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christopher.barakat

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How Big or Small should your Adjustments be to your Training Program?
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Today I made some adjustments to one of my training days, and I wanted to share with you what I did to give you insight as to why and what you should consider IF and When making adjustments?
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First and foremost, if you’re constantly making major adjustments to your training program, you’re going to limit your progress. Often time, the BEST thing you can do is not make any changes at all and put in the work and remain patient. .
If your training program has a strong foundation, execution, effort and time will reap more reward than a “change”.
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For the past 8 weeks, my first leg day of the week (Lower A) has had the same exact exercise order, with the same rep goal ranges (intensity has varied over the mesocycles)
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See Pic 2 for Training Session, Exercise Order & Rep Goal w ea Ex. .
1️⃣ Altered Exercise Variation for exercise 1. Instead of lying ham curls, I’m doing SL plate loaded curls. Reasoning: a) I want to do more unilateral work, I wasn’t doing any uni for hamstrings b) the lying ham curl was taken (lol) c) I’m still utilizing an exercise that trains the hams in their shortened range (hip ext/knee flex)
2️⃣ No longer PreExhausting Quads Before Hacks. I really enjoyed preexhausting before my primary compound over the past 8 weeks, but I want to get much stronger at hacks in the 15 rep range so by not PE, I should be able to make faster progress on that lift. Surprisingly, for day 1, I only beat my Hack Squat by ONE rep today without PE. I’m expecting this to change as I adapt to hitting it fresh but time will tell
3️⃣ Now performing Leg Extensions at the end of the session & including inter-set stretching w it. At the end of the session, I’m implementing an advanced technique I haven’t used in a while, but have seen great results w in the past & most importantly, doing this as a means to increase metabolic stress & cell swelling.
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I’m doing ONE different exercise & have altered exercise order to prioritize hack squats. Lastly, I’m including one advanced technique & have minor rep goal differences on some exercises
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#Progress #Patience #SchoolOfGainz #Throwback #NoEdit

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The Power of Belief: “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are probably right.” - H. Ford
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@jeffnippard & I released The Ultimate Guide to Body Recomposition back in November & the feedback to date has been phenomenal. Those who got the guide were able to expand their knowledge & understanding and gained tools they were able to utilize right away. Some of the DMs I’ve gotten of ~12 week transformations have been epic!
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If you haven’t checked out the guide, you can now access two chapters (1: The Start Line & 3: Belief Busting) for free! (Link in Bio) .
In regards to body recomposition, building muscle & losing fat, I see it happen quite frequently in the lab with our subjects as well as with my clients. This is demonstrated quite frequently in the literature, but doesn’t get much attention. .
I like to share these cases because I know how powerful your beliefs are; for good, or for bad! .
So when I share data from a study showing that female athletes were able to lose 6lbs of fat mass and gain 6lbs of lean mass in just 7 weeks, it’s part of my way of trying to inspire you to achieve something great & believe in yourself. .
When I see an outlier gain significant muscle & lose body fat while in a caloric surplus, it’s so you start questioning everything you may currently believe and what you’ve heard in the past, especially if it’s limiting you and oversimplified, false information. .
When I share a transformation of a friend of mine who made his greatest progress to his physique between 35-40 years of age, it’s to inspire you that you can too, regardless of age.
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I love looking at individual data and giving you an inside look & additional data behind the scenes. .
For ex, in the book I mention in one of our studies in well-trained subjects, 5 out of the 17 subjects gained lean mass & lost fat mass. That isn’t a 1 out of a million scenario.
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In our most recent publication, Aube et al. 16/35 subjects gained LBM &!lost FM. BUT 9/35 LOST some LBM. .
Point being, when looking at studies, sometimes just seeing the AVG/means isn’t giving you the best understanding & may inhibit what you think is possible!
#ScienceExplained #TheUltimateRecomp

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Can you build muscle well into your 30s approaching 40?
This is an honest representation of the vision I have in my mind for my own transformation / progressive goals.
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I just got off a call with my friend, natural Pro Bodybuilder vet, Rich Krol @primal212 while I was driving to the gym.
After catching up and shooting the shit, I mentioned this side by side I made of him a while back and how it was deff a motivator and inspiring transformation for what I want to accomplish with my own physique. .
Krol told me he made the MOST progress from age 35 to 40.
Although these photos compare him at 20 years old to 37 years old, he actually gained 7lbs if stage weight (164 to 171) from 2003 to 2005 (35 years of age to 37). That’s f*cking epic! .
One thing I believe hurts A LOT of our progress is Self-Limiting beliefs. .
We here things like, “you can only gain X amount of muscle per year” (2lbs for example) “After 10 years of lifting, you’ll be lucky to grow 1 pound a year of muscle” etc etc. .
The reason I mention this is because when I tell people I believe I can compete at 162-165Lbs and gain 6-9lbs of stage weight, they question that.
In 2017 I was 156lbs stage lean and I feel I lacked the density, size, overall muscularity and maturity similar to what Krol looked like at 152. But seeing him fill out his frame with quality muscle, late into his lifting career and well into his 30s is one reason why I love this sport. .
Think of any other sport where people are in their PRIME from 35-45 years of age 🤨🧐 not many ... but this bodybuilding thing takes TIME! .
Krol was telling me over the phone that he took a very intuitive approach. That making his training fun and enjoyable, auto-regulating and listening to his body was a huge component of his success. .
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, even though I LOVE the science and I’m always searching for explanations as to what works, what doesn’t, and why... I LOVE the ART of bodybuilding more and I think the creative thinking has really been a lacking component in today’s era. .
Anyway, time to smash this upper session and continue moving forward!
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#NaturalBodybuilding #Bodybuilding #Progress

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Do we know what the “optimal” protein intake is?
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Short answer. No.
Despite all of the literature we have on protein intake we still have more questions than answers.
Recommendations for protein intake have varied over the years based on emerging research & the context of the situation.
I’ve always been a “high protein” advocate, but am always puzzled due to the drastic response variability between people. .
There are so many factors at play, but I’ve seen some people gain significant amounts of lean mass while eating low(er) protein amounts, while others seem to need high(er) intakes to improve their body composition. .
For example, one female subject in one of our studies gained 23lbs of total body weight, while dropping body fat (going from 21% to 17.5%) while only consuming ~0.8g pro/lb
I’ll probably make a whole post/series going over some of the most epic outliers I’ve seen!
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On the other end of the spectrum, a female client may come to me and state that their eating 1g pro/lb, yet they’re not gaining any lean mass or seeing improvements in their body comp. (Important note: their training stimulus is going to be the driving force, so addressing that first is key). However, I’ve seen a lot of female clients make significant improvements when protein intake is further increased. .
Dr. @billcampbellphd investigated high vs low protein intake in aspiring female physique competitors undergoing an 8wk resistance training protocol, and what I found most interesting was not that the high protein group gained significantly more lean body mass. It was that when looking at the individual data, not one subject in the HP group lost lean mass, while some (3/9) subjects did in the LP group. .
Additionally, the protein over feeding studies by Antonio and the data I have with my clients eating very high protein diets makes it seem like it’s the one macronutrient that you can’t really “overdo”. .
With that said, if you want to get MORE high quality protein in your diet, now is the best time to try all @legionath products. (Whey +, Casein +, Thrive Vegan, Etc)
Code CB @ checkout to save 💰 .
#protein #muscle #fatloss #bodybuilding #SchoolOfGainz #science

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Is it POSSIBLE to Lose Fat in a Caloric Surplus?🧐 _ Over the past 4 years, I’ve seen some very interesting adaptations occur while collecting data in the lab as well as with some of my clients. This has led to more questions than answers & keeps me excited to continue investigating to learn more. .
Some people think it’s IMPOSSIBLE to GAIN MUSCLE in a Caloric Deficit, but the literature demonstrates this is not true, & actually happens quite frequently. However, general recommendations are typically made: A) to lose fat, enter a caloric deficit, B) to build muscle, enter a caloric surplus.
Although I understand why people like to simplify things, the great Albert Einstein has said, “everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” _ The photo above is looking at an Ultrasound image of the chest from a subject in our 8-week Inter-set Stretching study ran by @tanujwadhi  This was by far one of our highest responders & I’m intentionally using this to demonstrate significant reduction in subcutaneous fat and gains in pec major muscle thickness.
To give you an idea our average growth response at this site (mid-belly) was ~11.6%, but this subjects thickness increased by 29%! His dexa data demonstrated: Starting WEIGHT (Total Body Mass) → Post: 220lbs → 224lbs Lean Body Mass:160lbs → 168lbs
Fat Mass: 54lbs → 50lbs So he gained 4lbs of scale weight (body mass), but gained 8lbs lean mass and lost 4lbs fat mass.  Was he in a Caloric Surplus or Caloric Deficit?  _ Dr. @helms3dmj et al. referred to this as #MetabolicMagic in their Nutrition Pyramid Book. It was stated these strange things CAN occur, as demonstrated due to the difference in energy value as well as water content of fat, muscle & glycogen.  However, I do not think these mechanisms are well understood, but it’s what excites me the most to continue researching!
_ Now, do most people respond in such a profound way? Absolutely not. But each & every semester, every study, there are always a few outliers that have an amazing adaptation response while others don’t respond at all despite undergoing the same training.  _
#TheUltimateRecomp
#HumanPerformanceLab @UofTampa
#SchoolOfGainz

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Nothing but good vibes and wisdom from @thenattypro - really glad we were able to connect Ryan 🙏🤗
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Ryan Doris, a living legend in the natty BB and PL world, and although he’s only 32, he’s one of the OGs of this game.
It’s crazy to think that when I first came across who he was, what he was doing, and how he was doing it, I was only 19 ... literally still a “teen”. When I first got involved w competitive world of Natural Bodybuilding, I got to snapshots of this Ryan Doris character and we all get a small glimpse of people lives through this social media lens. 🧐
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Like ever other amateur coming up, I was inspired by him as an athlete, and was even more curious about him, as a person because it was evident he had something special. Anyways, I don’t want to gas him too much, but he’s a real one. It’s something a lot of people assume based on everything they do see, but unlike many, their assumption isn’t misled, he stays true to himself.
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When I first moved to Tampa (2015), my second day here, my wife and I ran into Ryan, Reg, and Ben @ bed bath & beyond and that was the first time I met Ryan IRL and introduced myself (pic 2). From there, our communication was minimal, a line here and there on social, but I was always observing his journey and learning what I can from what he’s put out. .
Back in Oct, we were able to connect at the Yorton Cup and Ryan told me when he came to Tampa he was gonna hit me up so we can connect. .
So today, we were able to shoot the shit and just vibe out. He was pretty interested in the research projects we do at @uoftampa and I got to introduce him to some of my colleagues. Something I loved was seeing was his passion for coaching as he’s all about bridging the gap and applying what some of the research supports to help his athletes maximize their efficiency. .
This past decade has been an amazing adventure.
We’re both grateful for all of the experiences we’ve had (good and “bad”) & are pumped to see what the next decade has in store, with a whole lot of work, effort, consistency... & a little bit of luck 😉
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Hard work pays off fam.
Believe in yourself & make it happen!
#NaturalBodybuilding
#FortisEq
#CompetitiveBreed

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Four Heads Are Better Than One!
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Over the past 5 years, asking for help something I really struggled to do. But I quickly realized I wasn’t only hurting myself, I was limiting the amount of people that were able to get quality guidance,& not providing other professionals more opportunity to share their education & experience to serve others! .
In 2019, I finally asked for help & now I have an amazing team of professionals & we’re able to help more people get the guidance they need. .
Below is a brief introduction of each member 🤗💪
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Missy Hall, RD, MS: Missy & I went to grad school together for exercise & nutritional science. She then furthered her education & is now a registered dietician which is an amazing compliment to the team as a whole.
My formal education was based around optimizing performance in healthy individuals/ athletes, but the truth of the matter is, SO many clients have underlying health issues, are taking prescription medications, & having Missy on board provides a ton of value! .
Amy Sidorsky, MS, CPT: Amy & I met in 2016 when she participated in my masters research study. In 2017 she was then a student of mine in my Nutritional Supplements course and then in 2018 we crushed her competition prep together where she ended up winning a NPC Novice bikini class & taking 2nd in open giving her a nationals qualification. Amy continued her education, got her masters & has been online coaching with me for over year now while training clients in person as well.
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Josh Bradshaw, MS(c): I met in 2017 when I was prepping while he was working at LA Fitness & we both were running my extreme training program. Josh’s passion for bodybuilding was evident. He changed direction with higher education pursuit & is actively involved w our research studies and potentially perusing his PhD. We’ve had a 12+ week block running Elite where he made epic gains. This past year he competed in his first natural bodybuilding show & won the Juniors class. .
We’re all passionate about helping others reach their goals and I’m so glad to have them on my team.
#SchoolOfGainz
#CompetitiveBreed
#TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork

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Maximizing Muscle Activation
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The scientific literature has given us great insight on some variables that significantly impact muscle activation.
1️⃣Training Intensity (% of 1RM & EFFORT)
It is well understood that the HEAVIER you are lifting (closer to your 1RM) the more motor units you’re going to recruit in order to maximize force production. However, it’s also been shown that you can recruit a full spectrum of motor units (both fast twitch & slow twitch) with light loads, as long as the intensity is there from an effort perspective & the set is extended close to failure. .
This is likely one component behind the concept of ‘effective reps’.
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I’ll have to write a full article on #SchoolOfGainz about this topic to dive into the details.
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2️⃣Exercise Selection (The Strength Curve of Each Exercise & ROM you’re training a muscle through)
This past Monday I shared my new article covering the literature on Hip Thrust vs Back Squats. a) Hip Thrust produced greater ‘muscle activation’ of the glutes but b) the squat induced more hypertrophy. Part of the reasoning that likely explains this is a) the hip thrust overloads the glutes in their fully shortened position, thus, the EMG receives a greater signal due to the increased overlap of actin/myosin in that position b) the squat works the glutes through a larger ROM, creates more mechanical tension & muscle damage as it overloads the glutes in their lengthened position. BOTH exercises have their place & I would hypothesize utilizing both in a training plan would maximize growth compared to performing just 1/2.
Additionally regarding ex selection, my colleagues & I demonstrated that exercise variation (3 sets of bicep curls @ -30,0,90 of the shoulder) & training a muscle through a larger ROM at different lengths produced greater muscle activation than training all 9 sets in one position (specifically at 0) even though volume load (weightsXsetsXreps) ended up being the same.
*I think it’s important to understand there is a difference between an internal stimulus & how we often objectively quantify total work via #volume or tonnage.*
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This partially explains concepts of my training programs #101 #elite #extreme

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