Congratulations!

By downloading this guide, youve taken the first step to simplifying your life and getting your fitness
under control. Its going to be a fun journey.

But before we begin, there are three core principles you need to put in place to ensure success:

1. Honesty: You are responsible for everything that you put into your mouth. What you eat
when no one is watching will determine your success in this program.

2. Mental Fortitude: This program is much more of a mental challenge than a physical one.
Eating is one of lifes greatest pleasures and you are going to have to work harder and
smarter than others to achieve success. Maybe you were born with bad genetics or a
slow metabolism. Unfortunately life isnt fair. Train your mind to fight your inner cravings.
Remember, you always have a choice.

3. Patience: 90 days may not seem like a long time right now but it will as you endure it day
after day. Fat loss does not happen overnight so dont get discouraged when the scale
doesnt move as quickly as you want it to, or your body doesnt change in the mirror each day.
Dont obsess over daily progress. Trust the program and see it through to the end.

The Hack Your Fitness program consists of two elements. The Diet and The Workout. Youll find the
explanations for each in the sections below.

2
The Diet
This is the single most powerful investment we can ever make in life investment in ourselves
Stephen Covey

People often misunderstand the word diet. The word diet has the connotation that at some point it will
end and you will go back to regular eating. Sure, once you get to the level of fitness that you desire, you
can be a little more flexible with your diet. But this program is not a diet in this sense of the word. It is a
lifestyle change. The knowledge and habits that you form over the next few months will guide you for the
rest of your life.

Here are the three principles behind the science of body composition that you must learn. Ive listed
them in order of importance based on how each one will affect your weight loss:

1. Calories in vs. Calories out: In order to lose weight, the amount of calories you put into your
body must be less than the amount of calories you burn

2. Macronutrient Balance: Finding the correct balance of macronutrients (protein,

carbohydrates, and fat) is the key to rapid body re-composition

3. Food Choices: For the purposes of body re-composition, the nutritional value of food makes
little difference. (Yes, reallybut its not as simple as you think)

3
Part 1: Counting Calories
To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. Benjamin Franklin

I know what youre thinking. Counting calories? That sounds like a lot of work.

Its true: This is by far the most tedious part of the entire program.

But Ive also learned that my laziness to count my calories is what single handedly prevented me from
getting truly lean for most of the last 15 years. I had no idea how much energy I was burning and how
many calories I was eating. I was flying blind.

The good news is that if you put in the time, you will succeed. Dont be like me and waste years trying to
wing it and figure it out. Just follow the system. It works.

First, you need to spend some time crunching numbers.

A couple important definitions:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) This is the amount of energy you expend just living and
breathing each day.

2. Maintenance Calories: This is essentially your BMR + the amount you expend walking
around, exercising, and doing your daily functions. This number will tell us how many calories
you need to eat to maintain the exact same weight that you are at currently. A very simple
way to look at this is if you eat more than your maintenance calories you will gain weight, and
less you will lose weight.

3. Fat: As a rough guideline and for our purposes, 1 lb. of fat stores 3500 calories. To lose 1
pound of fat each week you need to be at a weekly deficit of 3500 calories, or a daily deficit
of 500 calories. This is what we are aiming for.

4
Now lets calculate your maintenance calories.

First, calculate your BMR with the following formula:

Men BMR = 66 + (13.7 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)
Women BMR = 665 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

Then, calculate your Maintenance Calories with the following formula:

MC = BMR * (activity factor)

Activity factor is calculated based on:

1.2 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
1.375 = light activity (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days per week)
1.55 = moderate activity (moderate exercise/sports 3 to 5 days per week)
1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days per week)
1.9 = extra active (very hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days per week and physical job)

These activity factors have been known to overestimate true activity so for this program I suggest you
start off at the bottom with an activity factor of 1.2.

Finally, take your daily MC that you calculated above and subtract 500 calories. (Were trying to lose
fat, remember.) Now you have your total calorie goals for each day. Thats the hard part, but it isnt
everything.

Q: Hang on. If 1 lb. of fat equals 3500 calories, I can just go on an extreme cut and slash 10,500 calories
a week. At that rate Ill be losing 3 lbs. of fat per week and Ill be lean in no time. Right?

A: Wrong. If only it were so easy. Fat loss is not linear and the human body is incredibly sophisticated
when it comes to sensing a calorie restriction and preserving fat. If you slash your calories too
aggressively you will essentially be starving yourself and wont be able to sustain it for the duration of
the program. You also wont be feeding your muscles enough energy to actually grow. And finally the
likelihood of a rebound binge is much higher on such a deep deficit. Dont try to be a hero. It takes time.
Slow and consistent fat loss while cementing strong habits is the only way that you will be able to keep
the fat off after the program.

5
How to maintain a caloric deficit over 12 weeks

Now that we know exactly how many calories we burn a day and how many we should be eating, it is time
to address how we eat those calories. Eating is one of the greatest joys in life and being in a caloric deficit
for a long period of time is hard. Very hard. This is where your mental fortitude has to step up.

There are many different opinions and views on meal timing out there and Ive tried them all. We
already know now that calories in vs. calories out is the most important rule that you need to follow to
lose weight. So the bottom line is it doesnt really matter how you eat your calories as long as you can
maintain your deficit.

That said, from my experience, Intermittent Fasting is the easiest way to maintain a caloric deficit
consistently over a long period of time. Ive been practicing Intermittent Fasting (IF) since 2011 and have
found such freedom in eating. Long gone are the days of stressing out about meal prep and making 6
small meals a day. And when I do eat, I get to eat big and feel full.

There is a ton of literature available for free on the internet outlining the health benefits of IF (its also
gaining acceptance in more mainstream media, like the New York Times). The basic idea is that you
create a fasting window by skipping a meal and reallocate those calories from the skipped meal to have
during your feeding window. During the fasting window your body will directly burn body fat as the
only source of energy since there is no food in your body. The two Godfathers of IF are Brad Pilon and
Martin Berkhan, each with different methods. Pilon recommends one or two 24-hour fasts each week,
whereas Berkhan recommends a fasting/feasting window each day. For long term sustainability while on
a rigorous strength training program, I have found Berkhans approach to work the best.

If you are interested in trying it out, Ive summarized the basic guidelines from Martins blog (leangains.
com) below:
Every day consists of a fasting window of 16 hours and a feeding window of 8 hours.

The easiest way to fast is by skipping breakfast which would make your fasting window from
after dinner until lunch the next day (8pm 12pm) and your feeding window from lunch until
dinner time (12pm 8pm).

During the fasting window you will not eat any calories. No breakfast!? Are you crazy!? Yes,
this will take some getting used to. The first few days are painful and your stomach will be
growling. Black coffee and sparkling water help blunt appetite.

6
 From 12pm 8pm is your feeding window. There is some flexibility around how you choose
to take in your calories during this time. I recommend eating a large lunch and a large dinner
and not snacking, as this usually leads to overeating. But if youd rather spread out a bunch of
small meals over the 8 hours, thats fine too.

Intermittent Fasting is not for everyone and however you choose to spend your calories during the day
is up to you. Just make sure you follow the laws of energy balance by staying within your calorie limit for
the day and you will be successful either way.

Part 2:
Macronutrient Balance
Things do not change. We change. Henry David Thoreau

This is the secret sauce to this whole puzzle. Now that you know exactly how many calories you are
allowed to eat each day, it is time to drill down to the level of macronutrients.

Every calorie that goes into your body is composed of a combination of 3 macronutrients: Protein,
Carbohydrates, and Fat.

For example, 100 grams of skinless chicken breast is comprised of 23 grams of protein, 0 grams of
carbohydrate, and 1.24 grams of fat.

On the other hand, a 100 grams of white rice is comprised of 2.66 grams of protein, 28 grams of carbs,
and 0.28 grams of fat.

How do you calculate calories if you know the macronutrient composition of a certain food? Here is some
simple math to guide you.

1 gram of protein = 4 calories.

1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories.
1 gram of fat = 9 calories.

7
449. Now go look on the nutritional information on the back of any food package and try testing this out
for yourself. You should come very close to the calories per serving number at the top.
Consuming the correct ratio or balance of macronutrients is the key to rapid body re-composition.

Research has shown that the optimal amount of protein to eat on a strength training program is
anywhere from 1.0-1.5 grams per lb. of body weight. We will start right in the middle at 1.25g per lb. of
body weight.

Now that you know how many grams of protein per day you should be eating, lets move on to fat and
carbohydrates. Remember, fat is the most dense macronutrient at 9 calories per gram, so we are going
to keep this low over the duration of the program. With the remaining calories you have in your budget
after protein, allocate 40% of them to fat and 60% to carbohydrates.

So as an example, if you weight 180 lbs., and your daily calorie budget is 1670 calories per day, then you
will be eating 225g of protein (900 calories worth), 34g of fat (308 calories worth), and 115g of carbs (462
calories worth). Simple.

As you can see, protein is kept high every day. Most people are shocked at how high protein has to be.
Dont worry, its not bad for your kidneys. But it does keep you satiated for longer and, trust me, after
these workouts your muscles are going to need the fuel.

Part 3:
Food Choices
How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself...?Epictetus

There is a lot of freedom and flexibility in the diet, as long as the macronutrient composition and calorie
count is in adherence to the guidelines. For the purposes of body re-composition and this 12 week
program the nutritional value of food makes little difference.

You can still get fat eating healthy foods just like you can still lose weight eating junk food. But what
eating clean does do is it helps your satiety which will help you maintain a caloric deficit.

8
The concept of macronutrient balance is a bit counter-intuitive. Most people say things like Im on a
health kick I shouldnt eat any fat whatsoever and carbs are bad. It took me years to finally figure out
that your body actually needs carbs and fat. It needs the right combination of all three macronutrients to
operate in its highest efficiency.

So dont stress out about having to eat salads all day long. Obviously, there are good food choices and
bad food choices. But if you focus on getting the macronutrient composition right, you will quickly see
yourself gravitating towards natural foods and limiting the bad stuff, especially on a calorie restriction
because natural foods are less dense in calories than junk food.

Q: So as long as it fits my macros, I can eat whatever I want?

A: Kinda. You will quickly see that Fat is the most caloric dense macronutrient out there. So on a rest
day, sure you could have 2 slices of Pizza Hut pizza and technically still be within compliance of your total
calorie limit on the day, but then you wont be able to eat anything else. There is a reason that people on
cuts eat natural foods. Its because they are the lowest in caloric density. You could have 2 large plates
of broccoli and only spend 100 calories and youll probably be decently full afterwards. Be smart and
spend your calories wisely during this period.

Q: What about booze?

A: This is the one question I get asked the most, hands down. Im sorry to say, no booze. It is crucial that
you dont drink. Alcohol is nothing but empty calories so they take up valuable calories in your diet. Sure,
a calorie is a calorie, but you will be in quite a significant caloric deficit for the duration of this program
and you will want to chew every calorie you can. Alcohol has such detrimental effects to the mind. When
you are drunk you make bad diet decisions and select poor food choices. The same thing happens when
you are hungover. Alcohol also derails your workout routine and dehydrates you causing bloating which
seriously affects water retention and throws off your weigh-ins. This can set you off in an emotional
downward spiral, especially in the early parts of the program before your strong habits have formed. I
can go on and on about the negative effects of alcohol but lets simply leave it at this: it does not have a
place in any persons program that is serious about fitness. Take this seriously and dont drink. All I ask for
is 12 weeks and then you will have the rest of your life to enjoy alcohol. You will not regret it.

9
Tracking & Details
The most valuable commodity I know of is information.Gordon Gekko

Tracking can be a drag. There are a couple of mobile apps that help with this tedious process.

Download MyFitnessPal by Under Armour. (https://www.myfitnesspal.com/). It is the best one out there.

To track macros properly, you need to weigh your food. Get yourself a food scale and be precise. I use
this one but there are many cheaper ones out there.

Different sites and apps will have slightly different calorie counts and macros for the same food. Dont
worry about that. Just pick one source and stick to it. The key is consistency and minimizing variables. Ive
had success with www.calorieking.com

And finally, dont forget to recalculate your maintenance calories and macros every 2-3 weeks. As your
weight begins to drop so will your calorie budget.

Thats it!

As I said, this is the most tedious part of the entire process. Front load the work and come up with
several meal plans that fit your calorie requirements for workout days and rest days. Make sure they are
comprised of foods that you enjoy eating. Then rinse and repeat for the entire duration of the program.

10
The Workout:
Compound Lifts
Compound exercises work muscles in groups. They are the most efficient way to work your muscles vs.
isolation/circuit training. Why spend hours in the gym hitting every body part? Compound exercises are far more
effective than isolation.John McCallum

You might be surprised when I tell you that the most important part of the workout is tracking your
lifts. Its just like counting calories. If you dont know how much you are lifting, then you wont be able to
make progress.

Youve probably gone to the gym for many years, but probably havent gotten the results you want. Doing
something over and over again does not necessarily mean you are doing it right. Nor does it mean that
you are improving. Tracking your lifts is crucial to your success.

This is the fun part. Ive designed this program as efficiently as possible so you can spend the minimum
amount of time in the gym to achieve great results. (45min-1 hour, 3x/week). This workout program will
ensure that your time in the gym is not being wasted.

The focus will be on compound lifts which are the basic fundamental building blocks of strength training
and with this program, you will achieve what is often viewed as the holy grail of fitness where you both
burn fat and build muscle at the same time.

One thing to keep in mind: Less is more. Its hard for first timers on this program to understand this. Im
on an aggressive fat burning program so shouldnt I be doing a ton of cardio? NO. NO. NO. The most
efficient way to get lean is by building lean muscle which will increase your metabolism and fat burning
rate. Forget about everything you learned before. If anything, cardio will only detract from your strength
gains by fatiguing your muscles for the next workout. Save that for after the program if you want to get
into great cardiovascular shape. For the next few months, we are going to get you lean and strong.

Now, you need focus. Im only asking for a total of 3 hours of your time per week in the gym. During
each 1 hour workout, no checking Facebook, no reading emails. It will distract you from focusing and
concentrating on your lifts. I love multitasking too, but the intensity of the lifts will be such that you need
to focus 100% of your effort on it.

11
The program is based on the three main compound lifts which are Squats, Deadlifts, and Presses. At the
absolute minimum, here are the 3-4 exercises per training day that you must complete at max effort.
This should take you no more than 45 mins to complete with sufficient rest in between sets. If you feel
like adding in accessory work afterwards, then by all means knock yourself out. What I am providing
below is the minimum effective dose.

Go max effort within the rep range provided on each of the lifts for the two sets. Once you get to the top
end of the rep range with that weight for both sets, you will add 2.5lbs and drop back to the bottom of
the rep range for your next workout. This way you will always be making forward progress, either adding
+1 rep, or +2.5lbs on every single workout.

The workouts will be short and rep range low, but it will require enormous effort. We are only lifting
3 times a week but your Central Nervous System will need the rest in between sessions. I cannot
emphasize the importance of max effort enough. You need to push yourself to failure on every workout
(but not to the point of injury).

Now, on to the workout. This is based off of legendary strength coach Mark Rippetoes Starting
Strength program.

Day 1: Squat Day

- Back Squat, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Front Squat, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Calf Raise, 2 sets x 10-12 reps

Day 2: Push Day

- Overhead Press, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Bench Press, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Incline Press, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Dips, 2 sets x 6-8 reps

Day 3: Pull Day

- Deadlifts, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Chins, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Barbell Rows, 2 sets x 6-8 reps
- Shrugs, 2 sets x 10-12 reps

12
I cannot emphasize the importance of max effort enough. You should literally be failing on your last rep
of the set. It will take some time for you to find the right starting weight within the 6-8 rep range that you
can handle. Pushing yourself to failure on that last rep is where you will make your big gains. Ask for a
spot if you have to, just make sure you go to failure.

Never squat and deadlift without taking at least 2 days of rest in between. If you squat on Monday then
deadlift on Friday. This will give you 3 days during the week to rest (and 2 days over the weekend after
your deadlift).

Remember it is critical that you log your workouts. Track weights used and reps for each exercise.

As for equipment, there isnt much necessary.

Use a notebook to track your lifts.

Pick up a pair of flat soled shoes (such as Converse) for your weight training. When you
do Squats and Deadlifts you need to be wearing shoes with non-compressing soles.

When you get strong enough to do bodyweight chin-ups & dips, you will need to buy a
dipping belt such (I like this one)

Finally, as your strength increases and you start putting up higher weight, your grip will
be compromised. Use chalk to improve grip, not gloves.

Thats it!

For more resources, visit hackyour.fitness.

13
 Food Guide

Good Carbs Good Carbs OK Carbs Bad Carbs

Good Protein Bad Protein Good Fats
Fiberous Starchy Moderation Avoid!

Chicken Breast Whole Wheat

Bacon Asparagus Barley Brown Sugar Flaxseed oil
(no skin) Bread

Cod Processed Meats Broccoli Beans Dairy Products Candy Fish Fat

Egg Whites Sausage Brussel Sprouts Brown Rice Fruit Chocolates Olive oil

Whole Wheat
Flank Steak Ribeye Steak Cabbage Chick Peas Donuts Canola oil
Pasta

Natural peanut
Lobster Carrots Corn Fried Foods
butter

Low Fat Cottage

Cauliflower Lentils Fruit drinks Nuts & seeds
Cheese

Protein Powder Celery Oatmeal Honey

Salmon Cucumbers Potatoes Ice Cream

Shimp Eggplant Quinoa Molasses

Sirloin Steak Green Beans Sweet Potatoes Pastries

Green/Red
Swordfish Whole Wheat Potato Chips
Peppers

Top Round Steak Kale Yams Soda

Tuna Fish Lettuce White bread

Turkey Breast
Mushrooms White Rice
(no skin)

Onions White sugar

Spinach

Squash

Tomatoes

Zucchini

14
 Workout Log - Day 1: Squat

Back Squat Front Squat Calf Raise

Date Reps Range
6-8 6-8 10-12

Week 1 Set 1

Set 2

Week 2 Set 1

Set 2

Week 3 Set 1

Set 2

Week 4 Set 1

Set 2

Week 5 Set 1

Set 2

Week 6 Set 1

Set 2

Week 7 Set 1

Set 2

Week 8 Set 1

Set 2

Week 9 Set 1

Set 2

Week 10 Set 1

Set 2

Week 11 Set 1

Set 2

Week 12 Set 1

Set 2

15
 Workout Log - Day 2: Push

Bench Press Incline Press OH Press Tris/Dips

Date Reps Range
6-8 6-8 6-8 6-8

Week 1 Set 1

Set 2

Week 2 Set 1

Set 2

Week 3 Set 1

Set 2

Week 4 Set 1

Set 2

Week 5 Set 1

Set 2

Week 6 Set 1

Set 2

Week 7 Set 1

Set 2

Week 8 Set 1

Set 2

Week 9 Set 1

Set 2

Week 10 Set 1

Set 2

Week 11 Set 1

Set 2

Week 12 Set 1

Set 2

16
 Workout Log - Day 3: Pull

Deadlift Weighted Chins Barbell Rows Shrugs

Date Reps Range
6-8 6-8 6-8 10-12

Week 1 Set 1

Set 2

Week 2 Set 1

Set 2

Week 3 Set 1

Set 2

Week 4 Set 1

Set 2

Week 5 Set 1

Set 2

Week 6 Set 1

Set 2

Week 7 Set 1

Set 2

Week 8 Set 1

Set 2

Week 9 Set 1

Set 2

Week 10 Set 1

Set 2

Week 11 Set 1

Set 2

Week 12 Set 1

Set 2

17