This is one of our Client Transformation Case Studies series, a deep dive into specific transformations you can see on our Client Results Wall.
When Dominik reached out for coaching, he was frustrated.
His work was kicking his arse, with an unpredictable schedule, he settled for training at home with a calisthenics program from his favorite YouTuber.
But this wasn’t driving the results he had hoped. He stumbled upon the website, binge-read the articles, and decided to approach us for coaching.
“I can comprehend what you are saying and how you explain things, but I second-guess my approach and often feel like I’m in the dark about how certain choices affect me. I am ready to take things to the next level.”
This was Dominik before coaching:
I agreed to take him on as a client, but with an important condition…
Your schedule is clearly the biggest challenge here. It has created a start-stop nature to your training. After the hard weeks away you feel crushed, it can be tough to get motivated to get back to it. And by that point you feel that you’ve lost the progress you have made, so you question the point of it all.
Things spiral.
The question is how to break this pattern, in a way you can sustain. You are not heading to a bodybuilding stage. Things don’t have to be perfect to achieve change. But you do need to see change to stay motivated to do the hard things.
This is what I am thinking…
Training hard is crucial to success. But when we train at home, it can be challenging to make enough of a mental switch to train sufficiently hard. (Plus, your home equipment is quite limiting.) And for you, in your current position, given that we’re going to chase a slow, controlled bulk, the training is key to driving the adaptations so we grow, rather than just get fat.
So, I wonder whether you could possibly squeeze in time to get to a gym 4 days a week. Yes, this means sacrificing one hour of sleep. Jumping straight into the car after you wake, smashing out a workout, showering, and continuing on your way to work is the way to go. I don’t think this will work if you need to do it after work, as the day will have drained your energy by then. Doing it first thing in the morning will also set up a positive frame for the rest of your day.
Also, we tend to train harder when around other people. And we tend to train harder when we have had to make more effort to get to the training location. (Inconvenience can be a mental benefit.) I have seen this simple switch make the difference between building a progress and endless dissatisfaction — which is the loop you seem to be in right now. So, I’m willing to take you on, but you getting to a gym is my condition.
This way, in 18 months when you look back, there will be no lingering doubt over whether you’ve done all you can.
He agreed to bulk, and I warned him that to see the changes he was after, he’d need to really push his comfort zone and take his weight up by at least 20 pounds before cutting back down again.
What We Did: Training, Nutrition, and Mindset Changes
Training: His training was a four-day, upper-lower split, similar to our MSP Novice Bodybuilding Program. (Here’s a spreadsheet version.)
Diet: 2470 kcal (P:160 C:300 F:70), bumping to 2760, then 2860 kcal when necessary to keep our 2-pound per month target rate of weight gain.
I’d note that the key to his transformation wasn’t any programming nor nutritional magic, it was due to:
- The consistency of his training effort over time, while having a….
- Consistent calorie surplus to drive the growth. This came down to…
- Building systems he could sustain while…
- Avoiding the dreaded “all-or-nothing” mindset that was responsible for his multi-year plateau in the past.
The Results
Here’s Dominik now:
- Bulk: 15 months, 139.3 > 165.6 lbs.
- Cut: 4 months, 165.6 > 146.6 lbs*
*After regaining the water, gut content, and glycogen when back at calorie maintenance, his weight was 151 lbs.
So, how much muscle did he gain? How much fat did he lose?
Well, we can only guess, as he was reluctant to undergo an autopsy. But the data leaves clues.
- You can see that his stomach measurements increased by 5–8 cm (2–3″) during the course of his bulk. This throws many people off, but it was easier for Dominik to cope with given the…
- Significant development he saw in his muscle mass — a whopping 12.5 cm on his chest/back measurement — which was a 10 cm (4″) net increase after stripping the fat back off.
- You can also see that Dominik is leaner at the end than the start.
So, if we compare his walking around weight, there is a 11.7 lb difference, so a conservative estimate would be that he gained this much muscle.
However, given:
- The clear visual decrease in body fat level, and
- The decrease in his stomach measurements, despite the fact that his abs, obliques, and lower back would all have thickened with the training,
I think ~15 pounds of muscle gain is likely, with ~5 lbs of fat loss.
To say that you changed my life with what you helped me achieve and push for is an understatement. I would have NEVER dared to bulk as much as I did, but looking at the results now, I completely understand why you pushed me to keep going to actually see a difference. I can only repeat myself and express another heartfelt thank you!
These words mean more than you can imagine. I’m 14 years into this career. It never gets old.
Dominik, thank you for agreeing to share with the Ripped Body readers. I am excited to see what you can do from here! 💪
Privacy policy.