“You can easily combine “The Rip Down” training program with either The Shred System nutrition plan or Carbon Diet Coach if you prefer, but on this page I’ve written a straightforwad sample nutrition plan that works nicely alongside this program.”
NUTRITION OVERVIEW
A great training program is NOTHING without a great nutrition plan.
During the workouts of The Rip Down, you’ll be burning a serious amount of calories. But by prioritizing the foods we eat, we can take our results to an even higher level.
So I’ve included my Rip Down diet plan on this page.
What you see here is a “plug & play” sample nutrition plan based on a series of targets, which change every 2 weeks as you work through the program in the gym.
As with all my other nutrition plans, we set our protein and fat to optimal levels to ensure we are building as much lean muscle tissue as possible in our workouts (and retaining the muscle we already have!), and carbohydrates are the macronutrient we “play with” in each phase of the nutrition plan.
FLEXIBLE DIETING
As with all my nutrition plans, no food should be off the menu.
I encourage you to eat with as much variety as possible, because it keeps your nutrition plan FUN. Just like training, things are 10x easier to do when they’re fun!
Nutrition is a numbers game, so once you’ve established your macronutrient targets you can either follow my easy-to-use sample meal plans or create your own. The goal is to simply aim for your numbers, there’s no “magic” at work.
Given that we’ve taken a lower carb approach with this sample nutrition plan, it makes sense to gravitate towards lean protein (chicken breast, turkey breast, lean mince, fish) and slow-release carbohydrates which give us plenty of fiber (oats, whole-wheat pasta, sweet potato, green vegetables). These foods will allow us cram as much food into our day as possible, while doing a good job of keeping us feeling as full as possible despite being in a calorie deficit.
Finally, make sure you’re drinking enough water.
Aim for 3-4l each day. Water is a fantastic appetite supporessor, so it works well with any cutting phase, and the benefits of drinking water are so huge that NOBODY should miss out on them, especially if your goal is to look awesome (harder, “fuller” muscle cells, better performance in the gym, more energy).
PHASE 1
Phase one represents the first two weeks of the training program. Once we’ve set our nutrition targets here, we’ll use these targets until the next phase begins in two weeks.
To begin, write down your target body weight in lbs.
During phase one of The Rip Down you will aim for 1.2 grams of protein per lb of body weight, alongside 0.4 grams of fat per lb of body weight, and 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per lb of body weight.
Using this template, a guy with a target body weight of 180lbs would be eating 216 grams of protein, 72 grams of fat, and 216 grams of carbohydrates. A woman with a target body weight of 120lbs would be eating 144 grams of protein, 48 grams of fat, and 144 grams of carbohydrates.
Once you have set your own targets using this method, you can either build your own diet to suit or follow one of my ready-made meal plans here and here (these were built to match the targets I’ve just set).
PHASE 2
Phase 2 of our nutrition plan kicks into gear during weeks 3 & 4 of The Rip Down.
This time, we make slight reductions to our daily calorie target by reducing our carbohydrates to 0.9g per lb of target body weight. Our 180lb guy will now be eating 216 grams of protein, 72 grams of fat, and 162 grams of carbohydrates. A woman with a target body weight of 120lbs would be eating 144 grams of protein, 48 grams of fat, and 108 grams of carbohydrates.
Once you have laid out your own targets you can build your nutrition to suit you, or follow the sample meal plans I created here and here.
PHASE 3
Phase 3 of your nutrition plan accompanies the final two weeks of the training program.
We make one more reduction to our carbohydrate figure, while keeping both fat & protein set high enough to maximize recovery and lean muscle growth. We will be aiming for 0.6 grams per lb of target body weight. Our 180lb guy will now be eating 216 grams of protein, 72 grams of fat, and 108 grams of carbohydrates. A woman with a target body weight of 120lbs would be eating 144 grams of protein, 48 grams of fat, and 72 grams of carbohydrates.
Once you have laid out your own targets you can build your nutrition to suit you, or follow the sample meal plans I created here and here.
