What does body recomposition look like in real life? Today I want to show you a before and after and tell you how Patrick did it. He burnt off over 16 pounds of fat while getting bigger and stronger at the same time.
Here’s his update covering the past few months.
Pretty crazy, eh? He’s down 4″ inches in the waist while gaining over an inch in the shoulder girdle (shoulders, back, chest).
That means he likely lost *over* 16 pounds of fat, as he’s now bigger. How much lean mass did he gain? We don’t know for sure. But it wouldn’t surprise me if it was something like –20 pounds of fat and +4 pounds of lean mass.
And he did it all at home with just two adjustable dumbbells (70 pounds per hand) and a pull-up bar.
Before Patrick started working with us, he had already been lifting weights on-and-off for the past couple of years. But he hadn’t really seen the results he was looking for.
He wanted to be big, strong, but lean and with cardio fitness (and the look that comes along with it).
The problem is that Patrick is super talented and, therefore, very busy guy. He works for a start-up, and it’s normal for him to work 55 hours a week.
To make things slightly more challenging, he also eats a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.
How Patrick Did His Body Recomposition
So here’s what we did at first.
- Low-volume long-rest (5 min) strength workout routine—3x per week with dumbbells and weighted chin-ups
- Intermittent fasting (8-hour eating window)—eating most of his calories post-workout
- Started meal prepping so he’d have healthy, homemade muscle-building foods ready at any time
After he lost about 10 pounds while hitting new personal records with his chin-ups and other lifts, we switched things up a bit.
He had an upcoming vacation and wanted to get into the best shape he could in only a few weeks.
So we dialed up the work:
- High-volume short-rest bodybuilding routine—3x per week, 16 total sets per body part
- Two fast cardio workouts per week. A few HIIT intervals as one workout (anaerobic cardio). One-mile run as the other (lactic cardio).
Patrick did amazing, and that’s where the latest photo is from. And now that he’s back home, he wants more size. We’re switching the game plan to a lean bulk. He’s going to bump up his BMI by gaining some more mass as he keeps his fitness high.
Patrick makes it look easy—I know it’s anything but. He continued to balance his responsibilities while challenging himself physically. He also ran into a few hiccups like getting a cold, a naggy shoulder for a couple of weeks during the low-volume (heavy) lifting routine etc. (Strength training can be a bit rougher on the body compared to the bodybuilding style.)
But with persistence and taking it one day at a time, he’s now super lean, bigger and stronger than he was before. And he did it in a way that made him feel much healthier, and now he’s in a better spot.
Here’s what Patrick had to say about it:
“It’s all thanks to your guidance – I’m in disbelief that I was able to shed my skinny fat-ness while still remaining fit.
Thank you again – I wouldn’t have been able to approach fitness in a holistic and balanced manner if it wasn’t for your guidance. Honestly, it’s opened my eyes up to just living a healthier life of moderation. Cheers,
Patrick
We’ve helped a lot of guys lose the fat while putting on more muscle size, like Jason, who lost 31 pounds while also building muscle, check out his back and shoulders.
Anyways, if you want help learning how to do a body recomp, check out our True Gains program.