Jonathan begins by gradually eliminating any junk food and
alcohol consumption and eating cleaner the frist three to four
weeks. He considers that his first calorie cut, which leaves him
with this diet (at right) with nine weeks left till peak day.
In order to create an energy deficit, he prefers to gradually
ramp up his activity via cardio sessions. He begins with two to
t h ree 20-minute sessions a week, and he adds a session or
time to his existing sessions every other week until he is doing
at least one 30-minute session every day. The last three weeks
he is often doing two 30-minute cardio sessions a day (that’s
ex ces s i v e un les s y o u’ re p ea k in g f o r a p ho to sh o ot or
bodybuilding competition where you need to be under 5
percent bodyfat).
Making gradual calorie cuts is Steve’s method. Incre a s i n g
activity is Jonathan’s preference. Which way is best? It’s up to
the individual. Whatever suits your personality and lifestyle.
Either way you create an energy deficit, which forces your body
to burn bodyfat if the circumstances are right. The key: don’t
create an overwhelming deficit all at once, one that’s so large
that fat burning stops dead in it tracks. That can trigger the
starvation mechanism and your body will start hording fat and
b u rning muscle. The key words to remember are gradual a n d
patience. Oh, and don’t forget to cheat...
No te: We ’l l h a ve m o re on w ha t eac h o f t he s p e cif ic
supplements are in Chapter 7.
Jonathan’s X-treme Lean
Diet-and-Cardio Schedule