I first started working out when I was 17 years old. It was in the high school weight room in my town of Tampa, Florida.

Immediately, I was hooked. The feeling of challenging myself to lift the weight off my chest or doing curls.

For years after that, I kept going to bootcamps, lifting weights and working out.

However, I never really seemed to make progress. My arms stayed relatively the same size, as did the rest of my body.

I didn’t lift any heavier weight over time.

And I really didn’t have anything to show over the years of training I had done.

But it wasn’t until I got a good strategy did I start to lift more weight,  and see my chest, legs and arms grow in size. My shirts got tighter in the chest. And my abs started to show more.

The importance of having a strategy for your fitness cannot be understated.

I’ll share with you the strategy I’ve been using that’s helped me put on solid muscle while keeping lean.

 

You can also watch the video (above) to learn about my fitness strategy.

 

My Fitness Strategy – How To Build Muscle While Staying Lean

My strategy is broken down into the following 5 parts:

  1. Vision
  2. Strength training
  3. Walking/fat burn
  4. Diet
  5. Supplements

How The Strategy Has Changed My Life

When I started lifting I was small, weak and insecure in my body. But since implementing and creating this strategy I’ve managed to grow muscle and feel 100% more confident in my body.

The picture on the left is me in my late 20’s. On the right is me in my 30’s.

I’m now making more progress every month than I did every year before implementing this strategy.

The reason the strategy works so well is that it has progress built-in. It’s simple and easy to follow. And it won’t require you to be in the gym 24/7 and you won’t have to eat a perfect diet.

The other day I was at the mall trying on different clothes (I’ve been getting in men’s style more these days!). In the past, I would’ve been negatively judging how I looked because the shirts didn’t fit right in the chest, stomach or arms. But when I was there recently I was satisfied with how I looked in nearly all the clothes.

This means I could pick clothes based on what design I liked rather than what would hide my body best (which in the past meant my wardrobe was mostly black or dark clothing).

 

1. Vision

This is the vision of what I want my body to look like.

Having a vision, an idea, a desire, of what I want my body to look like determines everything else I do. If I don’t know what I want my ideal body to look like, how can I achieve that?

When I’m talking with my clients for the first time, I always ask them what’s their end goal. What do they want their body to look like?

Most of the time they don’t have an answer. But I keep asking and have them look up actors, athletes or other celebrities known for having a good physique.

I also let them know their body probably won’t look exactly like that because every body is different. However, that’s a good start in the right direction of having an end goal.

 

Visualization

When you have the vision of what you want your body to look like the next step is to imagine being in that body TODAY.

Imagine looking at yourself in the mirror, how do your arms look? Your chest? Your legs?

Then imagine what it would feel like to be in that body. Feel tight? Feel like your muscles are expansive in your skin? Feel full of energy? Vibrant?

Take 2 minutes to visualize that ideal body every night before going to bed.

This is such a powerful technique because it trains your brain in thinking this is your body. Then that creates a disconnect between where you’re at now and where you’re starting to believe your “new” body is at.

This disconnect is what creates the desire.

As the desire grows bigger, you take action quicker and with less resistance.

And that’s the key to it all. Taking ACTION.

Meaning, working out when you plan to and not skipping it. Eating how you plan and not binging unnecessarily.

You start taking actions that move you towards your ideal body instead of away.

 

2. Strength Training Workouts

When weightlifting the goal is to get stronger over time.

By getting stronger the body grows more muscle to keep up with the demand.

More muscle shapes the body in a more desirable way.

For example, instead of me looking thin, I’ll have more muscle on my frame with a broader chest and muscular arms.

More muscle also increases the metabolism. Which in turn burns more fat, creating a better overall body composition.

 

When I first started working out I would lift weights but they’d be the same weight over time. I never focused on lifting more weight because I didn’t have a strategy of how to do so. In my brain, I just thought, “Oh I can’t lift that weight for the same reps as this other weight so I guess I’m not that strong yet.”

Well, this was a self-defeating thought loop. Because I wouldn’t try to lift more weight, I never actually lifted more weight…

It wasn’t until I implemented the strategy for strength training did I see myself get stronger.

 

The Strategy For Strength Training:

Let’s say you can bench press 135 pounds right now for 8 reps. You can do 3 sets of 8 reps at that weight.

When you go to bench press next, you’ll then do 145 pounds (putting two 5’s on each side).

When you do more weight, maybe you can only get 5 reps at 145 pounds. That’s totally fine! That’s expected.

So you do your other sets of this new weight of 145 pounds for 5 reps, 5 reps and 4 reps; for example.

Next time you go to bench press you aim to do at least 1 more rep on each set. For example, maybe your next bench press workout you do 145 pounds for 6 reps, 6 reps and 5 reps. That’s a very real scenario.

And what could also happen is the reps DON’T move. That’s another real scenario. But either way, you try to do at least one more rep.

So you do that week by week until you get to 8 reps with the 155 pounds.

Then you bump the weight up to 155 pounds and continue that process. You may only be adding 10 pounds a month but over 6 months, that’s 60 pounds more on your bench press.

 

Take a second and review what you just read. This is the KEY behind everything else. If you don’t get the strength training strategy down nothing else matters. NOTHING! You’ll waste your time working out, not making progress and not changing your body; just like I did for years.

Implement this strategy today.

 

Weekly Workout Split

I do 4 strength training workouts a week. That gives me enough time to recover between workouts and maximize the time I spend lifting.

The 4 workout days are below:

  1. Shoulder day
  2. Legs day
  3. Chest and triceps
  4. Deadlift, back and biceps

I have about 5 exercises with 3 to 5 sets for each day.

In total, it takes me about an hour for each workout. That’s 4 hours a week spent in the gym on weight lifting. Not bad at all. I put headphones on and get in the zone.

 

3. Walking and Fat Burn

I believe people should be focused on getting stronger and building muscle over time. This includes both men and women.

However, that doesn’t mean getting stronger at any cost. The cost is added fat.

Burly powerlifters don’t care about body composition. They just want to set world records for lifting the most amount of weight.

That’s NOT my strategy. I want to get strong but not at the cost of being fat. If you’re reading this, I’m sure you feel the same way.

 

In order to keep lean while adding muscle, that means I have to do an activity that keeps fat as low as possible.

For me, that means walking. Daily. And lots of it.

By walking 30 to 60 minutes every day I’m able to eat enough to build muscle without adding a ton of fat.

Walking helps burn fat without interrupting my weightlifting workouts.

If I were to run or do more intensive cardio that could cut into my ability to increase the weight in my strength training workouts every week. I won’t sacrifice strength increases for cardio. I did that before and it didn’t help change my body, just made me thin.

By walking every day, that doesn’t impede on my recovery and it helps to keep my fat low.

 

The Walking Strategy

This one is super simple. Just walk 30 to 60 minutes every day. 30 minutes if you have a busy day and 60 minutes if you have some more time.

Okay okay, I know what’s coming.

“Chaz, I don’t have an hour a day to just walk. Let alone also getting in workouts.”

Simple answer: Multitask

 

You don’t have to walk an hour a day and look at the birds and bees. No. In our busy world today that time is rare. Once and a while to just enjoy nature is fun and needed. But as an everyday activity, that’s unrealistic.

Instead, you can do work as you walk. Maybe write down ideas for a project. Open your work application on your phone and just work while you walk.

…Or get on a work call or other call you have to do. Just walk and talk.

…Or listen to an audiobook that you’ve been meaning to get to.

…Or a podcast focused on your industry so you become more of an expert.

…Or walk with a friend or spouse, connect and deepen that relationship.

 

All these are viable options. I do all of these on different days depending on what I need to get done that day.

I NEVER just walk and look around. I’m always multitasking on my walks.

You can go leisurely hiking on the weekend with friends, where you can slow down and enjoy nature. That’s not what these walks are. These are focused productive walks. Make the most out of it.

 

4. Diet

I cycle my eating strategy depending on what my goals are for that season.

For example, I’m just ending a bulking season where I was eating about 300-500 calories above my maintenance.

Maintenance calories are the number of calories you burn on a typical day. It will be higher the more active you are.

You can use this online BMR calculator to see your daily burn. Just be sure to check the activity level table and compare how active you are.

 

For example, if I’m doing 4 workouts a week with 30-60 minute walks daily, my maintenance calorie burn is about 2,800 (I’m 6 foot 1 inch at 190 pounds).

I know my maintenance because I’ve been doing this a long time, I reference that BMR/activity level calculator and I use the Whoop fitness strap to help me determine what that number is.

If I want to go into muscle building mode I eat north of 3,000 calories.

To go into more of a leaning down season I go down to 2,200 to 2,500 calories.

 

Calorie Tracking

I do track my calories using LoseIt app. But there are many apps out there you can use. They’re really all the same.

I track my calories because it helps keep me on target. I’ve tried to eye-ball what I eat without weighing out the food and I drastically misjudge it. I either guess too low or too high, either isn’t good. I need to be as accurate as possible when getting my macros.

When I work with my clients, I usually won’t have them input and track their food in the first couple of weeks. Instead, I guide them on making healthier food choices.

Such as eating more fruits and veggies. Making sure they’re getting enough protein in every meal.

Some of the basics first. Then once they get that down they can start tracking if they’re getting more into it. But for most people who aren’t a fitness nut like me they can have a hard time going from 0 to 100; meaning tracking every meal.

 

Typical Foods I Like

These are foods that I’ve found work for my gut, my genetics and more. I’m not recommending you eat like this. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist for a plan for you personally. I’m just sharing this for educational purposes.

Food List

Protein:

  • Chicken
  • Red meat
  • Ground turkey/beef
  • Tuna
  • Shrimp

Carbs:

  • Potatoes
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Rice
  • Banana
  • Apple
  • Berries
  • Pineapple
  • Watermelon

Veggies:

  • Broccoli
  • Leafy greens such as arugula, spinach, kale
  • Zucchini
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Cucumbers
  • Tomatoes

 

5. Supplements

Supplements are wildly overrated.

There’s no magic supplement out there. Nothing will help you burn off all your fat. Nothing will help you put on pounds of muscle (unless it’s steroids, NOT recommended).

Supplements can help give you a slight edge. But if your diet isn’t cleaned up and you’re not strength training or working out then they’re of little use.

On that note, there’s one supplement that I’ve found to be a little helpful….

Creatine

I created a video, you can check out by clicking here, explaining creatine and how to best use it.

Creatine is naturally found in the body and stored in muscle cells. It helps produce and use a molecule called ATP. ATP is used all throughout the body as the main energy source.

So having creatine as a supplement helps me to get the most out of my workouts. Having creatine can help me get one more rep on my set. Which is all I need to improve my strength every single week.

It’s not going to build me huge muscles or get me a six pack. It’s just going to give me a slight edge on lifting heavier weight. But if I’m not focused on getting stronger, better and making progress then there’s really no point in taking it.

This is the creatine I use, CLICK HERE.

*this is an affiliate link, meaning I’ll get a small monetary kick-back if you use that link and purchase the product.

 

Want to know 6 mistakes guys make that keep them skinny fat? CLICK HERE to download the guide now.

 

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