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BY

JOHN DOE BODYBUILDING

SUPERDRIVE PUBLISHING

Copyright © 2019 John Doe Bodybuilding All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal use only and may not be sold or given away. No part of this book may be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the prior and express written permission of the publisher. All inquiries to [email protected] Published by Superdrive Publishing Limited www.johndoebodybuilding.com ISBN-13: 978-0-9990261-8-2

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER The author of this book, John Doe Bodybuilding, is not a doctor. The contents of this book are intended for informational and educational purposes only and not for the purpose of rendering medical advice. The author and publisher holds no responsibility, nor liability, for any such action taken from the information provided in this book The contents of this book are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. Before taking any medications, over-the-counter drugs, supplements or herbs, consult a physician for a thorough evaluation. John Doe Bodybuilding does not endorse any medications, vitamins or herbs nor do we condone the use of illegal drugs or using drugs for an unintended purpose. A qualified physician should make a decision based on each person’s medical history and current prescriptions. The medication summaries provided do not include all of the information important for patient use and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The prescribing physician should be consulted concerning any questions that you have.

TABLE TABLE OF OF CONTENTS CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

SHREDDED OPS OVERVIEW..........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE

APPETITE SUPPRESSIOn.............................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER TWO

HOW a FaT-LOSS DIET WILL AFFECT YOUR WORKOUTS....................................10 CHAPTER THREE

MAinTaINInG MUSCLE SIZE On STEROIDS VERSUS NaTURaL.........................16 CHAPTER FOUR

THE IDEaL PHYSIQUE THAT YOU Can CaRRY YEaR ROUND...............................19 CHAPTER FIVE

THE DIET RECIPE FOR FAT-LOSS SUCCESS.....................................................................23 CHAPTER SIX

SHREDDED OPS PHaSE ONE.................................................................................................................28 CHAPTER SEVEN

SHREDDED OPS PHaSE TWO...............................................................................................................37 CHAPTER EIGHT

SHREDDED OPS PHaSE THREE.........................................................................................................41

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

SHREDDED SHREDDED OPS OPS OVERVIEW OVERVIEW

The bulk of information available on fitness and nutrition is pretty much all regurgitated bullshit. Most people don’t to tell you what really works, they’d rather appeal to the masses and not cross any lines. Fuck that, I don’t care to be lukewarm. You’re either with me or you’re not here, and I want people to know who they can trust in this industry. I’d rather be the black sheep of the online fitness industry and keep everything REAL. I’m going to put it really simple here: this book is cut and dry. This book isn’t theory and it’s not what I think sounds good to readers. This is everything I’ve learned to design one hell of a routine to help get you into an insane condition with a proper diet. Diet is always the main factor in any routine! This book will not only guide you through the process of fat-loss dieting and training for a ripped physique, but it’s a first-hand look at the mental battles that you’ll be faced with when going through this process. In my other books I speak on different approaches to bodybuilding. I wanted to streamline the process more in this book and give you nothing but the road to shredded in the fastest timeframe possible, which is NOT less than 8-12 weeks for most average people. Some of my methods may sound unorthodox compared to what’s out there in the fitness industry, but they work. You’ll need to keep an open mind for the workout I’m going to lay out for you. Many of these methods are advanced methods that are geared towards two things: keeping you in the game for the long-haul by avoiding injuries, and helping you stick to a solid diet that facilitates great results. If you’re a natural trainer then you can achieve great results through Shredded Ops, and if you’re using performance enhancing drugs then you can get even better results. But either way, this

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SHREDDED OPS book is about the mentality, diet, and workout plan I’ve devised to get you into an insane condition in 12 weeks! Shredded Ops is about discipline. I don’t want to hear anyone’s whining about how hard this is. Damnit, it’s hard for everybody! This workout routine is not for beginners. This routine is for the die-hards who are willing to go through hell! This routine will not be easy for anyone. I’m just asking you one thing here: Do you trust me? Go read my articles on johndoebodybuilding.com and ask yourself if you trust me. If you trust me, follow this process and I promise you won’t look like the same person in the next 12 weeks!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER ONE ONE

APPETITE APPETITE SUPPRESSION

You’re going to get hungry on a fat-loss diet, period. I’m going to make no bones about this one. There has never been a time when I could see my abs and did not feel hungry. If there is some claim of never feeling hungry while dieting, it’s nothing but a sales pitch. That’s bullshit. You’ll always be hungry as you get leaner. Maybe not as much at first, but it’s coming for sure. Appetite suppression is key to trying to drop body fat. You just simply cannot go for a day eating clean, over-eat the next day, then go two days clean, and then binge-eat the following day and expect to see results.

UnLIMITED COKE ZERO, BLaCK COFFEE, AnD GREEN TEa Did I just come clean and actually say unlimited Coke Zero, black coffee, and green tea? Yes, I did! But I’m speaking in terms of your first couple of weeks on the diet, until your body adjusts to a lower caloric intake. Yes, I do this almost every single time I try losing body fat. I drink a shit load of Coke Zero, black coffee, and green tea packets mixed with water for the first part of my diet. Sometimes just any little sort of reward or carbonated drink can be enough to fight off hunger for a bit. The goal here is to stick to the initial stages of dieting no matter what. This gives me added energy while cutting foods back and it also helps me feel full so I’m not eating too much food. This keeps the urge to eat more foods more manageable.

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SHREDDED OPS Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s not healthy, right? Yes, I know it’s better not to drink some of these products at all but if you can avoid being hooked on them and it helps to curb your appetite then use this strictly as a tool to get you through the hard times in the beginning!

STIMULanT PILLS TO SUPPRESS APPETITE Bronkaid, Primatene, Adderall, and other sports supplement fat-burners can help suppress your appetite. If you’re not familiar with Primatene or Bronkaid, they’re over-the-counter medications in some places and they contain ephedrine hydrochloride. Here in the United States they’re available OTC from Wal-Mart, you’re just limited to a certain amount per month. In my area I’m limited to 9 grams of ephedrine per month. This may be different in other states. They come in 25mg tabs and there are 24 tabs per box. Two boxes will last me 24 days at 2 tabs per day. Three boxes are easily enough to get me through a month. The Primatene tablets are only 12.5mg each and 60 tabs per box, so if you do the math you’ll see that 2 boxes should last a month. Since an allowable 9 grams per month is much more than the total of 1,500mg per month we would be using by dosing 50mg of ephedrine HCL per day there should be no problem aquiring enough for yourself. You’ll need to show the person at the pharmacy counter your driver’s license to purchase them, but these products are available without prescription in many places. If you’re in another country outside of the United States, then check online for ephedrine HCL as it may be able to be shipped to your door! The ephedrine containing products are intended to be used for asthma control, but they work to burn fat since they contain ephedrine hydrochloride. Ephedrine HCL is used to raise the heat expenditure in your body and this burns more fat. Also, it’s a stimulant and it works best when stacked with caffeine and a single 81mg baby aspirin per day. The synergistic effect from combining ephedrine HCL, caffeine, and aspirin is amazing! For those unaware, aspirin works to help burn fat by activating a fat-loss enzyme called AMPK after it breaks down into a salicylate once ingested. A single 81mg dose of aspirin per day is all that’s necessary. Ephedrine should not be taken higher than 50mg per day and it’s best to split the dosing to 25mg

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SHREDDED OPS in the morning and another 25mg in the mid-afternoon. The caffeine you’ll stack with this combination can be anything containing caffeine and no sugar. So green tea, black coffee, a diet Coke, or simply using caffeine pills will do the job. I’d recommend 200-300mg of caffeine per day, split up throughout the morning and afternoon. I normally drink 1 cup of black coffee with my first meal of the day and another cup of black coffee as a pick-me-up mid to late afternoon. I just take my single 81mg aspirin tab in the morning either before or after breakfast. Let’s sum it up here: You’ll be using 50mg per day of ephedrine, 81mg per day of aspirin, and 200-300mg per day of caffeine. This will work as an excellent fat-burner and appetite suppressant to help you fight through the hard days of dieting. Possible side effects: nervousness, insomnia, tremors, tachycardia, seizures. ***Do not use if you have a prior heart condition*** As far as Adderall goes, I’ve used it before on a few occasions but never consistently. I cannot say much about it other than it’s an amphetamine that it works to keep you alert, sharp, and suppress appetite. If this was a route you wanted to try, then I’d suggest talking to a doctor about it and sharing your “attention problems” with him. You get my drift here?

CLEnBUTEROL I’m not a big fan of using Clenbuterol for long periods of time. While it’s admittedly very effective for fat loss, it’s just not good for your heart and I never found it necessary until the final 6 weeks of dieting. And this would be 2 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off it, since it saturates your beta receptors and stops being effective after 2 weeks. But you can also do a 2 day on/2 day off pattern with it and on your 2 days off use the ephedrine HCL, caffeine, and aspirin stack. I like the idea of 2 days on/2 days off with Clenbuterol, since it’s never really out of me for more than a couple of days during a diet. I have found the balance between maintaining muscle mass and losing body-fast to be the hardest part of dieting. You’re trying to avoid looking flat, but you also want something to help ramp up fat-burning.

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SHREDDED OPS Therefore, after several runs of Clenbuterol I’ve found it best to let the other stims do the work until I only have about 4-6 weeks left on my diet and I’m close to as lean as I can get without going insane from avoiding calories. Clenbuterol is available in either tablet form from steroid suppliers or in liquid form from research chemical sites that sell it in a liquid serum online. Google search “liquid Clenbuterol” and you’ll see what I mean.

LOW-DOSED STEADY CAFFEInE METHOD THROUGH GREEN TEa BEFORE nOON This is a tactic I occasionally do when trying to burn fat. I’ll go buy regular green tea packets in a box. Then I’ll take 4-5 tea bags and throw them into a 2-quart water container with ice and shake the shit out of it, so the tea gets absorbed into all of the water. I’ll make it my goal to drink this 2-quart water container each day before 12pm. Then the rest of my day I’ll focus on getting 2 more quarts of water in me before bed. If I’m working out that afternoon it may be more water than that. I find the green tea mixed with water and ice to be an acquired taste that I like to think of as the taste of discipline! You get used to it and start to crave it and it helps burn fat, and it’s also very refreshing when trying to hydrate yourself. You can use this green tea as your caffeine source with your ephedrine/ caffeine/aspirin stack. The green tea option is really good for those who over-rely on caffeine and drink too much caffeine. It’s often better to get a slower and steadier release of caffeine into the system than bang a 300mg caffeine drink all at once.

CIGaRS If you don’t smoke cigars, then more power to you. I enjoy cigars myself and I find a cigar to be relaxing and a good replacement for eating excessively. Don’t let this industry fool you, I know several professional bodybuilders who smoke cigars also.

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SHREDDED OPS Occasionally I’ll have a cigar on my porch in the evening time to wind down and relax. I just cannot do this too close to bedtime or I’ll have trouble falling asleep afterwards. But yeah, I’ll admit it, I’ll have the occasional cigar when I’m starving and need a reward outside of food. If you don’t smoke then that’s great, if you’re worried about the occasional cigar not allowing you to get shredded...pffftt!! Fuck it, light up once in a while and live life! Now how many other fitness sites are going to tell you that? I mean, damn we are human now! These people in this industry want to portray the hype, the dream, and the big fancy picture they’re trying to sell. Fuck that, I’m talking about what’s real here.

NEW aCTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF THE GYM Is it really considered being undisciplined to do something outside of going to the gym? Hell man, if you’re hitting all of your meals (or at least most all of them) then yeah, why not get into something different once in a while? I can remember sitting on a cooler watching my son take his dirt bike around a track a bunch of times before. I sat there in the 100-degree heat eating my tuna out of the can, drinking my water, and eating some natural peanut butter I had with me. My cooler made for a perfect seat as well as a way to keep my food and drinks cool. It’s very hot here most of the year! I was having so much fun watching my son ride his dirt bike that I almost forgot I was eating tuna, sitting in the hot sun and sweating bullets! I forgot about the stress of the diet and routine and this weekend routine became sort of therapeutic for me. I recently sold a vehicle one morning and couldn’t get the other one until later that evening. I had no way to go anywhere by car and I wanted to go to the gym. I rode my mountain bike to the gym, which was a pretty good haul there and back. It got me feeling good, was a great warm-up for my workout, and I even got a personal best in the gym that day! My mind was sort of off the regular grind of getting in the car and going the gym, getting a workout and going home. I just think different stimulation during our days can make a world of difference and actually help us stick to the course better because these activities can relieve stress. So many bodybuilders just want to look at food and training as the only 2 factors that can be

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SHREDDED OPS manipulated. Nah, there is more to it than just that to me. Different activities cause different emotions and reactions. Sometimes I’ll go play paintball as high intensity cardio. You sweat out a lot of water weight too wearing long sleeve stuff and being nervous about getting shot! I’ve gone fishing before to get my mind off the strict diet also. It worked very well too. I didn’t even think about food that day. Now just sitting at home doing nothing and dreading the next bland meal can get old sometimes. I say to let these other activities help you along. Just because you get involved with something doesn’t mean you cannot eat. You may need to prepare a little bit, but if prep is an issue then you’re not going to do this anyways, so you might as well quit reading now!

IF I DOn’T TaLK ABOUT IT, IT’S BECaUSE I DOn’T SUGGEST USInG IT There are a ton of methods used to burn fat now: dangerous products such as DNP, PGCL, and recreational upper drugs that are a far cry from using mild stimulants such as the ones I’ve mentioned. I do not recommend using these types of stimulants and poisons that create a self-induced sickness to try to lose body-fat. We should have gotten involved with lifting weights to be healthy and strong, not recreational drug addicts! If anything makes you feel bad, then is it really worth it? Because I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen; by the time you begin hearing all sorts of compliments, you’ll feel so shitty it won’t matter!

THE FIRST 2-3 WEEKS WILL BE DIFFICULT You may find that the first 2-3 weeks of a fat-loss diet to be the most difficult time to adjust to. You are eating less than you’re used to eating and expending energy in the gym which creates hunger. Suppressing your appetite during this time period is very important. Once you adjust to the lower caloric intake it feels a little more manageable. Also, your food palate will change as you begin eating cleaner.

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SHREDDED OPS Foods that you used to enjoy can begin to seem almost too flavorful and strong to handle. You taste sodium a lot easier and something that used to seem appealing may seem disgusting after you reintroduce it again. You’re going to need some sort of discipline for this stretch of eating clean, and appetite suppressants are just one way to make this process a little more manageable. So, use them to your advantage!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER TWO TWO

HOW HOW aA FaT-LOSS DIET WILL AFFECT AFFECT YOUR YOUR WORKOUTS WORKOUTS You’re going to get weaker as the diet goes on longer and your body-fat drops more. You just won’t maintain the same strength levels when consuming minimal calories during a fat-loss diet. Sure, there are some days where you’ll feel more on par than others, but as a whole you’re going to get weaker. You may grow a little bit of muscle in the beginning of the dieting phase since you’ll be taking in adequate protein amounts and a more regimented eating pattern, but this usually goes away fairly quickly after the first few weeks. But you won’t necessarily look weaker when the muscles begin showing themselves after the fat drops off. Do not let the weights in the gym you’re using mess with your mind during this time. I’ve seen so many guys who just couldn’t get past the mental part of losing strength during a dieting phase, and they could never get ripped up because of that. God forbid you’re no longer the biggest bench presser in the gym. Who cares anyways? I try to always keep my workout intensity high, but the frequency of the workouts usually becomes less and less as I get leaner. Where many guys fuck up is they want to add in more and more when they’re already in a state of catabolism (muscle loss) from over-dieting, over-training, and under-resting. So, you’ll see that the workout structure in my 12-week Shredded Ops routine changes as the routine goes on. This will give you a good template to follow to stay as large as possible during this time. You will have days where you feel good about how you’re coming along and then there will be days where you feel like something isn’t right. This can play mind-games with you and you need to fight through these periods of doubt.

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SHREDDED OPS Training in the gym while dieting hard isn’t like normal training at all. You’re really digging deep to finish your workouts. This goes beyond just going through the motions and getting results. This will be a true test of your inner strength. If you’re anything like me, what will happen is that you’ll learn to embrace this feeling of fighting day to day for results! Once you realize that you’re in control of what you’re doing it’s an addictive and adaptive feeling.

KNOWInG WHEN TO SAY WHEN DURING A WORKOUT I’m all for intensity in the gym and coming out swinging when my back is up against a wall, but it’s extremely important to realize that you’re in a greater state of injury risk as you get leaner. The fluid in the joints that protect them isn’t there like it was when you were eating more. I never really try to “max out” or do anything in a low rep range when I’m dieting hard to lose fat. I look at the risk versus rewards of it and it’s not worth going a few lbs. heavier to appease my own ego. I try to leave my ego at the gym door when I walk in there. There comes a point of diminishing returns when lifting a little heavier weight doesn’t pay off in anymore dividends than lifting moderate weights (and lighter weights when you’re extremely lean). Please try to remember this when you’re training. Many bodybuilders get injured very badly when trying to diet down. There needs to be shorter periods of putting the pedal to the metal with your sets when you’re dieted down more or it’s easier to get injured in the gym. You will find that much of this becomes going through the motions while fighting through hunger and fatigue and letting the process do its job to make your physique as best as possible. Now, when I refer to “knowing when to say when” I’m speaking mainly about the amount of weight you will be lifting during these workouts. In no way am I saying to short-change your sets and workouts.

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SHREDDED OPS

MUSCLE GROWTH WILL BE MInIMAL, IF aNY While there may be slight muscular gains at first, they’re usually short-lived. Someone that hasn’t been in the gym in a while may experience more muscular growth initially, but if you’ve been going to the gym regularly and you’re simply switching gears here, don’t even try to grow during this process. I’ve spoken before about a routine I developed that I call “Super Conjucate Training” (SCT training). For the ones who’ve read up on this I don’t want you to get confused. While the word CONJUCATE means to do two things at once, the real deal with that training method is involved in both the growing and cutting phases being blocked extremely close together. They’re blocked so close together that it seems like it’s simultaneous to most trainees. Dieting for maximum fat-loss is more along the lines of fighting to hold onto muscle while losing body-fat. You shouldn’t have the mentality of trying to get stronger and leaner simultaneously. Many people that have that mentality get stuck spinning their wheels! They remain looking the same month in and month out for several years. To me, that can be a huge waste of time and effort!

DIETInG BELOW AVERaGE FaT LEVELS WILL ALMOST ALWaYS PUT YOU InTO A STaTE OF OVERTRaInING! Ok, now there is such a thing as “listening to your bodies”. It’s good to listen to what our bodies are telling us, but I want you to understand something very important here: if I listened to my body every time I tried getting leaner then I’d go eat a bowl of ice cream daily and never make any progress at all! There comes a point with dieting where you’re going to feel over-tired. There comes a point where your sleep won’t be as good when you’re physically hungry. If you ever wondered why it’s difficult to sleep when you’re dieting, it’s a natural response for the body to tell us to find food and not to fall asleep! It’s also natural to have a lower sex drive once you get very lean and this is evident with animals

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SHREDDED OPS as well. When deer aren’t eating they don’t reproduce. It’s nature’s way of telling us we aren’t fit to reproduce because we aren’t living in a healthy state. All of these factors are direct reasons why STAYING EXTREMELY LEAN ALL YEAR IS NOT HEALTHY! There comes a happy medium with it all and that is where most people prefer to be. That is the area that I find the most rewarding myself. It’s cool to see how ripped up we can get, but body-fat levels of 4-7% aren’t a state of health that is good for us to maintain physically or mentally. So just know that when you’re tired and worn out and stressed and hungry, everyone else getting that lean is usually going through hell too!

THE FINE LINE BETWEEN STaYING THE COURSE AND KEEPING HORMONES BaLANCED Ok, now here’s where I really need you to pay attention, so listen up! There is a fine line between sticking to the plan and ignoring hunger and fatigue and taking preventative measures to keep cortisol as low as possible. You see, our bodies seriously do not want to be single digit body-fat! A natural response to your dieting, training, and stress is a nasty little hormone called cortisol! Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone and it can actually make us look worse. Yes, I stand correct on that, you could be putting in a bunch of work to actually begin to look worse! But this point usually won’t come until you get very lean and well into the fat-loss routine. Most will never get to the point where this is a big issue because most people cannot stick to this sort of extreme state that long! Also, life happens sometimes. There are times when it’s not ideal to try to diet and lose fat. I have been in this situation before, where I began looking worse as I got further into my diet. There was a sweet spot for me and I should have stayed within that sweet spot! Because over a prolonged period of time with under-eating and being “too disciplined”, cortisol levels will spike higher and you’ll end up looking lifeless with flat muscles!! So, the occasional day of eating more, carbing back up, a cheat meal, those things are often necessary to avoid looking like dogshit as you go further and further on!

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SHREDDED OPS Occasional refeeds are also necessary for better sleep, and sleep is where most of the body’s fat-burning processes take place. Refeeds won’t be necessary until at least you’re a few weeks into your diet. Don’t get this idea that you need one each week because that simply isn’t true. You may not physically NEED a refeed for 4-6 weeks into it, but mentally it may help. When you look at a bodybuilding competitor nearing a competition, you’ll notice that their eyes have dark bags underneath them. This is due to being exhausted from little food combined with hard weight training. Some of you may have already noticed this gray area between dieting for fat-loss while still trying to provide the necessary hormonal environment for proper functioning and achieving more dramatic results. For the ones who have yet to experience this, this is to let you know what you will be going through.

AVOIDING INJURIES WHILE DIETING As I stated above, one way to avoid injuries while dieting hard is to avoid using weights that are too heavy for your body to handle during a state of dieting strictly. Another way to help avoid injuries during dieting is to use a quality joint supplement. These joint supplements usually contain any combination of glucosamine, Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), chondroitin, shark cartilage, among possibly a few other joint support ingredients. Not only do these joint support supplements provide joint lubrication through synovial fluid support ingredients, but they also have anti-inflammatory properties to them making the wear and tear on your joints through weight training a lot less! Another little trick I picked up along the way is to include Jell-O in my daily diet. I simply mix 1 small 3oz package of Jell-O in a 16-20 ounce bottle of water, shake the hell out of it, and then drink it. Consuming Jell-O will help heal/prevent injuries to tendons, ligaments, and cartilage, since this food source contains amino acids enriched in collagen. Collagen is what 85% of our tendons are constructed of! I can tell you first-hand that if you have any sort of joint or tendon pain, you will notice a rapid decrease in pain within the first week after including Jell-O in your diet daily. I first began doing

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SHREDDED OPS this three times each day to help deal with tendonitis in my left triceps. Within the first few days I noticed a pretty big improvement in my level of tendon pain. After two weeks I noticed a huge difference! You don’t need to use the Jell-O brand, there are generic brands as cheap as 30 cents each from any grocery store. The body’s tendons are made up of 85% collagen, so it only makes sense that gelatin would help heal tendonitis and be a great preventative measure to take with athletes! I initially used 3 packets a day to deal with an existing injury and after the pain subsided a great degree, I then just did 1 packet mixed with a bottle of water each day. I can tell you this much: as someone who has practically tried almost every method of joint and tendon pain management, the gelatin in my diet has worked the best. I’ve used HGH, Deca-Durabolin, TB-500 peptide and I’ve had two platelet rich plasma injections (PRP) directly into my tendon, and none of them helped like including something as simple as fucking Jell-O into my daily diet! TRUTH! So, between working out wisely with proper workloads and diet supplementation for your joints and tissues, hopefully you can stay 100% throughout the process. Barbells and dumbbells were invented to help people recover from injuries and grow stronger, not to tear people down and cause the injuries. Yes, a beautiful body with muscles and definition is an awesome thing, let’s just try to stay as safe as possible while going after it!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER THREE THREE

MAINTaINInG MAINTaINInG MUSCLE MUSCLE SIZE SIZE On On STEROIDS STEROIDS VERSUS VERSUS NaTURaL NaTURaL Steroids are overrated. Yes, you may not want to hear what I just stated but it’s true. Steroids will not get you a ripped physique. They will simply help you achieve a harder and more vascular look than you could achieve naturally. The biggest difference between a natural trainer and one who is enhanced is the overall muscle size and volume of the muscle between the two of them. Someone who dabbles in performance enhancement will have the ability to look more blown up and volumized while dieting down to extremely low body-fat levels. But here is the thing that most don’t realize: the body-fat levels between a natural athlete and an enhanced athlete are pretty much the same after dieting down! Someone who uses steroids will be able to maintain more muscle mass during the dieting process and therefore have a more blown-up look after losing the fat mass. That is really the biggest difference right there. The reason that this book is specific to diet and training for fat-loss and not performance enhancement is because this method will work for anyone regardless of using steroids or not. Steroids will only enhance this method, and if that’s the route you want to go then I have already talked all about performance enhancement in my other guide, Straight from the Underground. If you follow the advice in this book, then you’ll get a ripped physique. If you couple that with anabolic steroids then yes, you’ll look even more impressive! But I’m not here to tell you what to do, that is up to you. I know what I do, and that’s a choice I made a long time ago. The difference between whether I had chosen to use steroids or stay natural would have come down to about weighing 20 lbs. less overall. Instead of weighing a fairly lean 234 lbs. right now at 5’9, I’d probably be about 214 lbs. at my

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SHREDDED OPS current level of body fat. If dieting down into mid single-digit body fat levels I would probably weigh around 180-190 lbs. Friends, for males of average height I feel that 180-200 lbs. leaned out is about the genetic ceiling for a natural athlete. And at that size this would be considered a larger natural bodybuilder.

BE REALISTIC ABOUT YOUR GOALS There is no reason to continue to shovel food in your face and try to be some 250 lbs. mass monster without anabolic steroids alongside your plan. It’s simply not realistic and if most guys using a ton of steroids have trouble hitting a quality 250 lbs., then what makes you think you could do it without chemical assistance? If you’ve never used steroids before then allow me to introduce you to what the reality of using them is all about. You will spend thousands upon thousands of dollars running steroid cycles over the years to maintain a look you couldn’t maintain naturally. A simple “one and done” cycle will not do shit! I repeat, A SIMPLE, ONE AND DONE CYCLE WILL NOT DO SHIT! We are talking a car payment type expense monthly on steroids for many people to maintain that look throughout the year. If money is an issue for you and you need to pinch every penny possible then my advice is to stay away from them. If you are in the financial position to fork over the extra money and currently have a primary care doctor then that’s a choice I’m not going to disagree with, because that’s my situation.

A DEDICATED NATURAL ATHLETE CAN LOOK INCREDIBLE! A dedicated natural athlete can look very impressive! In my opinion, I think even most guys using steroids are half-assing their routines and achieving sub-par results. A natural athlete who is on top of his game and carefully tracking his food intake will look better in this situation. If you’re an enhanced athlete who is doing everything that the most dedicated natural athlete is doing, then you’ll look light years beyond him! But dedication and consistency become the key

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SHREDDED OPS factor in any case, not what someone is using. That is the biggest reason I wanted to write a book that focused primarily on the process of getting shredded in any case. A natural trainee will benefit from following this advice and someone using performance enhancement will benefit in the same manner. Like I said before, if performance enhancement is something you’ve made your mind up to try, then definitely check out Straight from the Underground on how to use then properly. Straight from the Underground goes over everything from injection techniques to 30+ cycle templates for incredible results, and precautionary measures to take while using anabolic steroids, Human Growth Hormone, and various other performance enhancing peptides and drugs!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER FOUR FOUR

THE THE IDEaL IDEaL PHYSIQUE PHYSIQUE THAT THAT YOU YOU Can Can CaRRY CaRRY YEaR YEaR ROUND ROUND Ok, now this is the state of physical appearance that most people want to be in: it’s a strong and healthy build that looks below average body fat year-round! Well, the good news is that this is very possible when you adopt this method of dieting and training as your lifestyle! The bad news is that making what I’d consider a “physique transformation” is going to be a period of initial hell! Think about how long you may have been eating junk foods and neglecting weights, cardio, and/ or both! This doesn’t just turn itself around overnight, and even making a transformation in an 8-12 week time period isn’t much time to do it... BUT WITH ENOUGH DEDICATION, IT CAN BE DONE! To me, walking around at anything below 8% body-fat isn’t something I can maintain all year long. If I had to throw you a number off the top of my head that’s maintainable and manageable year-round, I’d say anywhere from 10% - 12% body-fat is a realistic and healthy level to be at. Now don’t get me wrong here, 10% - 12% body-fat still looks very impressive on someone who is well-built! It still looks lean, healthy, and you’re still going to set yourself apart from the crowd. The abdominal muscles will be somewhat visible, and most everything else will be lean. We don’t hold much body-fat in areas like our chest, calves, arms, and upper back. Typically, the problem areas when it comes to body-fat levels are the abdomen, upper quads, glutes, and lower back. When you’re still below the average level of 14% - 16% body-fat, you will look very impressive walking around during any random day of the year! You can still wear form fitting clothing and still hear compliments from random strangers about your appearance!

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BUILDING COMES IN SMALLER WINDOWS WHEN YOU’RE LEANER If there is one thing I’ve realized as I’ve been in the gym longer and longer, it’s that the building phases come in much smaller windows. It’s simply not worth the excess fat gain to walk around just a tad big bigger. I like to be in a position where I can diet off the unwanted body-fat in as little as 8 weeks, but also put myself in a position to volumize my muscles and make small gains when I want to. But I’ve realized is that these tiny gains are very rare after being in the gym for so many years. Let me just give you an example of how small gains really are at this point. About 10 years ago I had a body analysis performed and I had it done directly 1 year after a prior body analysis. During that year I ate my ass off, I trained my ass off, and I ran 2-3 cycles of moderately dosed anabolics. Do you want to know how much net muscle tissue I gained in an entire year? I put on 2.2 lbs.; that was it! Now, this was about 10 years ago, so where do you think I’m at now in terms of growing new muscle tissue? Is it worth continuing to shovel excessive calories in my face and train as heavy as possible to gain any new muscle tissue? The answer is NO. I’m far beyond the point of diminishing returns and the risk strongly outweighs any reward. So, I focus on trying to stay leaner as much as I can. Now, there are times during the year I’m not quite as lean as I am in the summer, but I’m always relatively lean to most common standards. I have smaller blocks during the year where I train heavier and try to put the size back on, but there are fewer blocks of doing that than there are with trying to stay lean and mean! Be honest with yourself about how much you’re still able to gain. If you’ve been in the gym under 5 years or so, then maybe there is still more to gain? But if you’ve been at it awhile and aren’t committed to spending thousands of dollars for just a little more size, then my advice is to eat cleaner and stay leaner. Because that’s the reality of the situation - spending thousands of dollars for about 5-10 lbs. more.

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SHREDDED OPS

HOW YOUR PHYSIQUE CAN AFFECT YOUR LIFE Dieting can often make you irritable, fatigued, and no fun to be around. It took me a few times of going through the process to get used to it and manage my mood better. Most bodybuilding competitors don’t have much going on outside of training for a competition, and if they do they usually have employees that can run things for them while they focus on dieting down. The average Joe isn’t in a position to diet down that low all the time. This can cause issues with your income, your relationships, and your emotional well-being. It’s important to know when to pull the plug on coming down leaner. Now, on the other side of the coin, being fat is miserable also. When you’re fat you have no energy, you sleep terrible, your sex drive and bedroom performance usually sucks, and not only are you lazy but you look that way to everyone too! Walking that fine line between being strong and lean is where most people want to be, and quite honestly, it’s the best place to be for most people. It can improve your work performance rather than hinder it, improve your energy and mood, improve your sleep, and improve your relationships with people! When you look the part of someone strong and lean, people just smell the confidence that comes off you! Having confidence makes every other area of your life that much better! So, I just want you guys to understand that having a ripped-up body can make a positive impact on your life or a negative impact, it just depends on how ripped-up you are. With that being said, I still go for broke sometimes and try to get as ripped up as I possibly can, but this is during times when it’s not hindering other things that I have going on in my life. I would NOT try getting as ripped as possible if I had any life changing event going on. Things such as trying to get a promotion at work, moving, buying or selling a home, focusing on classes for work or school, these are all examples of times I would not go for broke with getting as ripped as I possibly could. Just remember this one thing for me: some things in life we don’t get back. The gym is always going to be there for us. Be smart about doing this and be smart about how far you can go without it having a negative impact on your life!

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SHREDDED OPS

PICTURES DON’T LIE, YOU’RE NOT AS LEAN AS YOU THINK There are going to be times when you look at yourself in the mirror and see this ripped up guy with veins bulging and pumped up muscles and visible abs. Then you have a few photos taken of you and you think to yourself, “What the fuck!” That’s right my friend, you’re never going to be as lean as you think you are until you can see photos of yourself and think you’re as ripped in photos as you think you are in reality. It’s important to take photos on a regular basis so you can gauge how much progress you’re making when you’re dieting. Often times we get so used to seeing ourselves that we honestly don’t know how much progress we’re making. When I work with bodybuilding competitors, the final few weeks before a competition is when they’re usually going crazy. They have no idea what they’re looking at because they’ve seen it so much. They send me photos on a weekly basis and sometimes a daily basis as the show draws nearer. Photos will also keep you motivated. When you see how far you’ve come after looking back on where you were it may help motivate you to keep going for more! A good mind-game I always used to play was to make believe that there was a competition every weekend. I’d say to myself, “You better get ready, the contest is next Saturday.” Then after saying that to myself for about 8-12 weeks in a row I would be much further along than I would have been knowing I had more time to get lean! This may be a way for you to get leaner than you could otherwise also. Tell yourself that there is no time to waste and that every Saturday there is an event coming up. See if it works for you!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER FIVE FIVE

THE THE DIET DIET RECIPE RECIPE FOR FOR FAT-LOSS FAT-LOSS SUCCESS SUCCESS

The diet for a successful fat-loss transformation will be different for everyone depending on what they’re used to and where they’re currently at as a starting point. If you have been eating fairly regimented for a while, then you can start off with dieting strictly right out of the gate. However, if you’ve been eating bad foods then a more realistic method to dieting would be to clean up the diet the first 2-3 weeks. Cleaning up the diet doesn’t mean a huge drop in caloric intake right from the beginning. It means that when you’re hungry you just eat clean foods! This doesn’t need to be too specific in portions from the start, but my advice is to get used to eating without feeling 100% full. So slowly lower the portions per meal until you get to a point where you’re used to it after 2-3 weeks. The only good diet is a diet you can stick to. Let’s be real here, what you’ve been doing before hasn’t been getting you as lean as you’d like to be, so I always suggest doing what it is you haven’t been doing! If you’ve been skipping breakfast, then begin by eating breakfast. If you’ve only been eating breakfast and then a giant meal before bedtime, then begin by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. As your metabolism speeds up and you start hitting the workouts harder you will get hungrier soon enough. Next, you find healthier small meals to bridge the gaps between your 3 main meals of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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SHREDDED OPS

THE DIET FOODS THAT WORK PROTEIN SOURCES • • • • • • • •

Ground turkey White fish such as tilapia, orange roughy, flounder Lean ground beef (at least 90% lean) Salmon (in limited amounts, 6-8 ounces per day max) Tuna fish Lean steaks (sirloin, London broil, NY strips, top/bottom round, shoulders) Eggs and egg whites (or liquid egg white cartons) Whey protein powder (2 shakes a day max)

CARB SOURCES • • • • • • • •

White rice Brown rice White, red, or sweet potatoes Oatmeal Grits Cream of rice Cream of wheat Fruits (eat sparingly, 1-2x per day max)

FIBROUS CARBS (DON’T COUNT TOWARDS TOTAL DAILY CARB INTAKE) • • • •

Steamed broccoli Mixed veggies Brussel sprouts Asparagus

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SHREDDED OPS HEALTHY FAT SOURCES • • • • • • • •

Flaxseed oil Avocado Coconut oil Extra virgin olive oil Fish oil w/ omegas Natural peanut butter (use sparingly, 3 tablespoons per day max) Almond butter (3 tablespoons per day max) Salmon in limited quantities (counts as a fat as well as a protein)

THE DIET STRUCTURE The diet will be structured based on a starting point that is approximately 500-800 calories below your total daily energy expenditure. An easy way to figure this out is to use a TDEE calculator. Simply do a Google search for “TDEE CALCULATOR” and fill in your information to the best of your knowledge. This will give you a ballpark range to begin your diet. Once you have a general idea of what eating 500-800 calories below maintenance requirements is like, you can better manage your diet and meal planning for a longer duration. Be mindful of not falling too far below your daily maintenance calories when dieting so you don’t get as tempted to binge eat and fall off the wagon! Like I said, a good 500-800 calories below maintenance calories will be a good place to start. In terms of the diet, I’m going to make this really cut and dry for you. Aim for 1 gram of protein per lb. of bodyweight for your daily protein requirements. I myself would start with a moderate carbohydrate approach while limiting fat intake to 100 grams a day of healthy fats. If you’re an athlete who is using testosterone, then fats can be taken almost totally out of the equation at times, but understand that fats are necessary for hormone production for natural trainers who aren’t running anabolic steroids. Please adjust portions and add up calories/nutrients to suit your current body weight. Study how many calories are in the portions you will be eating. Consume 1 gram of protein per lb. of bodyweight, a little over this amount is fine. Aim for drinking at least 1 gallon of water per day. The water intake will help burn fat quicker.

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SHREDDED OPS The reason for this is because your body needs to heat the water to be able to use it and this stimulates a metabolic response. Once you memorize the calorie amounts in certain foods and serving sizes you will always know how to diet and will be able to tweak things as needed. An easy way to diet is to eat an approximate number of calories per meal. For example, I know that 1 cup of dry measure oats is 300 calories, and I know that a 6 oz serving of cooked chicken is approximately 280 calories. Therefore, I have 580 calories in that meal. If I’m trying to get shredded, my next meal may only be 400 calories, since I’d be trying to stay slightly under 3,000 calories a day myself. So, when I estimate total calories per meal multiplied by a specific number of meals a day it makes it easier to stay on track. Part of this process is self-experimentation and I can only provide so much for you. But I believe that this is a really good starting point for the majority of people trying to diet to drop a lot of bodyfat:

Meal 1: 1 protein source, 1 carb source Meal 2: 1 protein source, 1 carb source Meal 3: 1 protein source, 1 carb source Meal 4: 1 protein source, 1 carb source, 1 vegetable source (fibrous carbs that do not count

as regular carbohydrate intake), 1 fat source

Meal 5: 1 protein source, 1 vegetable source, 1 fat source Meal 6 (optional): 1 protein source Flip-flopping meals around is normal practice for most bodybuilders. When you read about a diet someone posts, they’re usually laying out a meal plan that is supposedly meal-for-meal exactly as described. I’m here to tell you that most of the time that is bullshit! They just don’t know how to explain it in the way I’m telling you, but swapping meals around is normal practice. Also, changing foods up is normal practice also. If you’re sick of chicken this week then switch to fish the following week. If you’re tired of sweet potatoes, then switch to white rice. Sick of steamed broccoli? Simple, switch to asparagus! Also, don’t be a “protein shake guy.” One or two protein shakes per day is fine, but no more than that. Mix your protein powder in water and don’t be a pussy about it. You don’t need milk, it’s for fat asses!

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SHREDDED OPS It’s really that simple. Remember, we are already consuming healthy foods here and our workouts and cardio are burning a lot of calories too. Follow this simple and effective diet plan to start seeing great results!

SEaSONInGS aND CONDIMEnTS ON FOODS I don’t eat my meat unseasoned and I don’t eat plain eggs and egg whites yet I still get ripped up! The amount of sodium in seasonings and condiments is negligible to me since I’m not getting sodium from much else during my diet (with the exception of pre-workout sodium once I get leaner). Guess what? Our bodies need some sodium because it helps utilize fluids and muscles are composed of 75% water. Condiments are something I’ll occasionally use also. I like salsa on my egg whites, and when I’m sick of salsa I’ll use hot sauce, A-1, or just plain old ketchup. I’ll stir in sugar-free maple syrup with my oats also. The big thing here is to use condiments that don’t contain unhealthy fats, which most of them contain no fat anyways (One exception is certain salad dressings. I always go with balsamic vinaigrette when possible). Do what you need to do in order to hit your meals. The food is already fairly bland here, adding a little seasoning is fine for me.

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CHAPTER CHAPTER SIX SIX

SHREDDED OPS PHaSE ONE

Forget everything you thought you were supposed to do for the perfect workout routine! I used to think like this too: “Don’t train back after biceps, don’t train shoulders with chest, don’t train over 1 hour maximum”, and the rules go on and on. While I wouldn’t perform a routine such as Shredded Ops all year, I will say that Shredded Ops breaks a lot of rules. Breaking these rules is a change of pace from traditional weight lifting routines, and you’ll see that the endorphin release from Shredded Ops is incredible! You’ll be combining bodyweight resistance and weight lifting in some of your workouts. These workouts are set up in 3 separate 4-week blocks to give maximum stimulation to the chest, back, and legs during each of these 4-week blocks. You may have been in the gym a long time by now, but this particular workout is nothing to sneeze at. I don’t care if your bench press is over 400 lbs. and your squat is over 700 lbs., you can still benefit immensely from doing these bodyweight movements! The push-ups will provide a stretch and pump in the pectorals that a regular press with weights just cannot duplicate! Throw them in with resistance training and the pump is unbelievable! Also, these bodyweight movements will serve to “wake up” these muscle groups and stimulate them more when each phase is over. So, essentially what you’ll discover is that you’ll be hammering the shit out of one of your 3 largest body parts (chest, back, legs) during each phase, and then after that phase you will back off that body part and go back to a more traditional approach. You’ll still be stimulating that muscle group in the prior/following phases, but it won’t be overkill on each muscle throughout the entire program. Bodybuilding is all about pushing the pedal to the metal during certain times, but also knowing when to back off...ESPECIALLY DURING A FAT-LOSS DIET!

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SHREDDED OPS This provides maximum stimulation (not to mention insane calorie burning) to that muscle group so it responds well, and then it’s going to respond MORE during the weeks after you discontinue it and move to your next bodyweight movement! So, think of it like this: the stimulation provided to a muscle group several weeks prior enhances your look and fullness during the following phases of JDB’s Shredded Ops!

WEEKS 1-4 (PHase ONE) Push-ups - Performed for a maximum rep count that you set for yourself. Perform a single set of push-ups and see how many you can get in a row. Perform these in a pumping sort of fashion, quickly, and stopping about 3/4 of the way up to keep tension on the chest and avoid locking out the elbows. Now, you take this maximum number of push-ups you could get in a single set and multiply it by 5. This will be the total number of push-ups you will do as your starting point. A good goal to have is to try and increase your push-ups by 100 reps of total push-ups every week. Try adding the extra reps onto your sets as you get better at performing push-ups! I like to change hand position from wide to narrow on every other set, and I myself use dumbbells for my hand placement on push-ups due to genetic limited wrist mobility. This workout is designed to pre-pump all upper body muscles, so you are good and warmed up for everything you do in the gym on this day! Tip - It may be a wise idea to place your cheat meal the day prior to this day for the added energy as this day will be demanding!

Day 1 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG FORWaRD DaY Smith machine incline press or Hammer strength machine (or other type of chest press machine) - For sets on the chest machine we will be performing sets of 5-8 reps using a moderate weight Directly after your set of chest press perform a set of push-ups for as many reps as possible Return to chest press for another set of 5-8 reps

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SHREDDED OPS Directly after this set of chest press perform a set of push-ups for as many reps as possible Repeat sets of chest presses directly followed by push-ups until at least 50% of your push-up total rep goal is completed (i.e.: if your rep goal is 250 reps for push-ups then this will be equivalent to 3 sets of the chest press machine and 3 sets of 50 reps on push-ups (since we are beginning with 5x our maximum number of push-ups in one set) Next, pick one shoulder exercise, being either an overhead machine press (or Smith machine) OR side lateral raises with dumbbells. You will perform sets of 1215 reps on whichever exercise you choose. Directly after your set of shoulder work you will perform a set of push ups Return to shoulder press or side laterals for another set of 12-15 reps Directly after this set of shoulder work you will perform another set of push-ups You will do your shoulder work until 75%-100% of your total push up count is completed Up next is the final exercise of the workout, and this is a bicep exercise of either standing dumbbell curls (curl both arms simultaneously) OR standing dumbbell hammer curls for sets of 15-20 reps. Directly after your set of curls you will perform a set of push-ups if you have yet to hit your target push up total rep count Return to your sets of curls and perform another set of 15-20 reps Directly after this set of curls return do a set of push-ups if you have yet to hit your target total rep count ***YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU HIT YOUR TARGET PUSH UP GOAL BEFORE COMPLETING THE REMAINING EXERCISES, OR YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU NEED TO DO MORE SETS OF PUSH UPS BETWEEN SETS OF ALTERNATE EXERCISES*** ***If you fall short on your sets of push-ups then make that set a rest-pause set, and rest a brief 10 seconds and pick back up and keep counting (i.e.: your goal is 50 reps per set, you fail at rep #42, you rest a brief 10 seconds and then hit the remaining 8 reps)

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DaY 2 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG BaCKWaRDS DaY All exercises outside of push-ups should be pyramided up in weight each set Wide grip lateral pulldowns OR Pulldown machine - Perform 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps per set Seated cable rows OR Row machine such as Hammer Strength row - Perform 3-5 sets of 15-20 reps per set (use a moderate weight you can get a good squeeze with) Rear delt raises w/ Dumbbells OR Reverse pec deck machine - Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps per set Hyperextensions w/ bodyweight only for lower back - Perform 3-5 sets of 15-20 reps “50 rep triceps blast”- For this exercise you will do a close grip bench press for your triceps using the Smith Machine. You will perform 1 warm up set of 15-25 reps using a very light weight. (If you do not have a Smith machine then use a narrow grip on a barbell or EZ-curl bar, but Smith Machine is best for this rep scheme) We are using the Smith machine here because we are strictly focusing on pump. Your working set will be performed in this manner: Use a quicker pumping type fashion for your reps, stopping about 2” before touching your chest and stopping roughly 3/4 of the way up, keeping constant tension on your triceps! For your working set you will double the weight that you used in your warmup set. (i.e.: my warmup would be 25 lbs. per side, my working set will be 50 lbs. per side) You will be going a lot lighter here than you would normally go due to the way we are performing the reps. The 10th rep pause and stretch - every 10th rep you hit during your working set of 50 reps, you will go all the way down to touch your chest with the bar and hold this pause for 5-8 seconds. This will send a really good stretch up your entire triceps from your elbow to your shoulder. Then after this hold you will continue on in the quicker, pumping type motion until you get to rep #20. Then you will do the pause again at rep #20. You will do this again on rep #30, #40, and finally on rep #50. THE 50 REP TRICEP BLAST IS BRUTAL! One warm up set followed by a single working set is all you need for triceps on this day! Remember, triceps are indirectly

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SHREDDED OPS being worked through your push up days as well. If you can add a small 2.5 lb. plate to each side the following week and hit the same rep count then excellent, but during a dieting phase this very well may seem impossible at times. ***If you fall short on reps then make this a rest-pause set, rest a brief 10 seconds after you fail and then pick back up and keep counting up from that point (i.e.: fail at rep #37, rest 10 seconds, perform 10 more reps, rest 10 seconds and perform the final 3 reps)

DaY 3 - LOWER BODY DaY/aBS All exercises should be pyramided up in weight each set Leg extensions - performing 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps/set Leg presses OR Squats OR a Squat machine (I’d alternate the leg pressing exercises each workout) - performing 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps Lying leg curls OR Seated leg curls - performing 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps Standing or Seated calf raises - performing 3-5 sets of 20 reps 100 reps of ab work - pick ANY ab exercises and complete 100 reps total in whatever rep/set scheme you’d like.

DaY 4 - OFF DaY Take the day off.

DaY 5 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG FORWaRD DaY #2 On this day we will swap out the Smith machine presses for either the Pec deck or Cable flies instead. The chest may already be somewhat fatigued from all of the chest work earlier in the week, so we will substitute something other than just a press followed by a set of push-ups. Cable crossovers OR Pec deck machine - perform a set of 8-12 reps with moderate weight

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SHREDDED OPS Directly after your set of chest press perform a set of push-ups for as many reps as possible Return to flies or crossovers for another set of 8-12 reps Directly after this set of cable crossovers or pec deck flies perform a set of push-ups for as many reps as possible Repeat sets of cable crossovers or the pec deck until at least 50% of your total pushup rep goal is complete Pick 1 shoulder exercise, being either an overhead machine press (or Smith machine) OR side lateral raises with dumbbells. You will perform a set of 12-15 reps on whichever exercise you choose. Do whichever exercise you did not do on day #1, either a press machine or a side lateral raise. Perform sets of 12-15 reps on whichever exercise you didn’t do last time Directly after your set of shoulder work you will perform a set of push-ups Return to shoulder press or side laterals for another set of 12-15 reps Directly after this set of shoulder work you will perform another set of push-ups You will do your shoulder work until 75%-100% of your total push-ups are completed ***YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU HIT YOUR TARGET PUSH UP GOAL BEFORE COMPLETING THE REMAINING EXERCISES, OR YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU NEED TO DO MORE SETS OF PUSH UPS BETWEEN SETS OF ALTERNATE EXERCISES*** ***If you fall short on your sets of push-ups then make that set a rest-pause set, and rest a brief 10 seconds and pick back up and keep counting (i.e.; your goal is 50 reps per set, you fail at rep #42, you rest a brief 10 seconds and then hit the remaining 8 reps) Up next is the final exercise of the workout, and this is a bicep exercise of either standing dumbbell curls (curl both arms simultaneously) OR standing dumbbell hammer curls for sets of 15-20 reps. Do whatever exercise you didn’t do on upper body/muscles facing forward day #1. So, it’s either going to be dumbbell hammer curls or regular dumbbell curls Directly after your set of curls you will perform a set of push-ups if you have yet to hit your target push up total rep count Return to your sets of curls and perform another set of 15-20 reps

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SHREDDED OPS Directly after this set of curls return to a set of push-ups if you have yet to hit your target total rep count ***YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU HIT YOUR TARGET PUSH UP GOAL BEFORE COMPLETING THE REMAINING EXERCISES, OR YOU MAY FIND THAT YOU NEED TO DO MORE SETS OF PUSH UPS BETWEEN SETS OF ALTERNATE EXERCISES***

DaY 6 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG BaCKWaRDS DaY #2 All exercises outside of push-ups should be pyramided up in weight each set Parallel grip lateral pull downs - Perform 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps per set Seated cable rows OR Row machine such as Hammer Strength row - Perform 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps per set (use a slightly heavier weight this time for 8-12 reps) Rear delt raises w/ dumbbells OR reverse pec deck machine - Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps per set (use a slightly heavier weight than last time) Hyperextensions w/ bodyweight only for lower back - Perform 3-5 sets of 15-20 reps Barbell or plate shrugs (holding 45 lb. plates in each hand) - Perform 3 sets of 15-25 reps “50 rep triceps blast”- For this exercise you will do a close grip bench press for your triceps using the Smith Machine. You will perform 1 warm up set of 15-25 reps using a very light weight. (If you do not have a Smith machine then use a narrow grip on a barbell or EZ-curl bar, but Smith Machine is best for this rep scheme) We are performing this same exercise again for our upper body/muscles facing backwards day #2 No, it NOT a misprint! Perform in the same, quicker pumping fashion as you did the first day of these with a 50-rep working set, where every 10th rep is a pause and hold!

DaY 7 - LOWER BODY/aBS DaY #2 (NO PUSHUPS THIS DAY) All exercises should be pyramided up in weight each set

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SHREDDED OPS Leg extensions - Perform 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps/set Leg presses OR squats OR a squat machine (I’d alternate the leg pressing exercises each workout) - Perform 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps Lying leg curls OR seated leg curls - Perform 3-5 sets of 12-15 reps Standing or seated calf raises - Perform 3-5 sets of 20 reps 100 reps of ab work - Pick ANY ab exercises and complete 100 reps total in whatever rep/set scheme you’d like.

DaY 8 - OFF DAY Take the day off

DaY 9 - REPEaT THE 7-DaY CYCLE (perform 4 of these cycles) Repeat the 7-day cycle over again for an additional 3 weeks to bring the 4-week total of phase three to a close. Note: although this workout is structured, it’s also somewhat instinctive based on the amount of push up sets/reps you can do. You may find that you’re completing the push-ups before the rest of the workout, or you may find you need the entire workout to complete them. (If you complete the pushups before the rest of the workout, still do the remainder of the workout!) Any modifications you deem necessary to stick to this routine, don’t be afraid to tweak it a little bit if needed!

HOW CaRDIO IS STRUCTURED AROUnD THIS WORKOUT The workout itself is pretty demanding and cardio should be performed in a realistic manner that allows you to stay consistent with it. I have also found that the push-ups help to maintain a higher heart rate during the workouts on those days since they’re supersetted (thrown in directly after) a weight resistance set and performed for many reps!

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SHREDDED OPS I’d keep cardio at 20 minutes daily 3-5x per week. Now, here’s what I want you to do for cardio: DO WHAT YOU FUCKING HATE THE MOST! For me, it’s the exercise bike right now. Whatever type of cardio you hate the most, that’s what I want you to do for results! Just get the cardio done, I don’t care what time you do it. That shit concerning time of cardio is overrated anyways!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER SEVEN SEVEN

SHREDDED SHREDDED OPS OPS PHaSE PHaSE TWO TWO

WEEKS 5-8 (PHASE TWO) Pull-ups - Performed for a maximum rep count that you set for yourself. Perform a single set of pull-ups and see how many you can get in a row. Now, take this maximum number of pull-ups you got in a single set and multiply it by 5. This will be the total number of pull-ups you will do as your starting point. A good goal to have is to try and increase your pull-ups by 25 reps of total pull-ups per workout every week. Try adding the extra reps onto your sets as you get better at performing pull-ups! Tip - It may be a wise idea to place your cheat meal the day prior to this day for the added energy, this day will be demanding!

DaY 1 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG BaCKWaRDS DaY Pyramid up in weight each set of weight exercises We will begin by performing a set of pull-ups for as many reps as possible. (Because pull-ups are generally more demanding than lateral pulldowns, we will place them first and reverse the order of our bodyweight exercises and weighted exercises). After your first set of pull-ups go directly into a set of 8-12 lateral pulldowns with whichever grip you feel like (change the grip every workout). Return back to the pull-ups for another set of as many reps as possible

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SHREDDED OPS Go back into another set of lateral pulldowns for 8-12 reps YOU WILL GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN BODYWEIGHT PULL UPS AND WEIGHTED PULL DOWNS UNTIL 50% OF YOUR TOTAL PULL UP COUNT IS COMPLETED Note: Use the assisted pull-up machine if needed, but your goal is to get off it ASAP and start doing pull-ups with your bodyweight! Your lateral pulldowns will be a moderate weight since you’ll be pre-exhausted from pull-ups. After we complete at least 50% of our total pull-up count for the workout, we will give that motion a break and go to deadlifts. You will perform 3 sets of deadlifts for 5-8 reps per set, pyramiding up in weight as you do each set. Parallel grip OR overhand grip seated cable rows - Perform 2 sets of 20 reps here using a lighter weight and going for a maximum squeeze on each contraction Upright rows using dumbbells OR Smith machine - 2 sets of 20 reps here using a lighter weight and going for a maximum squeeze on each contraction Triceps press downs - I want you to do 1 warm up set of 25 reps here, then double the weight and do a single working set of 50 reps, pausing every 10th rep at the bottom for 5-8 seconds when your arms locked out straight, holding the contraction for maximum squeeze!

DaY 2 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FaCInG FORWaRD DaY All exercises should be pyramided up in weight each set Flat or low incline dumbbell presses - Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps Flat or low incline dumbbell flies - Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps Seated overhead dumbbell presses - Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps Alternate front lateral raises with dumbbells - Perform 2 sets of 20 reps per arm (stay lighter here) Next up, we will move onto biceps. Now, I know what you’re thinking here: It’s a bad day for biceps with all of the back work you did the day prior. FUCK THAT! Get that thought out of your head right now, your body makes changes as a whole unit! Treat each day like a fresh slate and let your body adapt to the challenges you place on it! Standing barbell curls or EZ-bar curls - Perform 2 sets of 20 reps (going light with a

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SHREDDED OPS 2 second pause at the top of each rep) Seated concentration curls - Perform 2 sets of 8-12 reps Alternate DB curls - Perform 2 sets of 8-12 reps

DaY 3 - LEGS/aBS All exercises should be pyramided up in weight each set Leg extensions - Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps Lying leg curls - Perform 3 sets of 15-20 reps Leg press or hack squat machine - Perform 5 sets of 20 reps Seated or standing calf raises - Perform 5 sets of 20 reps Abs - Pick any ab exercise and do 100 reps, perform in any rep and set scheme you’d like

DaY 4 - OFF DAY Take the day off

DaY 5 - nO WEIGHTS Just do cardio today

DaY 6 - REPEaT THE 5-DaY CYCLE AGaIn You will perform 4 of these 5-day cycles, making it a 20-day phase total. You are to perform cardio for 20 minutes a session x 3 sessions per week. Again, it doesn’t matter when you do it, just get it in! The reason behind a 3-day split followed by 2 days off directly afterwards is PERIODIZATION. We are still keeping up with intense workouts, but there are 2 days off weight training

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SHREDDED OPS after every 3 days in a row trained so we can enhance recovery while continuing to hit the gym hard within a 5-day time-frame that allows us to work our entire body.

AFTER COMPLETING THE 20-DAY CYCLE OF SHREDDED OPS PHASE 2 You will double up on your cardio for the next 8 days in a row and avoid any weight training. This will take place right at the point when your body wants to fight back on fat-loss progression. ***DURING THESE 8 DAYS OFF WEIGHTS, YOU WILL PERFORM 40 MINUTES OF CARDIO EVERY DAY*** It’s very important to try your best to avoid weights for these next 8 days. The goal here is to give your body a chance to rest while still remaining in a caloric deficit while increasing cardio to enhance more fat-loss! Do you remember that dreaded enemy cortisol I was speaking about earlier in this book? Well this is the point where we want to limit that as much as possible and be aware of adrenal fatigue as well. There is a damn good reason I have 8 days in a row without lifting weights directly after your first 2 Shredded Ops phases! You’ve just put your body through an extremely demanding 7 weeks and this is the point where it probably needs to regroup before the final 4 weeks of intense training. Continue on with the diet during the 8-day break from weights!

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CHAPTER CHAPTER EIGHT EIGHT

SHREDDED OPS PHaSE THREE

If you’ve made it this far then you’re a rarity. Most people would have fucking quit by now. But you’re not “most people” so let’s get ready for the final 4 weeks! Stay with me here, these next 4 weeks are going to be grueling. You’re probably running on empty right now from the diet. That’s good, that’s one way to know you’re doing it right! You’ve also probably been receiving a lot of compliments by now on the changes you’ve made in such a short period of time! Listen to me very carefully: FUCK EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW! This is where the tires meet the pavement and we keep our foot to the gas pedal until the end. If you’ve made it this far then there is no going back! You are to stick with me here and see this fucking shit out! You will feel tired by now. There will be days you feel like a zombie because your body-fat is getting lower. You’re probably noticing a lot more vascularity as well. Hearing the comments roll in is nice, but these next 4 weeks go far beyond doing anything for that. The way you feel right now is how every bodybuilder feels when they’re cutting this much bodyfat! You’re not a special case here, this is normal at this point! These next 4 weeks are the final stretch to SEE JUST WHAT THE FUCK YOU’RE MADE OF! During times like these, I always think back to one of my favorite lines from a heavy metal band called Kataklysm… “Prevail, the time has come crush the enemy one by one, Prevail, like a venomous snake ready to strike and dominate, Prevail, we conquer as one POUND THE ENEMY TILL IT’S DONE!”

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SHREDDED OPS You might be asking yourself who your enemy is right now. My friend, your enemy is self-doubt. Destroy all self-doubt for me and see this thing through! SO, LET’S GET DOWN TO IT AND CRUSH THIS FINAL PHASE OF JDB’S SHREDDED OPS!

WEEKS 9-12 (PHASE 3) Bodyweight squats - Bodyweight squats are just that...squatting with nothing but your bodyweight till your quads go parallel with the floor. You are to set a bodyweight squat rep goal for each lower body workout. To figure this goal out, perform a single set of bodyweight squats for as many reps as you can until muscle failure. Next, take the number of maximum repetitions you performed for 1 set and multiply it by 5. Your starting goal should be that many bodyweight squats per workout. So, if you did 100 squats in a row, your goal for the workout would be 500 reps total. No, this isn’t easy, it’s a living hell! Tip - It may be a wise idea to place your cheat meal the day prior to this day for the added energy, this day will be demanding!

THE PRE-WORKOUT SODIUM LOAD Nutrient retention in your muscles is going to be essential in the final phase of the routine in order to keep from going flat. You shouldn’t be eating a ton of carbs right now, but we still don’t want you to lose that pump in the gym. One way to help avoid this issue is to consume 1/2-1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt about 2030 minutes prior to training. I’d either mix it in with your pre-workout drink or stir in with water. You definitely want to mix it, it’s not wise to do the “dump and rinse” method with this much sodium at one time. You will notice some insane pumps in the gym from doing this, especially when you’re in the lean condition that you should be getting into by this point.

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SHREDDED OPS

DAY 1 - LOWER BODY/ABS You will begin this workout by using a leg press machine. This workout is too demanding on your quads to risk a lower back injury from squats, so I’d suggest using a machine for your heavier leg pressing. Perform a leg press on a machine for a set of 8-12 reps After you perform a set of leg presses with a moderate weight you will immediately perform a set of bodyweight squats for as many reps as possible until failure in this set. Go back to the leg press again and perform another set for 8-12 reps (pyramid up in weight if possible) After that set of leg presses you will do another set of bodyweight squats. You will go back and forth between leg presses and bodyweight squats until you have completed at least 50% of your total bodyweight squat rep goal. After completing your leg presses and at least 50% of your total bodyweight squat rep goal, we will now move on to lying leg curls. Perform a set of 8-12 lying leg curls (using a moderate weight that you get a good squeeze with) Go back to another set of bodyweight squats Go back to an additional set of lying leg curls for 8-12 reps Do another set of bodyweight squats You will continue on with lying leg curls, followed by bodyweight squats until you have completed 75-100% of your total bodyweight squat rep goal! Leg extensions - Perform 2 sets of 20 reps with a light weight that we can get maximum squeeze out of! (Don’t worry about the weight used here, simply focus on the squeeze!) Either seated, standing, OR calf press machine - Perform 3 sets of 25 reps here (pyramiding up in weight each set) Abs - Pick any exercise you want and hit 100 total reps, performed in any set or rep scheme that suits you!

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SHREDDED OPS

DAY 2 - OFF DAY Take the day off

DAY 3 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FACING FORWARD DAY ***Train lighter here to avoid injury while dieted down in this state. TRAIN STRICTLY FOR PUMP! *** Incline press, flat press, OR chest press machine - Perform 3-4 sets of 12-15 reps Flat or incline dumbbell flies - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps Side lateral raises OR overhead shoulder press machine (or Smith machine) Perform 3 sets of 25 reps Standing dumbbell curls OR standing hammer curls (curl both arms simultaneously) - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps Preacher curls OR preacher curl machine (such as Hammer Strength preacher curls) - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps

DAY 4 - UPPER BODY/MUSCLES FACING BACKWARDS DAY We aren’t focusing on how much we are lifting anymore, train strictly for a good pump and muscular contraction. Tip - Consume 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt pre-workout for this phase. It will be beneficial for achieving a good pump in a dieted down state! Mix with water or pre-workout drink 20 minutes before you train! Reverse grip lateral pulldowns - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps Seated cable rows (alternate between parallel grip and overhand grip every other workout) - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps Straight arm pulldowns OR dumbbell pullovers (for your serratus muscles) Perform 3 sets of 20 reps Deadlifts - Perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps using a light to moderate weight (no going to failure on these right now)

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SHREDDED OPS Partial deadlifts OR Rack deadlifts with about 50-60% of the weight used for floor deadlifts - Perform 3 sets of 20 reps (all for pump here, no heavy weight!) Triceps rope press downs - Perform 5 sets of 15-20 reps (use light weight here, maximum squeeze!) Skullcrushers with cable attachment OR ez-curl bar - Perform 3 sets of 12-15 reps

DAY 5 - NO WEIGHTs DAY Perform cardio for 40 minutes

DAY 6 - NO WEIGHTS DAY, EXTENDED CARDIO Perform cardio for 90 minutes

DAY 7 - NO WEIGHTS DAY, EXTENDED CARDIO DAY Perform cardio for 90 minutes

DAY 8 - REPEAT THE 7-DAY CYCLE (perform 4 of these cycles) Repeat the 7-day cycle over again for an additional 3 weeks to bring the 4-week total of phase three to a close. This final phase is designed to really hammer the weight workouts during the first half of the week, and then transition to more cardio during the second half of the week. The periodization of the training and cardio in this phase was designed with recovery and muscle fullness/pump taken into full consideration. There is no point in training heavy during this phase because you’re so dieted down by now it’s all risk for little reward! There will be days where you don’t feel like weight training and you’ll feel extremely depleted. I wanted to minimize the overtraining effect as much as possible during this final 4-week phase. Many people will over-train and go too catabolic during the last 4 weeks of a fat-loss transformation and we want to avoid that. Also, during your 3 days off weight training and doing extended cardio, you’ll still feel like you’re

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SHREDDED OPS doing something physical, but it should definitely help motivation levels to get back in there again for the hellacious lower body and ab day! The diet is what’s going to bring you tighter and tighter during this phase, not the obsessive compulsiveness to be in the gym 7 days a week! Your leg training day will start off your week with an insane caloric burn, and then you’ll finish off the week with extended cardio durations for even more fat-loss while giving your muscles adequate time to recuperate before the next week! After completing the 4 weeks of Phase 3 you have finished this program. Congratulations on doing something that most people would have quit a long time ago! As soon as things get difficult most people would just cave in on such a rigorous program like Shredded Ops! But hopefully you didn’t, and now you see exactly what you’re made of. There are always times where people question themselves on such a demanding routine and diet. I’ve been there myself: life happens, and we have other things to handle besides just transforming our bodies. But now that you’ve made this transformation I have just one question to ask of you.... WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK YOU COULD ACCOMPLISH IN LIFE NOW? TAKE THIS MENTALITY AND DESTROY EVERY OBSTACLE IN YOUR WAY! - JD

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WANT WANT MORE? MORE?

OTHER BOOKS BY JOHN DOE BODYBUILDInG Becoming The Bull

Building Huge Muscle, Getting Ripped and Taking Life by the Horns Part autobiography, part training/reference guide, John Doe Bodybuilding takes you through his first interests in bodybuilding as a teen, on to his first competition and upwards to adulthood as a family man. Doe provides practical advice on training, diet, supplements, steroids, lifestyle and even dating.

Straight from the Underground

The only reference guide to steroids you’ll ever need to develop the body of your dreams This book contains everything I know about steroids. Not marketing crap. Not lies from a guy pushing you bunk shit. - John Doe

NO-BS Bodybuilding

The JDB Bible for Advanced Health & Fitness Gives an inside look at all of the nutrition and training practices John Doe put into his life. Takes you through testosterone replacement therapy and ancillary drugs to use with testosterone replacement to stay safe and perform at your best! Discusses bloodwork and how to stay in this for the long haul!

Visit Johndoebodybuilding.com/books TO PURCHASE