22 Comments

  1. Troy - Cube.Dweller.Fitness
    June 30, 2011 @ 7:55 am

    Kevin,

    Nice write-up. The plan, while a bit hectic, adds variety and focused cycling of both exercise and fuel. PERFECT!

    Too often my schedule gets in my way and my workout … adapts. I still make sure to fit exercise in despite hectic schedules, but often they aren’t as planned out as they could be.

    You mentioned two different types of phasing: 2 phases – lean/gain, or 3 phase – build/dense/sharpen.

    Which do you prefer?

    -Troy

    Reply

    • Kevin
      June 30, 2011 @ 8:05 am

      Hey Troy,
      Personally I really like phase 2 of Visual Impact because it is focused on gaining muscle & density (definition). Building pure muscle density is fun too though because you get to really focus on heavier weights and you feel stronger — which you usually are after the workout.

      Reply

  2. Aviral
    July 2, 2011 @ 12:03 am

    Hi Kevin,i also am a big fan of nick..love his ideas..

    But as i read in your post, u have done opposite workouts for what he mentioned…

    I mean during fat loss, u have gone with heavy lifting and resting for 1-2 min while he prefers high volume training…and the similar case for bulking phase..

    Also,how many calories do u consume during the low cal and high cal phase,1300 and 2500 respectively or something else according to your weight..like 500 less calories than maintenance and 500 cal more than maintenance..

    thanks a lot for your answers 😉

    Reply

    • Kevin
      July 22, 2011 @ 1:40 pm

      I’m not saying my way works and his doesn’t … I just prefer more of a strength training / muscle definition approach during the weight loss phase. For me, the high volume training packs on size and not so much definition.

      I think that 500 calories +/- is a good place to start but you should definitely play with those numbers a bit. I usually find that I can drop weight a lot quicker than I can gain weight so I eat quite a bit more than 500+ for my bulking phases and I usually eat close to 500- for cutting. Sometimes even more of a deficit I think.

      I really don’t count calories so it’s hard to say for sure. I generally follow some of the Eat Stop Eat methods along with The Diet Solution as my favorite diets and just make sure to eat high quality food if I’m really trying to tone up.

      Reply

  3. Sati
    August 10, 2011 @ 1:32 pm

    When you say, “You should do 4-5 sets of 4-5 reps for each exercise and rest for 1-2 minutes between each rep.”

    Do you mean rest between sets, not reps?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      August 10, 2011 @ 2:34 pm

      YES! Thanks for catching that. I fixed it on the page … that’d be one long workout, huh. Thanks!

      Reply

      • Sati
        August 12, 2011 @ 3:47 pm

        Thanks! One more question, I know you say 2 exercises per muscle group, but how much variety between days?

        For instance, if I chose Bench Press and Dips for Chest, should I do that for Day 1 and 4 for both lose/gain weeks?

        Reply

        • Kevin
          August 17, 2011 @ 2:57 pm

          I personally would probably stick to the same two exercises for about a month and then depending on how my muscles felt and developed I would change maybe one or both after that.

          Also, I realize that you were just giving an example, but I would probably do incline dumbbell press or flys along with flat bench … save the dips for your triceps since dips target your lower pec and tricep.

          Checkout this post on how to get pecs … I really recommend concentrating more so on your upper pecs than your lower pecs.

          Reply

  4. Chris
    August 13, 2011 @ 12:00 pm

    Can this workout routine be kept up for more than 30 days by just staying consistent with the pattern you described? I’m looking to lose weight and get leaner while building muscle to just look better overall. Just wondering if this program would still be recommended? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Kevin
      August 17, 2011 @ 3:01 pm

      I don’t really see any reason that you couldn’t do this for more than one cycle …

      If you’re planning on working out consistently and for more than 30 days to meet your goals (which I obviously endorse) I would definitely recommend the Visual Impact workout.

      It’s designed to help you add muscle size and then takes you though the steps to lose fat and get defined. You can tailor it to your needs to start at any of the phases you’d like and overall your results will be better going through this whole program than by doing this lose fat gain muscle program continuously.

      Reply

  5. Tim @ Behind The Workout
    October 13, 2011 @ 7:29 pm

    Hey Kevin,

    What do you think of carb cycling? Low carbs on rest days, high carbs on your most intensive workout sessions (eg back day and leg day), med carbs on other workout sessions

    Reply

  6. Michael @ somebodylied.com
    January 4, 2012 @ 5:10 pm

    Excellent post, I know a lot of people search for this, and it is a great way to achieve the objective of losing fat & gaining muscle. I am going to be releasing this post soon on my site, using your 30 day plan, with a few modifications. I will of course mention that you pioneered this idea as other sites I looked at with this goal plain sucked. Great site btw.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      January 5, 2012 @ 8:33 am

      Thanks Michael … looking forward to reading your tweaks. To be fair, I didn’t pioneer this method either. I got it from one of Nick Nilsson’s ebooks and then did my tweaking to it 😀

      Reply

  7. Michael @ somebodylied.com
    January 7, 2012 @ 3:26 am

    oh ok, yeah I usually like to test things out to see their legitimacy before I release posts. So im gonna take some measurements today, and start it on monday, so will be releasing it sometime in february, seriously your site has some good content man, keep working hard.

    Reply

  8. Jen
    July 27, 2012 @ 9:15 pm

    Kevin,
    I am overweight and out of shape, and in case my name didn’t tip you off, a girl. This program sounds great because, while weight loss is a goal for me, I don’t want to wait until after I lose the fat to build some muscle. Is this an appropriate system for me or does gender make a difference?

    Reply

  9. Dewayne
    July 30, 2012 @ 9:39 am

    Just looking for tips on how to combine this 30 day program with the visual impact cardio

    Reply

  10. Daniel
    August 16, 2012 @ 1:00 pm

    Kevin,

    Whats the recommended rest period time after each rep? Also, for the chest worksouts, im really trying to lose my “man boobs” the are not as bad as you would think lol…But should the cardio help me loose them if i also do lower pec work outs? thanks!

    Reply

  11. Matthew Freer
    September 11, 2012 @ 4:56 pm

    i may not of read the part where it said to rest but its 1-5, 6-10 does that mean i do not take rest? and also if you have a workout schedule for what 2 exercises i am doing say on the fat loss day chest and others that would be great. Because i notice if i am doing 2 exercises i am not hitting incline, flat, decline and also chest fly’s, am i focusing on flat?

    Reply

  12. Mike
    October 17, 2012 @ 9:59 am

    Kevin,

    I really like your post. It’s a simple idea, I’ve been lifting for a while, but I have some love handles that I can’t seem to get rid of. I will be trying your “Lose Fat Gain Muscle” workout schedule for the next 30 days. I’m curious if you recommend any supplements during this workout, or do you recommend dieting only?

    Reply

  13. Thomas
    January 7, 2013 @ 1:04 pm

    I find your routine very effective, and easy to slip into my work schedule. However, I find weights pull my muscles, causing them to sore throughout the next day. Instead, I use heavy cartons of milk/juice and tins as a substitute. Recently, I have tried to find ways to loose weight on my thighs and stomach and build some muscle, but I have either lost track of my progress, not stick to the diet or simply failed to loose any weight. After work, I have a couple of hours spare, in which I use to workout. I look forward in trying your ‘Lose fat Gain Muscle’ workout regime! If you have any ideas, on how to lose weight with fat burning foods (that aren’t too crunchy… because of my teeth!) and easy, yet effective exercises that I could use to lose some weight.

    Thank You,
    Yours, Thomas 🙂

    Reply

  14. Brad
    April 15, 2013 @ 11:26 am

    Kevin,

    On the lose fat days with less sets and reps, what size weights to you use for the lose fat versus gain muscle. for example do you use a lighter weight during the lose fat phase?

    Reply

  15. Marcin
    April 16, 2013 @ 7:35 am

    Kevin,

    In the gain muscle phase, can I use the same routine as in lose fat phase but with more raps?

    Thanks,
    Marcin.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *