Making gains can be a daunting challenge, but exercise scientist Dr. Mike Israetel takes the guesswork out of beefing up. In a recent YouTube video posted on August 6, 2024, Dr. Israetel breaks down a simple lean gains formula that he described as foolproof and super effective.
Exercise mechanics can be arduous to understand, which is where physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel comes in, turning complex topics into easy-to-digest facts. Through social media, where he has amassed over 2.25 million subscribers on YouTube alone, Dr. Israetel provides his thoughts on a wide range of subjects, including whether you need carbs during workouts and how to navigate overtraining fatigue.
In addition to sharing his opinions on building muscle and losing fat, Dr. Mike Israetel also critiques influential figures on their training, dieting, and even their supplement stacks on occasion. Having a well-versed understanding of the body, Dr. Israetel has become a coveted source of knowledge within the fitness industry.
Exercise Scientist Shares ‘Simple Super Effective’ Lean Gains Formula
When it comes to losing weight and building muscle mass, Dr. Mike Israetel has a simple formula to help achieve lean gains quickly. In a recent YouTube video, he illustrates how straightforward and foolproof this method truly is. Check it out below.
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To get started, Dr. Israetel first shares the formula you need to follow for the next 12 weeks.
“Here’s the plan for gains, it’s really straightforward. For 12 weeks, you gain half a pound on average per week. How much do you have to eat? Whatever keeps that half a pound roughly gaining. If you gain three-quarters of a pound, eat a little less. If you gain a quarter of a pound or not at all, eat a little more.”
After 12 weeks of gaining, Israetel says to take some time off the gym with active rest.
“Over 12 weeks you gain roughly six pounds,” said Israetel. “After you finish that you’re going to be a little tired so you take one week of active rest. No training don’t go to the gym. Just live your best life. Eat some high-protein foods.”
Then you move into six weeks of weight loss followed by maintenance to stay at the desired weight.
“Don’t worry you will not lose any muscle. After that, six weeks of fat loss, one pound a week of loss on average each time. So, you’re gaining six pounds over 12 weeks and then you’re losing six pounds over six weeks. Then after that, you can either go to maintenance you can live your life.”
While this formula can be easy and work for most, he shares that because of its one-size-fits-all structure, there will be variables in the outcomes.
“There will be downsides,” explains Dr. Israetel. “One size fits all programs can work for millions of people but for still other millions, they are not going to be ideal because it’s one size fits all and let’s say you have a drug-free older woman gaining six pounds over 12 weeks, she’s going to gain more of a fraction of fat than a drug-using first-timer 27-year-old bodybuilder who can gain six pounds and actually lose a little bit of fat during that process gaining eight pounds of muscle and losing two pounds of fat at the same time.”
However, the upsides are that this plan is super simple and very effective.
“It’s super simple, it’s super effective, it fucking works. It takes all the guess work out. And it almost has to work based on sheer thermodynamics. You’re going to have to gain some kind of tissue gaining half a pound a week, and you’re going to have to lose some kind of tissue losing a pound a week for six weeks. It just has to happen.”
“The only thing that has to happen is you have to gain some fraction of muscle on that 12 weeks up that you don’t lose on that six weeks down and almost everyone can pull that off, at least to some extent. It’s kind of pretty goddamn foolproof to gain you some muscle and lose you some fat.”
Dr. Israetel states that trying to gain a half pound a week is ‘great for a lot of people.’
“You apply it but you can modify it based on what you need. I would highly recommend that you keep the same rates of gains and rates of loss.
Half a pound per week rate of gain is great for a lot of people. It avoids you going to slow to track it and too fast so that you become a fat fuck like me.”
Contrary to Dr. Israetel’s one size fits all lean gains formula, bodybuilder/powerlifter turned nutritionist Stan Efferding believes that dieting is specific to the individual. When it comes to losing weight and getting healthy, Efferding feels that one diet isn’t superior to the others. Instead, he tailors each plan according to his clients’ bodies and what they will be more likely to stick to over time.
“I said that I coined a term some years ago compliance is the science. The best diet is the one you’ll follow so I try to create a diet program that people comply with. Something that is simple sensible and sustainable. Something that becomes part of the lifestyle.”
Dr. Mike Israetel’s understanding of exercise mechanics allows him to break down easier methods for losing weight while gaining muscle mass. Be sure to try out his simple lean gains formula and let us know down below how it worked for you!
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