Build muscle, lose fat, add 13 inches to your vertical jump, run a 4.25 forty, find the love of your life and learn how to get paid for waking up. If you do everything in this article, all of these things and more will happen to you overnight.
Okay, I kid, but as I alluded to in Part I, today I’m going to share with you an approach to setting up a recomp protocol. Remember, this is best suited for those concerned with remaining lean(er) throughout the year and willing to allow for a bit slower gains than the alternate approaches like GFH (get effing huge), GOMAD (gallon of milk per day) and the standard bodybuilding bulk/cut cycles.
Anecdotal Experiences
Before I give you some ideas on setting up the diet and training, I wanted to share briefly how I’ve done this before.
This past semester was my first semester back to school in about 2.5 years. I wanted to focus on my school work and put training somewhat on the back-burner. I’m not saying I didn’t have goals because I did but I didn’t want to fret about them. I didn’t want to worry about gaining “x” amount of body weight or adding “x” amount of weight to the bar by a certain date.
I simply wanted to enjoy training and focus on academia.
In that time period, my weight hovered anywhere from about 185-190ish and this was largely dependent on carbohydrate and water intake. I didn’t count calories or worry about macros, really. The only benchmark for diet was to hit at least 200g protein daily. This was to cover my bases and also to ensure LBM retention in case I didn’t get enough food for a few days in a row.
In that time period, I experimented with a few different types of training methodology and focused on adding weight to the bar when possible.
There were times when I’d look in the mirror and be visibly leaner despite the scale being up a few pounds. Then there’d be days where I’d be much puffier and down a few pounds. This is all a result of my food choices, sodium content, and the volume of food that I ate.
From about August 2009 through February 2010, I ate whenever and almost whatever I felt like. My diet consisted of lean meat, lots and lots of bananas, other fruit and then whatever I felt like eating for the day.
Hell, there were days I’d buy a half gallon of 2% chocolate milk and drink the entire thing with dinner.
I got stronger and slightly leaner over this time period without body weight changing a whole lot.
Breakfast was always a hefty dose of protein + 2 large bananas and a heaping spoonful of peanut butter.
Then after training, I’d feast on large bowls of kiddy cereal followed by a large bowl of oats, a banana or two and some jelly sammiches or whatever I could fish out of the fridge.
Dinner was usually some type of lean meat (chicken, beef or wild game) with a side of potatoes. I usually put the meat in between a few slices of bread and made a barbecue sandwich.
Then, before bed, if I still needed some protein, I’d have some more milk, cottage cheese or a protein shake with more fruit or cereal or whatever.
This was all based on hunger.
My off days were usually lower in kcals by default because I had no post workout feast. I consumed lots of eggs, bananas, milk, protein powder and peanut butter and jelly sammiches on these days.
Weekends were the same in terms of food choices; however I usually ate dinner with the family. On these nights, I ate whatever was on the menu. This included the occasional beer, wine and pizza.
However, I wouldn’t recommend doing this until you have a firm grasp on how much you’re eating daily and are clear of any food-related anxieties you may have. If you haven’t a firm grip on your diet or the daily fluctuations in scale weight, you might go nuts.
I had no need to count my kcals or track meticulously because I’d done it for so long. Plus, I’ve gotten really good at just eating when I feel like it and stopping when full (always making sure protein is covered of course).
If any of you’ve read my book, this is a perfect example of being relaxed with your intake
Now let’s get to the good stuff.
Setting Up The Diet
Before I go any further, I want you to realize this is not perfect. No diet, training program, spouse, kitty cat, or anything for that matter is ever perfect. Everything has its flaws. Everything can be improved.
Remember for this portion we’re using the male example from Part I.
When he goes to set up his diet, he should keep his weekly average in mind. So according to our daily expenditure of 2900 kcals, a total for the week is 20,300 kcals. That’s a lot of cake and ice cream!
What we want to do, theoretically, is put him in a surplus on his training days and in a slight deficit on his off days. This way he takes care of his recovery and growth needs on the days he trains and on his off days, he can take care of burning a small amount of fat. The results at the end of the week should be no permanent change in weight (outside of water fluctuations).
However, over a period of time, his body composition will change for the better. Notice how I mentioned a period of time here. This is not your typical bulk/cut diet within a short(er) time period. We’re thinking lifestyle here, not 12 weeks of stuffing your face followed by 12 weeks of starving.
Here’s what his diet could look like.
3 Training Days – 3300kcals (+400 surplus)
Protein(1.2xbw) 215g
Fat(20% intake) 75g
Carbs (rest of kcals) 440g
4 Off Days – 2600kcals (-300 deficit)
Protein(1.2xbw) 215g
Fat(25% intake) 75g
Carbs (rest of kcals) 265g
So, in this sense, the net surplus is +1200 for the week but his deficit on the off days comes out to -1200. In the grand scheme, the energy balance is equal and should result in no net loss or gain of body weight.
However, the short periods of anabolism will create a positive effect in terms of lean body mass accrual and the short periods of negative calorie balance should take care of the excess fat tissue.
PLEASE READ: THIS IS NOT A SHORT TERM FIX. THIS IS A LIFESTYLE APPROACH AND NOT A SUREFIRE WAY TO BUILD THE MOST MUSCLE OR LOSE THE MOST FAT IN RECORD TIME.
Training On This Diet
I’m a big fan of training 3x per week and no more when it comes to this approach. Frankly, I’m partial to 3x weekly training, period, because I don’t particularly love going to the gym.
Building muscle and losing fat is awesome and all, but I’d rather enjoy my results doing the things I love as opposed to spending all my time in the gym staring at myself doing bicep curls and balancing on a bosu ball.
Without writing out an entire training protocol for this diet, I’ll just refer you to some programs that, in my opinion, would be suitable for such an approach.
If you’re like me and thoroughly enjoy the upper/lower split, you cannot go wrong with Lyle’s Bulking Routine. However, what you’ll need to do is adjust the schedule from 4x to 3x per week. In this case, you’d do upper/lower/upper on week 1 and then lower/upper/lower on week 2. Then it just repeats from there.
Here is an example of what I like to do on this set up – it can vary depending on my temperament.
A Upper Day
Weighted Dips 2-3×8-10
Weighted Chins 2-3×8-10
Bench/Decline Press 3×6-8
Chest Supported Row 3×6-8
Shoulder Work(lat raises, presses) 2-3×10-12
rotator cuff work
B1 Quad Emphasis
Back/Front Squat 3×6-8
Leg Curl 3×10
Leg Press 3×10-12
DC Calves 15-18 reps
Abs
B2 Hamstring Emphasis
RDL 3×6-8
Leg Extension 3×10
Lying Leg Curl/GHR 3×10-12
DC Calves 15-18 reps
Abs
This routine is performed on non-consecutive days. A-B1-A and then B2-A-B1 the following week. Rinse and repeat.
Closing Thoughts
Remember this approach is for those who wish to take a slow(er) approach and who have a focused, long-term goal in mind as opposed to the bodybuilder who needs a ton of mass in a short time period. If that’s the case, you should take some Anaconda and start doing some of the Force Spectrum Ramping Protocols put together by the Black-Ops Bodybuilding Project.
But really, if your goals are a bit more extreme for sport or competition, something other than this slow-your-roll approach might be a better choice for you.
If you’re simply interested in building up your strength and slowly adding muscle whilst leaning out over the next year, this may be perfect for you.
So what do you all think? Are you partial to the traditional bulk/cut approach or do you prefer the slow, recomp method to building muscle and losing fat?
Hi JC,
Great article. You laid everything out so that even a double digit IQ guy like me can understand! I was just wondering where the approximately 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight came from . Research? Theory? Both? I’m not arguing with the number– it is simple and genius at the same time– ie. it really works. But where did this “formula” come from?
Thank you very much for your help on this question (and all the time you give to all of us here).
there’s some research on the protein requirements for active folks. However, there seems to be no super clear conclusion on the daily requirements of athletes/fitness enthusiasts.
I’m looking at the protein book by Lyle McDonald right now and there’s quite a bit of research he’s looked through to gather his conclusions, which are about 1.1-1.4g/lb on maintenance and 1.4-1.5g/lb when on a diet.
here’s a study suggesting less lean body mass retention was greater on a 1g/lb rather than a .5g/lb intake on a hypo-caloric diet.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027
I like to err on the high(er) side just to be safe.
JC,
Would you consider the same dietary guidelines, but include IF a la leangains and swap the workout routine for HIT such as Martin’s Minimalist routine? Or do you personally recommend the higher volume work such as the one you’ve posted?
Thanks!
I would do it as I laid out with an IF protocol and wouldn’t change the training.
Excellent article JC! I was planning on doing Lyle’s routine with a recomp diet and I was hoping you could give me some advice.
Would it be ok to do bench, ohp, squat, deadlift RPT style? Alternating Bench/ohp and squat/deadlift each session.
Lyle mentions that after 4-6 weeks you should deload to a 80-85%, do you also recommend this deload even when training 3x?
Thanks once again!
What kind of progession do you recommend? Adding weight each weak? or when you reach the top rep range?
sure it’d be fine to set up the training that way.
as far as a deload, I like to go by feel – if after a few sessions I’m feeling beat up, then I reset.
I recommend hitting the rep ranges and then adding weight, but if you feel good that session, go ahead and add the weight if possible.
Thank you JC!
oh, i also implement Leangains type IF (16-hour fast, 8-hour feeding normally two meals, both PWO)
Hey JC,
if im 5’7” about 152 lbs. and somewhere between 6-8% bf (according to caliper test by a pt at my gym, but i still have “stubborn bf” and can see my four upper abs pretty well) and have been training for around a year an a half (but training like a bro/bodybuilder)
how should i set up my maintenance? i was thinking about 2300cals on workout days, and 1700 on rest days.
Also, since i havent trained with a 3-day split with an emphasis on progression since my highschool days (training for football) about two years ago. should i try lyle’s bulking routine? or start with Starting Strength? sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance!
Sean
I got your email – we’ll take it from there
Damn, I’m in the same boat as Sean (almost identical build @ 5’7″, 150lbs., and around the same BF%). I was looking forward to your response…
Sam, I’ve dropped you an email
Great articles JC, so much food for thought.
My training has been infrequent and hap-hazard over the past few years. I’ve recently got back into training (3 weeks ago) after almost 12 months of inactivity, I’m 29 now, getting on a bit!
I’m a typical skinny guy with a bit of a belly (123lb, 5’8″, 18% bf). To be honest I haven’t noticed any changes, am eating frequently without necessarily counting calories, each portion is roughly size of my fist. I really don’t want to gain fat but want to pack on some muscle over the long term, what would you recommend?
I only need 2000kcal, is this for maintenance or for growth? Doesn’t sound like a lot.
Cheers!
hey Jimmy. In my opinion, I think you need to focus on getting strong, and gaining some weight. at 5’8″ and 123lbs, you’re fairly under weight.
you would probably gain on 2000 kcals given your weight but it’s all dependent on your expenditure. However, I would not recommend this type of recomp approach to someone in your position. If I were training you, I’d make you get strong and eat to fuel those gains. You can diet the fat off later and chances are, you’re going to experience some newbie-like strength and muscle gains given your weight and time off.
Thanks JC, appreciate the advice. My RMR has been measured at just under 1289kcal so would assume that 2000 kcal per day would be sufficient. To be honest I’m not that active outside of the gym. By the way would you consider my bodyfat % as being high for a skinny 123lb guy like me?
Jimmy
yes, it seems kind of high, but at your weight I so no reason to diet.
Thanks for the reply!!
)
How do you add Cardio to this lifestyle ?
@Perfectcero: 20% of total caloric intake is how you get your fat intake in grams.
and if you’re truly 24-26%, I’d rather see you go on a moderate diet, get enough protein and just lift. You’d be classified as a beginner due to your levels of lean body mass, so you might experience a recomp effect without trying to get super analytical and precise such as this article suggests. I’ve also sent you an email.
Hey I plan on doing this, I am 22 yrs old 5 11 , 186 lbs with really low lbm .. I’ve been told I have 24-26% bf ( prolly more) I am skinny fat
I have a few questions How did you figure out the fat intake? 20% of what? o.O
Should I plan on doing cardio on off days? I think it’s fun and I like to challenge myself? How would I incorporate in my diet? Do I keep it at maintenance and the deficit comes from the cardio?
In my case I would need 16 x 186 so around 3000 kcal
so 1.2x 186 = 223.2g of protein
I don’t know how you got the fat
Carb should be easy to get
How many months do you think it takes for any reasonable results?
@Joanna: It will just take longer to reach your goals. I mean, if you have months to achieve this, then do the former. It’s just a matter of time constraints (if there are any).
JC,
I’m 5’6, 127 pounds, 20 % body fat, would like to reduce it to 17-18%. Is 1600 on off days too much or it will just take longer to achieve my goals if I eat 2200/1600 instead of 2200/1400? I’m afraid eating 1400 calories will leave me hungry and grumpy.
Joanna
@Joanna: that would be fine. just depends on your goals, time frame, etc. If you want to focus on fat loss, I’d do something like 2200/1400 to create a net deficit.
Hi JC, great article!
My maintenance level is at about 1900 cal, I do 3 full body workouts weekly plus HIIT twice a week after a workout. I’m trying to figure out how many calories to consume on workout and off days. In your article you recommend adding 300 calories on workout days, would you change this number for a female? Should I do 2200 on workout day and 1600 on off day?
Thanks
Joanna
Hey bud, I was wondering how would you keep track of measuring progress with this approach to dieting so you aren’t spinning your wheels?
Would you simply take waist measurements every week on the same day or every two weeks to see if it was being reduced any if at all?
the way I tend to track progress on this type of setup is by using the mirror method. I also make sure I’m getting stronger.
if you wanted to, you could also use body fat calipers and make sure the skin folds are decreasing over time.
Just remember this process is the slowest way to go about transformation because you’re calorie balance is neutral.
JC,
Would this whole “recomp” thing be suitable for someone with less than 6 months of proper training? If that’s the case, what routine should I use? I was going to use Lyle’s general bulking – as suggested by your article. But he says the program is for intermediates only and wouldn’t be suitable for beginner.
it’s all relative to your goals and how fast you want to go. I personally wouldn’t recommend this type of setup to someone such as yourself as I’d like to see you focusing more on the muscle gain aspect of things and putting some more food around your workouts and taking advantage of the gains to be had.
The program is for intermediates and if you’ve only been training for less than 6 months, I’d like to see you using a full body routine or a lower volume, upper/lower strength-focused routine.
Hi JC,
A few questions:
1. Is there any reason why all of the calories you cut out are carbs, so you are effectively carb-cycling? Ok I guess we want to keep protein high, but you raised your fat calories percentage. Is there any truth to eat carbs relative to how much energy you will use as carbs are your main source of energy?
2. Do you think calorie (or carb) cycling has any hormonal or metabolic benefits, for example if you were to use it to be in an overall weekly deficit, could having a few days a week of higher calories keep your metabolic rate from dropping? (Lyle himself says that metabolic rates drop during periods of lower calories more than can be accounted for my reduced body weight and TEF). Eg, I’m interested in what you think of this article: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drsquat6.htm … tnation has some articles on carb cycling but I’m sure you are sick of tnation
3. So is this method significantly slower than the length it would take to bulk and then cut to the same level of mass and body fat percentage?
Thanks for your time
1. I don’t care about percentages, really. I look at overall intake and energy balance. I don’t understand your last question here.
2. Yes, when in a deficit, if one does carb refeeds, it will give a little bump in leptin which gives a slight increase in metabolic rate.
3. yes, it will be slower for a few reasons. It’s impossible to know exactly what you’re burning day in and day out. Plus, most people don’t have the patience and should probably focus on one goal at a time, meaning pick either muscle gain or fat loss and work their plan.
1. Ok… So that doesn’t explain why you only reduce carbs on your lower cal days?
My 2nd question was is there any truth to eat an amount of carbs depending on how active you will be in the next few hours. Eg, if you will sleep dont eat many carbs and if you will workout eat lots, etc?
just a misunderstanding on my part. basically I lowered carbs as I’d like to keep the fat intake fairly static. no particular reason other than it just makes the diet easier to manage when only adjusting carbs up or down.
as for your second question, I suppose it depends on the level of activity. If you’re about to train intensely, yea I’d suggest consuming some carbs before your session. 2-3 hours with a regular meal or 1 hour before with some Gatorade or whatever.
as far as eating carbs before bed, it’s not really an issue as long as they fit in with your macros for the day.
Hey,
The whole feel of this approach appeals to me. I’m 48, 160lbs, 70″tall. Always been pretty fit & a runner, but I stopped running and got into weights. I’ve probably gained about 20lbs lean mass over the last 4-5years. Always afraid of getting fat. The whole bulking/cutting thing scares me. I did Lou Schuler’s “New Rules of Lifting” last year. Then I did Starting Strength on a 5×5 for a couple months. And right now, coincidentally, I’m jumping into Lyle’s Generic Bulking Routine, 3x/wk. Any general advice regarding diet for a guy like me?
well, what I outlined in terms of the diet setup would be a good starting point. I understand the fear of getting fat. It’s the reason I wrote this article – many were requesting a “recomp protocol.”
So, in lieu of that, I’d say to set up your diet according to what I’ve laid out.
as long as you’re getting your protein and ensuring enough energy intake, I think you’ll like what happens. Just remember it takes longer than a conventional bulk or cut approach. Remember to be patient.
Also, regarding Lyle’s routine. Make sure, especially with this type of diet, that you start out on the lower end of the volume spectrum. if your work capacity improves and you’re able to go up to the full volume recommendations, then cool. But I’d give it some time before I made any changes.
cheers
Thanks for the reply. I’m just finishing the two week ramp up, so I did start with the low end of sets and reps just to be safe, even though I feel I could do more. Better safe than sorry right – lots of time. What bearing does this diet have on my capacity? How much time do you suggest before making changes (and do you mean changes to diet or routine volume – or both?)
I’d say stay on the low end of sets and reps for at least 4 weeks while on this type of diet. If after that time frame you feel like you can up volume slightly, then do it.
I don’t understand the question:
Well you kinda answered it…I just meant, does this diet limit the volume of my workouts, or does it enable me to push it to the limit?
okay… right, I’d recommend staying on the lower end of the spectrum due to your intake. Now if you were in a surplus daily, then I’d be alright with you doing more volume.
Isn’t 20% of FAT too little fat?
I read that the need to eat lot fat is a myth as much as 6 meals a day and even conservative nutritionists suggest to never go below 30% FAT in the diet to avoid the health problems causing by eating to little FAT.
Daniel. thanks for chiming in. I actually caught an error in my math. The off days are actually about 25% on off days.
20% fat only becomes too little fat when calories are low. now, I only made recommendations as I did for ease of setting up the diet. 75g is definitely enough to cover your essential needs and to add plenty of flavor to your meals. take 3-5g fish oils and you have 70g left to incorporate into your daily diet.
Remember, getting your fat from a percentage can be faulty if kcals are low. It can also cause problems if you’re eating an absurd amount of kcals when doing a massive refeed. In Lyle’s book, Ultimate Diet 2.0, he discusses using massive refeeds once per week to refill glycogen and to create an anabolic effect. When you run the numbers and look at the amount of kcals needed, we’re looking at fat being like ~10-15% of total kcal intake for the day. This is to prevent spillover into fat cells, and completely different than the matter at hand.
Remember it’s all relative to your kcal intake.
You can also take Alan Aragon’s approach to setting fat intake. He usually multiplies body weight by .4-.5 and that will give you an good amount of fat to consume for the diet. So set protein, set fat and fill in with carbs.
My suggestion is simply the way I set it up, what works for me and what’s worked for others I’ve worked with. Part of it is because I operate well on a higher carbohydrate diet and would rather eat rice, potatoes, etc., than a bunch of fatty foods. Just my personal preference.
Hope that helps.
JC. Love the site and the articles…very clear cut and down to Earth writing style.
I’ve been cutting for ~13 weeks and have gotten down to around 12-14%. I’d love to switch to a more flexible approach as my gym sessions are really starting to suffer as far as how much weight I’m putting on the bar…stalling sucks.
Would you suggest getting to a very lean level before implementing this approach or would a recomp be acceptable for any body fat? Would there be a benefit to waiting until I’m leaner before starting?
Hey Phatkins. I love that you love the site.
it’s really up to you whenever you want to start an approach like this. It’s certainly doable at your body fat percentage and I see nothing wrong with doing it that way.
However, if you’ve been dieting for 13 weeks without a break, I’d suggest taking a few weeks at maintenance and then moving to the recomp approach.
Thanks for the reply! That’s a definite plan…the maintenance period. I’d like to stay lean over the summer and beyond, for that matter.
The point of this recent cut was to counteract the GFH period I went through last half 2009, and prepare myself for a trip in a couple of weeks. I’m happy I’ve been able to stick with something for so long and get results but it’s been painstakingly difficult as far as social life and food flexibility. Ready for a more manageable lifestyle and this program seems to be tailored for my goals.
yea, the GFH plan seems fun at the time until it’s time to diet. Then you’re wishing a time machine was nearby.
I have been looking forward to you tackling the “recomp” aspect of training and nutrition for a while now. Well done.
After my next dieting stint, I’m going to use a “recomp” diet setup for my training plan.
Good that you pointed out that it is not the FASTEST way to build muscle. I, for one opt to add the most strength and muscle mass in my early twenties, with occasional damage control phases. Has anyone got experencie with that?
yup, I wanted to make that explicit.
I am 23 and sort of subscribe to your view of adding the most muscle at this age. However, it’s just not what everyone wants to do. Are you speaking from experience or are you in your 20′s?
I am in my early twenties and I have wasted the first two years of my training being scared of fat gains.
ahh… okay, so what are you doing now?
Writting that…this article here and another story http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/04/02/what-the-fulk/ really got me thinking about the whole “bulk when you´re in you´re 20s dawg!”-thing and I am contemplating about just getting as strong as possible and judging everything by relative strength gains….
I’m glad we got you thinking a bit. One thing I like to compare it to is what athletes do. When I was in high school and you’ll notice this in college athletics too, guys don’t go on “bulks.” They simply get really strong and eat to fuel their growth/recovery. They normally put on some serious mass while doing their strength and conditioning work.
happens all the time.
Yeah that and guys like Martin Berkhan and Jamie Lewis never really bulked and cutted and they both are jacked, strong and about there where I want to be physique wise. By the way JC did you ever “bulk or cut?”
yup. but never let myself get too sloppy.
you can check out this article - scroll down to the first set of comparison pics. I’m on the right and that’s the fattest I’ve ever let myself get on a “bulk”
Did you actually put on more muscle “bulking” or was it about the same whilste doing it “slowly”?
it’s hard to say because I can’t go back in time and do it all over again. This is because adding muscle becomes slower and slower.
How can you be so plain sensible in an industry full of nutbars and people looking for the newest, latest and greatest quick fix?
Refreshing, really!
It’s because I sold my soul to Alan Aragon. really…
Careful, pretty soon people aren’t going to like the cut of your jib either.
Well, I don’t know about you but I love staring at myself while I do curls in the squat cage.
In your experience what do you expect of overall strength gains? Do they slow down a bit using this approach as opposed a traditional bulk? Not talking about fulking either.
well, they sure as hell aren’t going to be as rapid as the GFH approach or the powerlifter approach to diet but as long as you are training in a manner that is sensible, I think you’ll be satisfied.
Finally! Teh sekrets have been unveiled!
I like what youve outlined. Im usually a ‘stick to one goal’ kinda guy, but I will be trying something similar to this after i am finished dieting. Basically a staggered intake relative to maintenance, putting me at a ~1500kcal surplus in a weeks time. No crazy calorie fluctuations. Looking to stay lean while slowly adding ~.5lb muscle/weight weekly.
Good jerb mang.
I did this one especially for you, Joe.
Don’t know what you meant by putting in Anaconda, but isn’t it a complete joke to you?
yes. it was a joke. if I weren’t joking why would I have linked to my Anaconda article?
AH, smart. You’ll be glad to know that I’m off tmuscle for awhile. Moved to wannabebig for now, since they don’t push any bs. Also, TMUSCLE are heavy believers in fulking. blech.
Awesome. I am definitely going to implement this strategy when I start my next “gaining phase”. Quick question, JC: Rather than doing pure recomp like you suggested where bodyweight doesn’t change, could you do a happy medium between recomp and bulk, where the goal was to gain a small amount of LBM/bw at the end of the week, so maybe +400 on your 3 workout days, and -150 on your off days, for a net +600. If I’m already at 8% bf lets say and dont necessarily want to LOSE anymore fat but worked really hard to get here, and just gain pure LBM, would this be better?
Thanks, and once again, stellar article my friend!
it’s hard to say what would happen and you’d just have to try it. No one can ever tell you that one will gain only pure LBM because we’re all different and our genetics are going to play a role in the accrual of fat and lean mass.
sorry but mother nature just might not have the same things in mind that you do…