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Doing the Andy Frisella "75 Hard" Challenge

GoodluckChuck

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Man. I have felt like absolute CRAP since 2 days into restarting and I've basically been on a keto diet. I'm not striving for ketosis though, I just felt a high fat low carb diet was good as it had worked for me before. This time I'm seriously struggling though. I thought it was coffee withdrawl. 6 weeks, F*cking hell. Im eating a lot of healthy food but my mind has never been foggier to be honest.
Feels like I've had a headache forever now. Making it kinda difficult to work. If it keeps up I don't know if I can stay on that plan. 6 weeks there's no way lol.

I felt like shit last time I tried keto kind of like how you explain it. I ended up giving up after 3 days.

This time around I didn't get sick at all. The difference is this time I drink a gallon of water and supplement it with salt. I also make sure to eat avocado which has potassium and sometimes I take a magnesium supplement.

Your symptoms sound like you need salt. Ketosis causes your body to flush electrolytes.
 
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MattR82

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I felt like shit last time I tried keto kind of like how you explain it. I ended up giving up after 3 days.

This time around I didn't get sick at all. The difference is this time I drink a gallon of water and supplement it with salt. I also make sure to eat avocado which has potassium and sometimes I take a magnesium supplement.

Your symptoms sound like you need salt. Ketosis causes your body to flush electrolytes.
Yeah I eat an avocado every day but I think you are spot on with electrolytes and salt. I'll grab some magnesium too.

Have to try something. I was even starting to think the tap water was making me sick (like a little nauseous) but looks like that is a side effect as well. Really weird this didn't happen to me last time I did it in 2017 for about 4 months though.
 

reedracer

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Stay off the aspartame in diet soda. I brain fog pretty bad on that stuff.

I'm having energy issues with the keto this time. Been on since May and do not have the bouncy energy at this time. Going to carefully track the macros for a week to make sure I am doing enough fat.
 

John Clancy

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Great job to everyone who's currently working through the challenge!

I've really enjoyed reading the updates - I hope everything keeps going well for you all.

I've seen that several people have ended up failing because they simply forget to do something small (e.g. take their photo for the day), which is a shame. I'm sure it must be very demotivating to fail through forgetfulness vs. consciously giving in.

In case you're not currently using something like this.... Here's a suggestion:

Check out an app like Way of Life to help keep you on track (it's very easy to use, just add the challenge habits and it'll ask you every day if you've done them or not).

You could also set up a daily reminder in Google Calendar and have it send you a notification, or even just use a basic alarm in your phone's clock app (named 75Hard) as a trigger.

These won't make the challenge easier... But they'll make it simpler to stick to at least :rofl:

Hope this helps!
 
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njord

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Man. I have felt like absolute CRAP since 2 days into restarting and I've basically been on a keto diet. I'm not striving for ketosis though, I just felt a high fat low carb diet was good as it had worked for me before. This time I'm seriously struggling though. I thought it was coffee withdrawl. 6 weeks, F*cking hell. Im eating a lot of healthy food but my mind has never been foggier to be honest.
Feels like I've had a headache forever now. Making it kinda difficult to work. If it keeps up I don't know if I can stay on that plan. 6 weeks there's no way lol.

W8 you shouldent be be experincing bad headaches for 6 weeks it can take up 4 to 6 weeks to get into keto but it could be sooner if your fasting as well.

But im no expert iv just done keto a few times before get proffessional help if the symptoms stay.
 

MILIANARD134

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Did this challenge for 25 days first, and lost it because i slept before reading the 10 pages..
Then 19 days and fail because i eat a protein bar at the gym.
Well restarted yesterday. I'm really persuaded about the benefit of this challenge, good luck to all folks there
 

MattR82

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Did this challenge for 25 days first, and lost it because i slept before reading the 10 pages..
Then 19 days and fail because i eat a protein bar at the gym.
Well restarted yesterday. I'm really persuaded about the benefit of this challenge, good luck to all folks there
What was wrong with the protein bar?
 
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KnightByDay

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Yeah I eat an avocado every day but I think you are spot on with electrolytes and salt. I'll grab some magnesium too.

Have to try something. I was even starting to think the tap water was making me sick (like a little nauseous) but looks like that is a side effect as well. Really weird this didn't happen to me last time I did it in 2017 for about 4 months though.

The samething has happened to me while doing Keto OMAD this time. You need to take a magnesium supplement , start eating greens or other veggies containing potassium and salt your food more.

If you still don't feel well, consider adding 1/8 Teaspoon or less of Morton lite-salt to a glass of water and drink it over a few minutes. If you take too much potassium this way, be warned, it can be extremely dangerous. Do your own due diligence.

After I started supplementing, eating more spinach and adding more salt, I realized I also was way under consuming calories. Make sure you are getting enough calories, it's easy to under eat on Keto even if you are aiming for a deficit.
 

MattR82

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The samething has happened to me while doing Keto OMAD this time. You need to take a magnesium supplement , start eating greens or other veggies containing potassium and salt your food more.

If you still don't feel well, consider adding 1/8 Teaspoon or less of Morton lite-salt to a glass of water and drink it over a few minutes. If you take too much potassium this way, be warned, it can be extremely dangerous. Do your own due diligence.

After I started supplementing, eating more spinach and adding more salt, I realized I also was way under consuming calories. Make sure you are getting enough calories, it's easy to under eat on Keto even if you are aiming for a deficit.
Interesting. I was eating a tonne of fresh organic spinach every day last time and I never got sick like this time. Also I wasn't working out twice a day.
 
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KnightByDay

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Day 62.

I had another nightmare about eating cheese and failing the challenge. It seems funny, but these are honestly some of the worst nightmares I have ever had. Have not been sleeping well the past few days. Went to bed earlier last night but woke up from the nightmare at 3am and couldn't fall back asleep.

Yesterday when I got home I was exhausted, so I decided to do a hard workout to push myself and went for a run. It felt amazing. I kept thinking of David Goggins talking about how people leave most of their potential on the table and just went for it.

I had my first private lesson with a Muay Thai instructor on Monday. It was way, way more awesome than I thought it would be. First time doing anything like that and I loved it. Second private lesson tonight, then I start group fundamentals classes tomorrow. The only reason I have the guts and discipline to join a martial arts academy is because of this challenge, and now I will be able to push some workouts harder as well.

I think I'm about 3 weeks free of nicotine as well. I don't remember when I quit to be honest.

This challenge has helped me to refocus and realize what is important to me. I've decided I'm pulling an MJ, quitting my job and leaving Florida at the end of the year. I hate living here, especially in this area where it's all retirees waiting to die. It's soul sucking. I've been saying I want to leave for 5 years and there is always a reason not to. I'm moving to the mountains where I'll be happier.

Lots of cool stuff, struggles, failures and successes in this thread. This is really great. I believe I heard Andy say that he thinks 99% of people won't be able to do this challenge.

Keep plugging away, we'll get there. Focus on the process.
 

Fid

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Guys and gals, a quick question.

Do you recall Andy mentioning the details of the challenge in any of the other episodes?

I'm second-guessing my workouts. I remember someone mentioned that he said 'lawnmowing does not count'. I sometimes choose to cycle (or just walk) to a meeting with a client/buddy and on my way back I take a longer route to make it 45 minutes. I feel it's a grey zone...
 
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Snoophek

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The nightmares are seriously underestimated. Today I woke up mortified with only one thought in my mind: I've forgotten to finish the last 100ml of water yesterday!! Lo and behold, the water was of course finished. However, it took me at least a solid hour to get my heart rate back to normal.

Guys and gals, a quick question.

Do you recall Andy mentioning the details of the challenge in any of the other episodes?

I'm second-guessing my workouts. I remember someone mentioned that he said 'lawnmowing does not count'. I sometimes choose to cycle (or just walk) to a meeting with a client/buddy and on my way back I take a longer route to make it 45 minutes. I feel it's a grey zone...

I'd would count it. From what I remember, the message was that you cannot count something that you would have to do anyways. So if you work delivering packages, that doesn't count as the workout outside etc. Or if you have to mown the lawn, that doesn't count too. Only the stuff you do extra.
 

GoodluckChuck

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Hahaha it's funny how we are all having dreams about messing up the challenge.

I had two dreams last night where I was eating something heavy in carbs (I'm on keto) and in both dreams I consciously told myself to make sure I didn't eat very much or it would kick me out of keto. I was legit freaked out in my dreams and I even knew I was dreaming...

I'm second-guessing my workouts. I remember someone mentioned that he said 'lawnmowing does not count'. I sometimes choose to cycle (or just walk) to a meeting with a client/buddy and on my way back I take a longer route to make it 45 minutes. I feel it's a grey zone...

I think the idea is that you have to consciously exercise. The other day I spent the day at my friends lake cabin and we did tons of sports like volleyball, wake boarding, and swimming. I made it a point to stay in the water for 3 sets of 10 minutes and used tubing as a chance to do some isometrics while I held on as hard as I could. All in all I got over 2 hours of exercise and pushed myself hard while everyone else was getting drunk. I counted that as one exercise, then did a hike when I got home that night.

I think the point is that you don't compromise and let yourself off the hook. If you go to do your exercise and start looking for reasons why you don't have to, like mowing your lawn earlier, then you are failing the challenge. It's about the mental game, not the technicalities of whether or not a certain type of exercise counts. Only you know if you're cheating yourself and that's the part we are supposed to be conscious of and smash like a water balloon.
 

Primeperiwinkle

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Ok so I have had a VICIOUS headache for days now and today I put off doing the workouts.. longer.. longer... until 10pm.

I started posting self-deprecating stuff on fb and like four of my friends all jumped in and told me to get up and get out the door.!!

So I’m currently sweating buckets but I am sooo happy.

It’s crazy how my determination ebbs sometimes but oh man.. I’m still hanging in there!! Day 23 you can’t beat me!!!
 
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Ricko

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75 Hard is an epic challenge, there is no doubt regarding this. Anyone that finishes it without cheating will not be the person that started.

For anyone new to the conversation, the best way to catch up is to listen to the podcast 'MFCEO episode 290 - 75HARD: A 75-Day Tactical Guide For Winning The War With Yourself' - Originally aired on the 7th of March.

To prepare yourself properly you should then listen to the follow up 'MFCEO episode 307 YOU COMPLETED 75HARD: Now What?'

During this podcast you will note that Andy Frisella points out that 75 Hard is the induction to the plan and there is a further three phases which need to be completed (Four in all).

I've just finished reading the 13 pages of comments and some of the things that I have read regarding your various diet plans have left me slightly horrified. My understanding of the diet plan is that you make a plan and then you stick to it with no deviation, no cheat meals, no naughty snacks etc. The plan should be a clean eating plan, no packaged rubbish, eat items which are as close to their natural state as possible or as @MJ DeMarco would say...… no 'Frankenfood!'.

Whilst this is supposed to be a challenge, it should also be sustainable so I would personally recommend that anyone undertaking the challenge consider the following;

1. By following a strict diet which doesn't include frankenfood or any alcohol, you will lose weight, but in an ideal world we would all like to lose only our stored fat. We do not want to lose any lean body mass and certainly not any bone mass!
2. General consensus is that maintaining a calorie deficit for too long will lead to your metabolism crashing. This isn't true, your 'metabolism' is dictated by two things; the weight of your lean body mass and your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). To lose weight effectively it is ideal to maintain these two things.
3. To maintain your lean body mass whilst losing wait you need to work out your Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR. Your BMR is the amount of calories that your beautiful body burns when at rest in a 24 hour period. If you type 'BMR calculator' into google you will be able to work this out in two minutes. Lets use mine as an example - 2,500 calories.
4. To maintain my lean body mass I must eat no less than 80% to 90% of my BMR calories every day.
5. With two hour long work outs in a 24 hour period, my calorie requirement for the day is around 4,000 calories. Being very strict and to burn fat whilst maintaining my lean body mass, I will aim for 3,200 calories per day.
6. We need to fuel two big workouts per day!!!! To power my two workouts and to maintain my lean body mass, I will aim to obtain 50% of my calories from Carbohydrate, 30% from protein and 20% from fat. To the uninitiated, this is called my macro split. It is worth remembered that Carbohydrates are not the devil, they are your brain's choice of fuel and your body's preferred source. As an example, Say I were to eat nothing and then took a 45 minute walk, I would burn around 380 calories (net result -380 calories). If I eat a 350 calorie meal with 30g of protein and some decent carbs, then I manage a 45 minute run, I will burn 800 calories (net result -450 calories) . The net result is better and I have the sustenance of the meal and the protein to maintain my muscle mass!
7. If you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight, it is proven science. If someone says that you aren't losing weight because you have been in a deficit for too long, ask for your money back. You aren't in a deficit, you have probably burnt lots of lean mass and now have a much smaller BMR therefore even with your meagre diet, you are no longer in a deficit.
8. Burning 4000 calories per day and only consuming 3,200, I should have a deficit of 800 calories per day. 1lb of fat contains roughly 3,500 calories, at this rate I will lose just over 1.5lbs of fat per week. It is science!
9. The reason that the Keto diet works is because you can't eat anything so you are always in a huge calorie deficit. If you sat down and forced yourself to eat your body weight in steak and avocado, I assure you that you wouldn't lose any weight even though you were ketosis as f***. People that follow a keto diet tend to under eat so much that when they go back to eating 'normal' they put all the weight back on and worse, they end up with an inferior body composition by way of the fact that they have lost lean body mass and then put fat mass back on. This creates a person that weighs the same as they did at the start but with a much lower BMR.
10. Summary..... Eat clean, hit your macros, increase your lean body mass and the rest will take care of itself. Eating more will improve your results.

Thank to @Fox for starting the thread.
@Primeperiwinkle - I enjoy your updates, you are certainly getting a lot out of this!
@MattR82 - for the love of all things holy, please eat some carbs. It upsets me that you are having terrible headaches, no energy, rubbish sleep and mood swings for no reason.

I'm meeting my friends for a run so this post has been a little rushed, apologies if it isn't very concise. I hope that someone finds a bit of value in the content.
 

MattR82

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Great post man. Yeah I had no choice but to stop it a few days ago. Even though my workouts were only moderate at best I knew something was wrong. When I was doing this a few years back without the exercise I felt pretty good. This time it was a disaster.
 

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Day 74!

Just like my first truck I won’t be going backward. It didn’t go in reverse or have heat, but that’s a story for another day :rofl: . I’ve learned a lot over the past few months. One of the biggest takeaways has been this:

You don’t need more time, you need to better organized

This has been massive for me. The most common excuse I hear is “I don’t have the time” sound familiar? What your really saying is “I don’t want to experience the discomfort that will come along with this so I’ll claim I’m too busy”. If you don’t want to do the programme that’s fine, but lying to yourself about your ‘crazy schedule’? Come on, unless your dedicating your life to curing cancer or solving world hunger chances are you probably have a spare hour or two in the day.

Ultimately those who want to accomplish something bad enough find a way. Isn’t that one of the core principles of this forum? Find a way. Your claiming to be an entrepreneur, a problem solver. How about starting with solving your own organizational problems, your inability to commit, your unwillingness to push yourself.

This isn’t a comment on anyone of you. This is the conversation I have with myself. Every. Single. Day. And if you do this, if you really do this. If you fully commit and embrace the discomfort instead of ‘hacking’ the programme to make it easier. You’ll have have these same conversations. You’ll realize how much you’re leaving on the table.

And it’s a great feeling. I’ve never felt so in control of my life. I don’t need alcohol, I don’t need treats in form of sugar, I don’t even need to eat everyday. I did two 72 hour fasts during this programme and felt utterly content. Was it uncomfortable? Yes of course, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Your much stronger than you think. Seek discomfort, hop in the freezer and don’t come out until long after your competition has.
 
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KnightByDay

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9. The reason that the Keto diet works is because you can't eat anything so you are always in a huge calorie deficit. If you sat down and forced yourself to eat your body weight in steak and avocado, I assure you that you wouldn't lose any weight even though you were ketosis as f***. People that follow a keto diet tend to under eat so much that when they go back to eating 'normal' they put all the weight back on and worse, they end up with an inferior body composition by way of the fact that they have lost lean body mass and then put fat mass back on. This creates a person that weighs the same as they did at the start but with a much lower BMR.

Damn, I feel personally attacked hahaha. Guess we'll see, I'm on day 63 OMAD Keto and down 25lbs so far.

I don't want to get into an argument about what diets are good or not, we might as well start arguing politics and religion while we're at it.

Good luck with the challenge, I'm looking forward to your updates.
 
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Primeperiwinkle

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THANK GOD FOR HIMALAYAN SEA SALT!!

I had a ton last night cuz I almost passed out and now I FEEL ALIIIIIIIVE AGAIN!!

I dunno who this new guy is but I’m inclined to maybe like him. Hahaha!

Keep up the good work everybodyyyyyy!!
 

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@KnightByDay
Damn, I feel personally attacked hahaha. Guess we'll see, I'm on day 63 OMAD Keto and down 25lbs so far.

I don't want to get into an argument about what diets are good or not, we might as well start arguing politics and religion while we're at it.

None of that was aimed at anyone in particular, it was more to help new people that wanted to join in. Also perhaps to suggest another way for anyone that is suffering headaches and other negative symptoms from their choice of diet. It was possibly aimed at anyone but you!

There is no argument to be had regarding diets as there isn't really such a thing as good or bad ones. There are however diets that work best for an individual and you appear to have found yours, massive congratulations on the 25lbs in 63 days. That is around 1,400 calories per day in deficit consistently for over two months which is noteworthy discipline. The power of consistency is amazing, you've essentially skipped 87,500 calories that you would have otherwise needed to consume to maintain your weight!
 
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KnightByDay

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@KnightByDay


None of that was aimed at anyone in particular, it was more to help new people that wanted to join in. Also perhaps to suggest another way for anyone that is suffering headaches and other negative symptoms from their choice of diet. It was possibly aimed at anyone but you!

There is no argument to be had regarding diets as there isn't really such a thing as good or bad ones. There are however diets that work best for an individual and you appear to have found yours, massive congratulations on the 25lbs in 63 days. That is around 1,400 calories per day in deficit consistently for over two months which is noteworthy discipline. The power of consistency is amazing, you've essentially skipped 87,500 calories that you would have otherwise needed to consume to maintain your weight!

No worries, your post was very interesting, and has made me consider what I want to try going forward to lose more fat and start to really build muscle. Do you have any suggestions on where I could read more? Where did you learn what you shared?

Thank you for breaking down the calorie numbers, that's very interesting. Although I'm not sure how the deficit was that big. Guess I need to get a fitness watch and start tracking calories for a while.

Actually living a healthier lifestyle is still newish to me even though I've read the theory on different diets for years. Now that I have built up more discipline it might be time to try something else, I'm just worried about backsliding.
 

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No worries, your post was very interesting, and has made me consider what I want to try going forward to lose more fat and start to really build muscle. Do you have any suggestions on where I could read more? Where did you learn what you shared?

Thank you for breaking down the calorie numbers, that's very interesting. Although I'm not sure how the deficit was that big. Guess I need to get a fitness watch and start tracking calories for a while.

Actually living a healthier lifestyle is still newish to me even though I've read the theory on different diets for years. Now that I have built up more discipline it might be time to try something else, I'm just worried about backsliding.

To be honest with you, I have had an obsession with diet and fitness for the last twenty years and continue to read up on the subject as much as I can. In recent years I have started ignoring what is popular and appears to work and have started focusing on what is backed by scientific research and is guaranteed to work. I love helping people out with this stuff and get such a buzz from seeing others get amazing results based on their hard work especially if I helped channel their work in the right direction.

I would have gone into the industry if I had believed the follow your passion bull sh*t but working in diet and fitness defies all the principals of CENTS so I have not. The plan is therefore to sell my business at some stage and then run a social enterprise which helps those that are ticking health time bombs due to the crappy advice that they have been given over the years. Possibly I would like to help kids / young adults because I just find it so unfair that they end up being a product of their parent's erroneous beliefs.

The Western world is in a major health crisis at the moment based on the farm race of the cold war and the factors that led to the USDA Food Pyramid scam. An entire generation were given some of the worst dietary advice ever based on wallet motivated double speak and an abundance of grain. The most recent episode of the Freakonomics Radio podcast (How the Supermarket helped America win the cold war) actually discusses this and it is interesting stuff.

The thing that I am currently reading up on is the link between depression, immunity and our gut biome. I was shocked to learn that the most likely thing to kill an adult male between the ages of 25 and 50 is himself and that there are major links between crappy diet and depression. I would bet that anyone completing 75HARD will notice massive improvements in their mental health based on the exercise, time outdoors and dietary improvements atop a lack of alcohol.

Anyway, I digress. Back to your question.

I'm more than happy to give you some pointers or answer any questions that you might have but if you'd prefer to learn for yourself then no worries.

I'd recommend that you stay away from Instagram fitness influencers in general as comparing your results to a fitness professional that may or may not be pharmaceutically assisted isn't a good idea and can lead to frustration at a lack of progress. I would however recommend following @martinnutrition - he was the Team GB performance nutritionist for London 2012 and now runs a nutrition enterprise. His posts are useful and add value with no hidden agenda.

Recommending one book on the subject is impossible, listing ones to avoid would be much easier but I can try and recommend a few good ones if that is your preferred method of learning?

Some argue that it is scientifically impossible to burn fat whilst building muscle because one requires a calorie deficit and the other requires a calorie surplus but people do it so it clearly isn't impossible. Advanced fitness athletes use cycles of bulking and cutting to add muscle whilst keeping their fat stores in check but as you are just starting out I would recommend that you try and stay away from advanced body building techniques to begin with. For your first three months I would recommend;

  1. Continue with 75HARD - the basics of this mirror the lifestyles of the fittest 1%
  2. Lift weights 4 times per week
  3. Get 8 hour of sleep per night at roughly the same time each night
  4. On lifting days eat close to the amount of calories that you have burnt
  5. On non weight lifting cardio days - aim to eat your BMR calories (this will put you in a deficit due to your 2x45min walks / runs / cycles
  6. I appreciate that you are on Keto but for muscle growth you will most likely experience better results on a C:50 P:30 F:20 macro split (high quality carbs only please)
  7. Timing of meals is scientifically proven to be key - you will need a decent meal with a 30g serving of protein in it within the two hours before you lift and the same within an hour of finishing. Organisation is key here so from a practical standpoint, my post gym meal is a shake called aftermath from bulkpowders. Any high quality shake is okay but you want to make sure that they use a high quality protein source and that it is banned substance approved.
  8. Spread your protein throughout the day. Depending on your size, you only benefit from around 30g to 35g of a serving. The rest will be processed by the body in much the same way as a carb but will take more work from the body to convert into energy therefore it is optimal to make up these calories with your body's preferred source of energy which is carbs. (I am simplifying a very complexed body process here)
  9. Keep a journal of your workouts. To gain muscle you will need to progressively overload your body by gradually increasing the weights or the amount of reps that you complete (I use the gymlog+ app, it is basic but it is free and tells you all you need to know which is what you lifted last time and how many lbs / kgs you have lifted in total for each exercise but pen and paper is fine)
  10. Don't wander around the gym trying all the different machines. Have a workout written down and ready then go and purposefully smash it.
  11. Aim for 3 sets of each exercise with 8 - 12 reps in each. If you can't do 8 reps then lower the weight, if you can easily do 3 x 12 then you need a heavier weight, the last 3 reps should be tough
  12. Avoid the body building tactic of targeting muscle groups each day on a micro basis.
  13. A number of exercises are reasonably high risk for injuries (squats, deadlifts, bent over barbell row etc) for these you should start off with just the bar with no weights attached until you have cracked the technique. You can then follow the progressive overload strategy, to begin with aim for 12-15 reps with little or no weight. By all means ask a fitness professional to critique your technique but be aware that they may be overly harsh in order to sell you some 1-1 time.
  14. Pick a plan and stick with it for 8 weeks. For example, do the same thing every Monday for and beat whatever it was that you lifted the previous Monday.
  15. Don't be rigid, if you fancy doing a 4th or 5th set just crack on.
Sample plan;

Monday - Upper
Back 3x 8-12
Back 3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Triceps
3x 8-12
Biceps
3x 8-12

Tuesday - Lower & Abs
Glutes
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Quads
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Calf
3x 8-12
Ab
Ab

Wednesday - Rest / Cardio

Thursday - Upper
Back
3x 8-12
Back
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Triceps
3x 8-12
Biceps
3x 8-12

Friday - Lower & Abs
Glutes
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Quads
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Calf
3x 8-12
Ab
Ab

Saturday and Sunday - Rest / Cardio

Examples to choose for each exercise;

Back - Seated Row, Bent over row, Lat Pull down, Chin Ups etc
Chest - Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, DB fly, Seated Fly, Decline Bench, Incline Bench etc
Shoulders - Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Arnold Press, Delt Raise, Front Raise etc
Tripecs - Rope Pushdown, bent over kick backs, skull crushers, overhead raise, dips etc
Biceps - Curls, hammer curls, barbell curl, EZ bar curl, cable curl etc
Glutes - Squats, leg press, lunges, farmer's walk
Hamstring - Leg curl, deadlifts, kick backs
Quads - Leg Extension, leg press
Calf - Calf raise
Abs - Crunches, planks, side planks, sit ups etc

Apologies to the forum as this post has really moved away from the subject at hand but I didn't know where else to have my conversation with @KnightByDay and it could be useful for others. I hope so anyway.
 

MattR82

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To be honest with you, I have had an obsession with diet and fitness for the last twenty years and continue to read up on the subject as much as I can. In recent years I have started ignoring what is popular and appears to work and have started focusing on what is backed by scientific research and is guaranteed to work. I love helping people out with this stuff and get such a buzz from seeing others get amazing results based on their hard work especially if I helped channel their work in the right direction.

I would have gone into the industry if I had believed the follow your passion bull sh*t but working in diet and fitness defies all the principals of CENTS so I have not. The plan is therefore to sell my business at some stage and then run a social enterprise which helps those that are ticking health time bombs due to the crappy advice that they have been given over the years. Possibly I would like to help kids / young adults because I just find it so unfair that they end up being a product of their parent's erroneous beliefs.

The Western world is in a major health crisis at the moment based on the farm race of the cold war and the factors that led to the USDA Food Pyramid scam. An entire generation were given some of the worst dietary advice ever based on wallet motivated double speak and an abundance of grain. The most recent episode of the Freakonomics Radio podcast (How the Supermarket helped America win the cold war) actually discusses this and it is interesting stuff.

The thing that I am currently reading up on is the link between depression, immunity and our gut biome. I was shocked to learn that the most likely thing to kill an adult male between the ages of 25 and 50 is himself and that there are major links between crappy diet and depression. I would bet that anyone completing 75HARD will notice massive improvements in their mental health based on the exercise, time outdoors and dietary improvements atop a lack of alcohol.

Anyway, I digress. Back to your question.

I'm more than happy to give you some pointers or answer any questions that you might have but if you'd prefer to learn for yourself then no worries.

I'd recommend that you stay away from Instagram fitness influencers in general as comparing your results to a fitness professional that may or may not be pharmaceutically assisted isn't a good idea and can lead to frustration at a lack of progress. I would however recommend following @martinnutrition - he was the Team GB performance nutritionist for London 2012 and now runs a nutrition enterprise. His posts are useful and add value with no hidden agenda.

Recommending one book on the subject is impossible, listing ones to avoid would be much easier but I can try and recommend a few good ones if that is your preferred method of learning?

Some argue that it is scientifically impossible to burn fat whilst building muscle because one requires a calorie deficit and the other requires a calorie surplus but people do it so it clearly isn't impossible. Advanced fitness athletes use cycles of bulking and cutting to add muscle whilst keeping their fat stores in check but as you are just starting out I would recommend that you try and stay away from advanced body building techniques to begin with. For your first three months I would recommend;

  1. Continue with 75HARD - the basics of this mirror the lifestyles of the fittest 1%
  2. Lift weights 4 times per week
  3. Get 8 hour of sleep per night at roughly the same time each night
  4. On lifting days eat close to the amount of calories that you have burnt
  5. On non weight lifting cardio days - aim to eat your BMR calories (this will put you in a deficit due to your 2x45min walks / runs / cycles
  6. I appreciate that you are on Keto but for muscle growth you will most likely experience better results on a C:50 P:30 F:20 macro split (high quality carbs only please)
  7. Timing of meals is scientifically proven to be key - you will need a decent meal with a 30g serving of protein in it within the two hours before you lift and the same within an hour of finishing. Organisation is key here so from a practical standpoint, my post gym meal is a shake called aftermath from bulkpowders. Any high quality shake is okay but you want to make sure that they use a high quality protein source and that it is banned substance approved.
  8. Spread your protein throughout the day. Depending on your size, you only benefit from around 30g to 35g of a serving. The rest will be processed by the body in much the same way as a carb but will take more work from the body to convert into energy therefore it is optimal to make up these calories with your body's preferred source of energy which is carbs. (I am simplifying a very complexed body process here)
  9. Keep a journal of your workouts. To gain muscle you will need to progressively overload your body by gradually increasing the weights or the amount of reps that you complete (I use the gymlog+ app, it is basic but it is free and tells you all you need to know which is what you lifted last time and how many lbs / kgs you have lifted in total for each exercise but pen and paper is fine)
  10. Don't wander around the gym trying all the different machines. Have a workout written down and ready then go and purposefully smash it.
  11. Aim for 3 sets of each exercise with 8 - 12 reps in each. If you can't do 8 reps then lower the weight, if you can easily do 3 x 12 then you need a heavier weight, the last 3 reps should be tough
  12. Avoid the body building tactic of targeting muscle groups each day on a micro basis.
  13. A number of exercises are reasonably high risk for injuries (squats, deadlifts, bent over barbell row etc) for these you should start off with just the bar with no weights attached until you have cracked the technique. You can then follow the progressive overload strategy, to begin with aim for 12-15 reps with little or no weight. By all means ask a fitness professional to critique your technique but be aware that they may be overly harsh in order to sell you some 1-1 time.
  14. Pick a plan and stick with it for 8 weeks. For example, do the same thing every Monday for and beat whatever it was that you lifted the previous Monday.
  15. Don't be rigid, if you fancy doing a 4th or 5th set just crack on.
Sample plan;

Monday - Upper
Back 3x 8-12
Back 3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Triceps
3x 8-12
Biceps
3x 8-12

Tuesday - Lower & Abs
Glutes
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Quads
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Calf
3x 8-12
Ab
Ab

Wednesday - Rest / Cardio

Thursday - Upper
Back
3x 8-12

Back
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Chest
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Shoulders
3x 8-12
Triceps
3x 8-12
Biceps
3x 8-12

Friday - Lower & Abs
Glutes
3x 8-12

Hamstring
3x 8-12
Quads
3x 8-12
Hamstring
3x 8-12
Calf
3x 8-12
Ab
Ab

Saturday and Sunday - Rest / Cardio

Examples to choose for each exercise;

Back - Seated Row, Bent over row, Lat Pull down, Chin Ups etc
Chest - Barbell Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, DB fly, Seated Fly, Decline Bench, Incline Bench etc
Shoulders - Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Arnold Press, Delt Raise, Front Raise etc
Tripecs - Rope Pushdown, bent over kick backs, skull crushers, overhead raise, dips etc
Biceps - Curls, hammer curls, barbell curl, EZ bar curl, cable curl etc
Glutes - Squats, leg press, lunges, farmer's walk
Hamstring - Leg curl, deadlifts, kick backs
Quads - Leg Extension, leg press
Calf - Calf raise
Abs - Crunches, planks, side planks, sit ups etc

Apologies to the forum as this post has really moved away from the subject at hand but I didn't know where else to have my conversation with @KnightByDay and it could be useful for others. I hope so anyway.
Killer stuff. Appreciated!
 
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Fox

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I am back to start again.

This is attempt #9 by now I think.

I was in Ireland for two days and forgot to read on one of the days. I was hanging out with people I had not seen in a long time and forgot all about it.

I have mixed feelings about how many times I have failed. So far this challenge has gotten me in the best shape I have probably ever been in, reading more than I have ever read, more focused and driven than I have ever been, and my business is seeing massive gains.

Yet I keep failing.

That is cause it is really really hard. For me anyway.

For me it isn't about the drive to succeed - for example, I still haven't missed one work out session. I have had days where I was in the woods running at 6 am in the rain. That isn't my problem.

My problem has been following the plan and staying on track. I want to succeed but I allow myself to get distracted. I don't remember the daily plan, I forget to follow the process, I am not paying attention.

It has been a slap in the face that I am not making the progress I could have been making in life if I had been more aware. Even though I have failed this challenge many times now I have still made massive personal progress so far. But that isn't enough - I need to finish this thing.

So I am back again. I probably seem like a total mess posting on here by now but I don't care - I will keep going till its done 100% correct with no short cuts or excuses.

Day #1.
 

GoodluckChuck

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perhaps to suggest another way for anyone that is suffering headaches and other negative symptoms from their choice of diet. It was possibly aimed at anyone but you

I'm having great success on Keto, and I'm only 29 days into it.

I read a lot about it when I started. Some things I learned are:
  1. Exercise shouldn't be too strenuous when first starting to be on ketosis. The body must adjust to burning ketones instead of sugars.
  2. Electrolytes are a huge issue because ketosis is a diuretic and causes the body to flush sodium, potassium, and magnesium, all of which can cause headaches and other bad side effects when low.
  3. More water needs to be consumed because carbs hold water and when your body doesn't get carbs, it doesn't hold water.

I wouldn't discount this diet entirely, but you have to do the research and know if it fits for you. If you are already an athlete pushing your limits, then you probably want some carbs. There are athletes in ketosis though so maybe that's not always the case.

For most people starting 75 hard I would assume they are experiencing a rather large lifestyle change. It's okay to progress slowly and work your way up.

I started keto and did 2 walks a day. After 2 weeks I traded a walk for a hike or mountain bike ride. A week later I replaced another walk with calisthenics. It's been very smooth for me and when I started to experience negative side effects like cramps and neck tension, I tried some things like adding salt to water which happen to get rid of the symptoms.

75 Hard is a long challenge, so it's okay to ramp up and progress slowly.

Another note about my diet experience with keto: My daily caloric need is 2500 calories and my daily goal is 1900, even with exercise. Sometimes I go slightly over as my 75 HARD goal is to stay in ketosis and is not as much about calories.

Even though I am cutting, I am building muscle and getting stronger. I've only done 6 or 7 resistance workouts and the gains are pretty good. My weight loss even slowed slightly. I think it's because I'm gaining muscle while losing fat and since muscle is heavier than fat, my weight loss slowed. Regardless I'm down about 8-9 pounds in less than a month from 175 to 166.

I implore people to do their research and progress slowly. Don't dive into running 5 miles in the morning with lifting weights at night if you haven't done any exercise in 3 years. Start small and work your way up slowly over time.
 

MILIANARD134

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I am back to start again.

This is attempt #9 by now I think.

I was in Ireland for two days and forgot to read on one of the days. I was hanging out with people I had not seen in a long time and forgot all about it.

I have mixed feelings about how many times I have failed. So far this challenge has gotten me in the best shape I have probably ever been in, reading more than I have ever read, more focused and driven than I have ever been, and my business is seeing massive gains.

Yet I keep failing.

That is cause it is really really hard. For me anyway.

For me it isn't about the drive to succeed - for example, I still haven't missed one work out session. I have had days where I was in the woods running at 6 am in the rain. That isn't my problem.

My problem has been following the plan and staying on track. I want to succeed but I allow myself to get distracted. I don't remember the daily plan, I forget to follow the process, I am not paying attention.

It has been a slap in the face that I am not making the progress I could have been making in life if I had been more aware. Even though I have failed this challenge many times now I have still made massive personal progress so far. But that isn't enough - I need to finish this thing.

So I am back again. I probably seem like a total mess posting on here by now but I don't care - I will keep going till its done 100% correct with no short cuts or excuses.

Day #1.
Dude why bother, congrats for the transparency (i guess it's the word in english). I think this is a really hard challenge,and for me it's the same as u, i'm in the best version of my self i ever was.
We will get it. 9 attempt is a remarquable mark of consistency.
 
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GoodluckChuck

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Committing = finding a way to get it done.

If you can't stay focused and remember to do things, then find a solution to the problem.

For me it's a notebook that allows me to track each and every step. If not for this I surely would have missed something by now.
 

MattR82

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I created spreadsheets and printed them off in big pages and bluetacked them to my door. Each thing gets ticked off. 9 items each day to tick off. Impossible to miss. But I also have zero distractions. I could actually see catching up with long lost friends as a danger.

I've failed a few times now for not being smart enough about my food plan.
 

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