so he gets some points for that in our book.

7. His Final Phase or LHM Phase 3 is only 6-weeks long so it fits perfectly into our annual training plan.

8. He’s a Jets fan and so is Elliott.

9. Roman’s abs are more visible than ours so we commissioned him for help in the final fat burning phase of our program. (Note: I can bench more and Elliott can deadlift more than him so it’s all good.)

10. He loved our new “Dry Report” and can’t wait to try it before his next photo shoot. Unlike Elliott and I, Roman actually gets paid to have his picture taken with his shirt off

Here is your Invitation to grab the Phase 3 Plug-In for Lean Hybrid Muscle RELOADED. When you use the link below you’ll also get our 4-Day Water Cutting Strategy called The Dry Report that involves “hyper hydration” followed by a timely “dehydration”. http://www.LHMphase3workouts.com

First, THANK YOU to everyone that shared their recipe for getting super lean and hard muscles in the comments area of Monday’s post about Stripping Bodyfat.

Apparently, some folks thought it was weird that I often ask my readers for their suggestions and to share their experiences with us.

But I’m very happy I DID ask because we really learned a lot from many of your comments and even recognized a few recurring themes, which means that you’re probably doing something right! 

SO, thanks again.

Now, in Monday’s post I also mentioned that although I had some significant success with shedding several layers of body fat by following the Hybrid Diet and Hybrid Muscle Training for months…

Had I really understood how to manipulate variables at the HORMONAL LEVEL I may have been able to get that really, super, duper, shredded look for my “after” pictures.

Well, being the type that doesn’t usually accept surface answers and relative “how-tos” as explanations to my inquiries… I dug a little deeper this week and am happy to present my findings with regard to Natural Hormone Manipulation for extreme fat lost / water shedding.

STEP #1 . Expert John Roman shares his experience with reducing  “stubborn” body fat by first understanding which hormones cause you to hold fat in 3 critical areas.  A) The Love Handles B) Hips, Butt and Man Boobs C) Belly

Roman On Cortisol, Estrogen & Insulin For Melting Stubborn Fat

You’ll notice that Roman’s information about fat loss will bring you the “shaping” results of shedding body fat from “hard to reach” areas.

What’s more important is that if you try to implement the strategy I describe below, without FIRST stripping your “stubborn” fat, like Roman suggests… It simply will NOT work.

From what I gather, you’ve got to get your body fat to below 10% for the Water Cutting that I describe in the next video to yield some appreciable results.

STEP #2. Elliott describes how to manipulate the “4th Hormone” Aldosterone, in order to get ridiculously shredded by shedding water!

Elliott On Aldosterone For Shedding Water

Okay… If you are anything like me you’ll need a little further explaining and more information about exactly HOW this sh*t works. (I had to read the same article like 12 times before I totally grasped what Aldosterone actually was LOL)

Basically, our body has a negative feeback mechanism controled by the hormone Aldosterone that ensures we don’t over inflate and explode with water when drinking a lot OR completely dry up an turn to dust when dehydrated!

Now, this means that if we want to get really lean and DRY by cutting water we’ve got to very careful about the TIMING of our water cutting method.  If you cut water too soon you can risk triggering the negative feedback by having Aldosterone increase, thus increasing water retention.

So, HOW and WHEN exactly are we supposed to use this method?

If you are using the Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded system for building lean muscle, you’ve probably bounced around using the “M Phase”, Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the system.

Once you have gotten your body fat down to a decent level (mid to low teens or single digits), after following LHM Phase 2 for a few weeks… you’ll FIRST need to begin using some of the strategies for shedding stubborn body fat that Roman described above (and in his next video that I’ll share with you soon)  — This can take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.

Next you’ll have to follow a very precise protocol involving the manipulation of protein and carbohydrate ratios along with strategic “hyper hydration” followed by a rapid and timely “dehydration”.

So, after picking the brains of some of the best bodybuilders, muscle models, and researchers I personally know, we put together an exact 4 Day Water Cutting Strategy For Getting Paper Thin Skin in a new report called: The Dry Report, that we’ll be sharing with you for FREE early next week.

Like I said, this 4 day step-by-step method for getting bone dry, RIPPED muscle will be available to you for FREE next week.

In the mean time, keep an eye out for an e mail from Mike & Elliott about the brand new addition to Lean Hybrid Muscle called “The 3rd Phase”. (if you’re not on our e mail list, click here to join)

The “4th Phase” is a Lean Hybrid Muscle approved training program that is perfect for guys who have followed the LHM Reloaded system for several months, have gotten awesome results and are looking to drop fat to an EXTREMELY LOW level to look awesome in a competition, at the beach, or just to be a bad-ass!

The Dry Report protocol will work in conjunction with the 4the Phase to get you ULTRA LEAN! I think this is going to be very helpful to you!

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Final Phase Fat Loss or Phase 3 LHM is live. When you order with this link you’ll get our “DRY REPORT” for free. Just forward your receipt to our assistant Al. His email is leanhybridmuscle at gmail.com. Here is your special link: http://www.LHMphase3workouts.com

I’ve got a confession to make.

Back in May when I tore by biceps and decided to tighten up all of my “Puffy Muscle” I thought that getting back down to 8% body fat, like I was only four  years before, would be super easy.

In fact, I thought that all I needed to do was to go back to eating the way I ate prior to strongman competitions and in a few months I would look exactly like I used to.

Boy, was I wrong!!

It turned out that there had been a myriad of physiological changes in my body, (as well as adding 3 more children to my family) that would make the journey from 18% body fat down to < 8% body fat a bit more challenging that I first believed.

As you can see from the images above, there had been some changes… but even in my final picture (and the one I used to promote Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded) I am still not as HARD and DRY as what most bodybuilders would consider acceptable.

Granted, I am NOT a bodybuilder… but it sure would have been nice to get my BF % super duper low for those pics!

After speaking with my uncle, who you know is a bodybuilder, he explained that I had done a few things wrong.  Actually he told me how to manipulate variables correctly in the first place, but I resisted “the TRUTH”

A few of these “tricks of the trade” are actually kinda crazy! (one involves Ice and Toothpaste) –  The fact is that some of the strategies he shared with me DO WORK for getting that paper thin skin that bodybuilders need to win shows… but strength and performance takes a serious hit while your using them (I guess that’s why I resisted).

Anyway… I just wanted to give you guys some insight as to the things I did WRONG during my LHM transformation.

I also plan on sharing theses Psycho Strategies for getting Super Low Body Fat with you in the coming week.

I have yet to use this “fat stripping” strategy myself yet since I have been preparing for the Tough Mudder Adventure Race this weekend.  And when I’m done with that I MIGHT be qualifying for the CrossFit Games (shh, I’m not sure yet… and those guys actually scare me more than Strongmen)

BUT once I’ve gotten past those 2 events… You can be sure that I’ll be aiming for that SHREDDED, single digit body fat percentage once again!

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime… If you have used any crazy strategies for getting your BF % super low, share em with us in the comments area.

by Elliott Hulse of Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded —<< Over 50% Off Link

Fats have gotten a really bad rap over the past 15-20 years. It seems like the day after food manufacturers figured out how to make ‘low-fat’ and ‘fat-free’ foods, the press started publishing stories about the dangers of fats, how they were responsible for the obesity epidemic and how bad they are for the body.

But here we are 20 years later and Americans are fatter than ever before, despite all the low-fat and fat-free foods they’re eating. Seems like fats weren’t the culprit after all and in reality, it turns out that fats actually play an important role building bigger, stronger muscles.

You know that the body produces steroid hormones (e.g., testosterone) that drive muscle growth and strength gains. The metabolic processes that trigger the production of steroid hormones are driven in large part by the foods we eat. Well, researchers have found that maintaining a low-fat, low-calorie diets appears to suppress the body’s production of steroid hormones.

So cutting fats of your diet is not only a mostly ineffective strategy for getting lean, but it’s also got some unwanted side effects such as reduced muscle mass and strength caused by diminished production of steroid hormones. Fortunately, we have a lot more knowledge today than we did in years past.

And what we know today is that an occasional high fat meal is not just tasty and satisfying, but it promotes natural steroid production as well. Normally, when planning what foods to eat as part of your get lean/build muscle diet, you should choose healthy, unsaturated fats over saturated fats, which have a lower thermic effect and in general are less healthy.

However, to really stimulate the production of steroid hormones, it’s perfectly acceptable—and recommended—to occasionally eat high fat foods such as a good juicy burger without being concerned about unsaturated versus saturated fat content. Do this from time to time and you’ll find that it’s good for both the mind and the body.

Now that you know how I feel about Dietary Fats there should be no surprise that I have included three days in the Hybrid Diet where you eat high protein and high fat foods.

If you’d like to learn more about this weird nutrition rotation plan for fat burning and muscle building be sure to CLICK HERE to read a very controversial follow up article I just published.

Our buddy Ryan that trains with Elliott and Mike sometimes jumped on the line with Craig Ballantyne to interview him about Turbulence Training. Don’t forget Craig’s holiday fat loss system is on sale for 75% off right now Lean Hybrid Muscle fans. The recording of the phone call got messed up so we had it transcribed and posted below for you. -Mike & Elliott

RM: Hi guys, welcome to the line. This is Ryan Magin doing an interview for Lean Hybrid Muscle, and today I’ve got a really awesome guest. It’s Craig Ballantyne, the author if Turbulence Training, and a pretty established trainer in…basically the world now, with the internet. Craig, you on the line, right?

CB: Yeah, man. Ready to go.

RM: All right. Craig, thanks a lot for joining us today. I appreciate you taking the time and hopping on the line and helping out all my readers and listeners.

CB: Hey, happy to help.

RM: Good stuff. Well, the first question, how did you get started? What’s your background? How did you get into the whole personal training industry?

CB: Yeah, good question, and like most trainers, I really was the sporty kid when I was a kid, and that’s how a lot of my friends got into it. They wanted to keep training for sports. And so, I started training in my parent’s basement when I was 16 and that led me to a university degree in Kinesiology. And I started training people probably in the mid ‘90s when I was in school.

And then, I did a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology. And that’s where I came up with the Turbulence Training program based on interval training that I was using with athletes and the training that I was reading about, the workouts that people were studying, and then also the workouts that I was using with scientific subjects that I was testing for sports supplements when I was in the university.

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by Mike Westerdal & Patrick McGuire

It seems every other week there’s a new diet, weight loss or fat burning system released.  When something is new there’s usually a lot of hype and people get pretty excited which is normal.  It doesn’t help that our in boxes gets flooded with raving reviews.

What I want to do today is give you a quick overview of the World’s Most Popular Diets.  Elliott and I always encourage you to empower yourself and make informed decisions.  We’re hoping by the end of this article you’ll be better equipped to judge a solid fat loss program versus something that claims to be a magic bullet.

There are a lot of different types of diets out there. However, there is a balanced solution that will allow you to lose weight and maintain Your Best Body Ever.   The solution is to follow a proven effective fat loss program that includes a combination of a balanced macronutrient ratio (protein to carbohydrate to fat) with a slightly restricted calorie intake while increasing your energy expenditure each day through increased activity.

Summarized this means exercise more, eat a little less and make sure you’re getting enough protein, fat and carbohydrates.

You want to hear something interesting?

Of all the diets in the world, with all of their different marketing programs, there are only four basic diet philosophies.

(Oh before I forget I want to thank my friend Patrick McGuire of Empowered Nutrition for sharing and teaching his knowledge on this topic.  I’ve got a really cool story to tell you about “Pat” but I’ll save that for later.)

Like I was saying, most programs you see are variations of the four main diets explained below.

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Lately I’ve been swamped with email questions about our Lean Hybrid Muscle Training when used for building mass and burning fat, so I’m going to take this opportunity to explain a bit more about it. First, it’s not some big secret—I simply combine some intense mass training techniques with some very effective aerobic style strategies called EPOC training. Now, individually those items work well, but when combined in a particular way, they feed off one another, resulting in super effective in fat reduction and building muscle mass, which is incredible. Hard to believe I know, but the proof is in the results we’ve been getting!

EPOC stands for Excess Post Oxygen Consumption. It’s basically a measure of how much your metabolism increases after a workout session. When you stop doing any sort of physical activity, your body doesn’t immediately ‘shut down.’ It cools down gradually, meaning that your body will continue to need more oxygen than before you did the activity. The body’s EPOC rate will vary depending on the type of activity you’re doing. 

Take a look at this:
* Aerobic exercise will elevate your metabolism for several minutes afterwards;
* Heavy anaerobic exercise can elevate your metabolism for several hours after you finish training; and
* Prolonged Exhaustive exercise (such as interval resistance training) can elevate your metabolism up to 12-24 hours afterward.

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Remembering The Guru:
Vince Gironda The Greatest Trainer That Ever Lived
Guest Post By Ron Kosloff N/C of NSP Research Nutrition

Vince Gironda Part 2:

(Last Week, Vince’s friend Ron Kosloff revealed never-before told anecdotal tales of the muscle maestro. This month, he adds more unpublished gems to complete his one of a kind necklace of Gironda memories.)

Early on in my association with this young fellow I’m training, he observed that we weren’t doing much. You never want to work a muscle more than twice in one week, and when you work it, you work it with intensity. You never rest for more than 15 or 20 seconds between sets. When you work with intensity you’ll be surprised how fast you get the pump, which is what you’re looking for. Remember, when you’re trying to gain, you never work your stomach because the stress attacks and shocks the nerves in your solar plexus and then your hormone levels go down.

This is the routine I had him on to start. You work your biceps, triceps, delts, chest and back on Monday. You work your forearms, thighs, leg biceps and calves on Tuesday. If you want to work your inner thighs on Tuesday also, that’s okay. Repeat Monday’s workout on Thursday and Tuesday’s workout on Friday. Then you have to rest because this is when HGH is released by your pituitary and you’ll gain muscular size.

I said, “I’m going to show you how not to work out.

I’m not criticizing anybody, but this is how most people train.” I pointed to a fellow in the gym, a local bodybuilding hero who’d won a few contests and was a steroid user. “He’s probably here six days per week,” I explained, “but when he comes in he doesn’t do very much. He thinks that just being in the gym and taking steroids is going to increase his physique, which will probably happen with the steroids.” I told the kid to watch this guy.

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Remembering The Guru:
Vince Gironda The Greatest Trainer That Ever Lived
Guest Post By Ron Kosloff N/C of NSP Research Nutrition

Part 1:

Close family members apart, when was the last time you witnessed grown men weeping at the loss of a comrade? Sure it happens, of course, but when the late great Vince Gironda died, the outpouring of emotion was felt from coast to coast and beyond.

I’ll never forget the day of October 20th, 1997. I was at my desk when Ray Raridon, owner of NSP West in Los Angeles called me at three p.m. and asked if I was sitting down. After I said yes, he conveyed to me the sad news that Vince Gironda had passed away. We spoke for a short time, both extremely very sad and extremely stunned. After I hung up the phone I was in sort of a mental daze as my 25-year association with Vince literally flashed before my eyes. I remembered all the good times and the bad times. As I sat there for about a half-hour I began crying profusely. I’m a grown man, but this news did affect me very, very much. I called my friend Chris Aragona. Chris is a personal trainer and former owner of a health-food store in the Long Island section of New York. We’ve been friends and business associates for about 20 years.

Chris teaches Vince’s method’s as I do. We talked at length about Vince, and he too reminisced. I mentioned that I had seen Vince about a month before he closed his gym, and to my way of thinking – just a personal opinion – Vince Gironda probably died of a broken heart simply because his gym was his whole life. To my knowledge, he never did anything else. From the time he was a young man until he really got into the gym business – I think it was 1946 – he had worked or been in the fitness business most of his life. So you can see what a dramatic effect the gym closing must have had on him. Bodybuilding meant more to him than anything. When he would train someone who became successful, this was his personal reward. Chris agreed with me that there was a lot of heart and honesty in Vince. As long as I can remember, Chris has advocated Vince’s methods. He is a personal trainer. I believe he has done that exclusively since he got out of the health-food business. On many occasions Chris and I have shared stories about our personal training experiences and one point we always agree on is that anyone who follows Vince’s methods is sure to have great results. I personally have never failed if my student follows Vince’s principles. (Vince actually wrote a book on his training principles. It is titled, “The Wild Physique.”) After Chris and I spoke, I put the office recorder on and reminisced for about two hours.

I recalled our first meeting.

I had a consultation with Vince, and while we were talking, he excused himself, got up, took some money out of the register, gave it to a member, and promptly threw him out of the gym for doing situps and leg raises. I was shocked, of course, but when I found out Vince’s reasoning I understood. Situps and leg raises don’t reduce the size of your stomach, as Vince discovered about 40 years ago, so the student was just wasting his time. He really wasn’t listening. Vince had previously told the student not to do them because he was personally training the guy. Along with everything Vince taught me, I realized then that he was probably far ahead of his time. In retrospect, I believe most people didn’t even know what he was talking about. I learned that 95 percent of what Vince told me simply worked. Chris made the same discovery. When I train people, they quickly realize just how great his simple, intelligent methods are.

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