Many people often ask the question "How do I get ripped?" Well, I hope you are ready for a long answer because the art of getting ripped is much more complex than most people realize. First off, there is no clear-cut method, as different people will react differently to different things. There is quite a variation of diets and meal plans, most of which are somewhat effective but there is much more to getting ripped than a simple meal plan.

First, some basic answers to some basic questions:

Q: What is the definition of ripped?

You'll be able to get all the answers to your questions. Either you plan to gain volume or get ripped, you'll find all the info you need to get big & cut.

Q: How disciplined must I be?

The single most important factor in the struggle to get ripped is structure. Without structure, it is nearly impossible to maintain the proper level of discipline that is required to achieve your goals. Getting ripped requires a tremendous amount of discipline, desire and determination. There are no shortcuts and one must be willing to make sacrifices.

Q: Must I do cardio?

My opinion is absolutely, yes! Cardio is an essential component in the struggle to become ripped. Some people even perform cardiovascular activity twice a day.

Q: Can I drink alcohol and be ripped?

NO! I don't think so as alcohol provides too many empty calories and leads to poor eating choices. Anyone who really is serious about getting ripped will not have alcohol.

Q: Must I do the no carb diet?

No, plenty of people have gotten ripped without totally eliminating carbohydrates but rest assured that in order to get ripped, some sort of carbohydrate restriction will have to be adhered to.

Q: I saw an ad for some pills that promise weight loss. Can these get me ripped?

No, there are no pills on the market that will single handedly help you achieve your goals. Beware the miracle pill advertisement. Most of the products being marketed as miracle fat loss pills will simply cause you to lose some excess water. If you want to get ripped you must exercise and eat properly, period!

Q: Are there any supplements that will help?

Help, yes. Do it alone, no. Products generally regarded as ECA stacks (ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin) are known for their fat burning abilities and can be very helpful but only when used in conjunction with a proper nutritional and exercise plan.

Now that I've answered the basic questions, I'll move more into an article structure and discuss specific dieting methods and exactly what it will take to get ripped.

Any type of caloric restriction will cause initial weight loss. It's moderating that restriction and not allowing your body's metabolic rate to shut down that is the key to prolonged fat loss. One must consume at least five small meals per day in order to keep the metabolic furnace burning strong. Your calorie deficit should remain at approximately 500 calories daily. This means that if you typically burn 2500 calories per day, you need to keep your daily caloric intake at 2000. This will enable you to continue to lose fat on an ongoing basis without shutting down your metabolism to a crawl. Just remember to keep the protein grams high.

Q: Should I keep a log?

Yes. Most people have no clue how many calories they typically consume in any given day. Take a quick glance at what you ate yesterday and see if you can determine the total amount of calories, protein grams, carbohydrate grams and fat grams. If you can't come up with the figures right off the bat than you need to keep a log. Every single day, write down exactly what you ate and list the protein grams, carb grams and fat grams. This makes it awful easy to see where the problems lie as it is all there in black and white.

Although mentioned above, I cannot put enough emphasis upon the fact that getting ripped requires a tremendous amount of determination, dedication and commitment. If you want to have a six pack on the beach you have to make daily sacrifices and one of those sacrifices is the six pack that you drink in the clubs. For a man with average genetics to lower his bodyfat to a ripped 8%, it must become one of the main focuses of his life for the time being. Everything that you eat must be accounted for and there is not much of a margin for error. Having your body fat this low is not easy and it is not for everyone. For many, it simply is not worth the commitment and many lack the self-discipline to achieve this goal. For those of you that do possess the discipline and the proper frame of mind, well, you will be the ones being stared at on the beach! The rewards are fantastic.

Q: So, enough with the lectures; how do I get ripped?

Ok, for starters, we will use a 170 pound male with average genetics as an example. There are many variations of diet programs. Myself, I use the ketogenic (no carb) version but this is somewhat extreme, especially for a beginner so we will review a basic, high protein, moderately low carb, and moderate fat diet. (For those ready to take the plunge directly into ketogenics, please see the articles on ketogenic dieting on our website or refer to Lyle McDonald's book "The Ketogenic Diet").

Q: How many calories do I need to consume to lose bodyfat?

Again, the 170-pound male is the example. Take your body weight (in this case 170) and multiply it by 10-12. This adds up to between 1700 and 2040. That would be the number of total calories required to lose bodyfat. I prefer the lower end for myself. Suppose that you are a 140-pound female? Take that 140 pound figure and multiply that by 10-12, coming up with 1400-1680 total calories.

So, back to the male, take 1700 calories and divide it by 5 meals and you now have an average of 340 calories per meal. Assume that we will consume 30-40 grams of protein in each meal. Since each gram of protein is equivalent to 4 calories, this means that out of those 340 calories, 120-160 will come from a protein source. This leaves 180-220 calories left. Keeping the carbs a bit less than the protein, we will consume approximately 30 grams of carbs in the same meal. Each gram of carbs has the same four calories as each gram of protein. Now we have another 120 calories, leaving us with a total of between 240-280. With 60-100 calories to spare, this leaves us with fat, which contains nine calories per gram. We now consume between 6-11 grams of fat.

I know this seems a bit confusing so let's summarize. We need 340 calories in each meal and would like to break it down to roughly 40 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fat. A 5-6 ounce 90% lean beef burger on a whole-wheat roll would accomplish this. Another choice would be a 5-6-ounce piece of grilled chicken, a baked potato and a tablespoon of sour cream. How bout a 5-6 ounce piece of grilled salmon, a half cup of rice and half cup of steamed broccoli? Not so difficult, right? Want something easier? A MET-Rx shake and a tablespoon of flaxseed oil will do the trick.

There are also other considerations as well. The types of carbohydrates that are consumed as well as the timing of their consumption are also important. While dieting, we want to consume as little sugar as possible (this includes fruit) and keep most of your carbohydrates in the form of vegetables. (Referred to as fibrous carbs) Breads and pastas (starchy carbs) are to be limited and again, simple sugars nearly avoided. The only exception to the sugar rule is as a post workout meal, where simple sugars may be consumed, as they will go towards the replenishment of muscle glycogen. No carbohydrates other than vegetables are to be consumed after 6PM.

Q: What about sugars?

I'd like to add a bit more on the topic of sugar so that everyone can understand the need to almost totally eliminate sugar from his or her diet. Without getting into the technical reasons, sugar spikes insulin and while dieting it is imperative to keep insulin levels steady throughout the day as insulin promotes fat storage.

The only time that it would be beneficial to consume any type of sugar while dieting is during a post workout meal (immediately following weight training) as these sugars will be absorbed into the muscles to replenish the glycogen that was used during the session. Glycogen stores in both the muscles and the liver and I the absence of muscle glycogen, carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars will be used to refill these glycogen stores. Glycogen also stores in the liver where it is converted to fat calls, which we want to avoid, therefore sugars should be consumed only after a weight training session.

Q: How should I plan my meals?

The basic; Protein:

Protein is the main staple of one's diet and much of the protein will come from lean meats. Generally speaking, meats and fish contain seven grams of protein per ounce. Below is a list of acceptable meats and fish to choose from. A four-six ounce serving of each will contain roughly 30-40 grams of protein, roughly 2-12 grams of fat and between 140-275 calories. All are acceptable whole food protein sources for dieters.

Meats