12-Wk Hardcore Daily Video Trainer by Kris Gethin

[one2swag]

Half time report: end of week 6.

Here are my results so far:

Starting point: 216.6 lbs
week 1: 210.8 lbs loss of 5.8 lbs
week 2: 207.8 lbs loss of 3.0 lbs
week 3: 207.2 lbs loss of 0.6 lbs
week 4: 205.0 lbs loss of 2.2 lbs
week 5: 204.0 lbs loss of 1.0 lbs
week 6: 201.0 lbs loss of 3.0 lbs

total loss: 15.6 lbs

Diet: So far has been completed 100% with Kris Plan with slight differences on portion sizes for the first 4 weeks.. (Was eating 1/4 cup more protein and carbs then recomended by kris, due to bad measuring)

Supplements: L-carnitine , Multi Vitamin, Protein powder and carb powder.

Cardio: Have only missed one day of cardio.. It was a traveling day and i did walk alot so i guess it made up for it.

Work outs: Followed 100% but with fewer days off.. 2 days on 1 day off routine. I dont really get soar, except for leg days. I almost always push to failure, but next morning i hardly get soar. I think my body is used to the abuse. Only muslces getting soar are my legs which i would almost never work out. Is this normal or am not pushing hard enough??

Mirror: Still see alot of fat around the torso, hope it can disappear in the next 6 weeks.

[wmische9]

I have a small and prob. simple question.

I don't take the pre workout supps because I am not able to with the med(s) I take. I am not allowed caffeine and/or stims. I do however use ON protein after I workout. This is the thing. I weight in at about 205, 38 yrs old, 5'11" tall. My arms are a bit lean.

So my 2 questions is pretty much to continue to build muscle all around my body, with the arms included should I then be using a carb supplement of some kind? Doesn't all that cardio on the problem too burn off a lot of the muscle a person already has too?

Again the only protein I use now is the isolate from ON.

[EricChowles]

I have a small and prob. simple question.

I don't take the pre workout supps because I am not able to with the med(s) I take. I am not allowed caffeine and/or stims. I do however use ON protein after I workout. This is the thing. I weight in at about 205, 38 yrs old, 5'11" tall. My arms are a bit lean.

So my 2 questions is pretty much to continue to build muscle all around my body, with the arms included should I then be using a carb supplement of some kind? Doesn't all that cardio on the problem too burn off a lot of the muscle a person already has too?

Again the only protein I use now is the isolate from ON.

In general pre-workouts are designed to provide a few basic things:

1) Primarily energy and focus. Especially for new bodybuilders this can be very handy because they don't have the past experience of building that mind-muscle connection and may get easily distracted. Over time you learn tips on how to focus your mind and remove distractions. You can use something like music or motivational videos to get you pumped up and ready to hit the gym.

2) Muscle 'pump'. This is generally increased nitric oxide production that helps widen blood vessels in your body to allow faster delivery of nutrients. Many people get addicted to this pump feeling and find it motivates them even more in gym when it happens (usually makes your veins stand out too and that gives many people satisfaction).

3) Recovery. Pre-workout supplements can assist with recovery (often related to the increased nitric oxide etc).

Your question about carb supplements wasn't stated in a way that I could understand it, but you should be taking something like Vitargo after a workout if possible, or replace it with other high-gi carbs like bananas, white bread, etc to restore depleted glycogen levels in your muscles and promote recovery.

[TheRider]

I am half way through week 3, enjoying the workouts a lot. It is nice the way Kris is mixing it up and prepping the body for a strenuous second half.

I started using ON creatine mono, around 3 gms in my post workout drink. I take muscle pharm assault as my pre-WO and it has some creatine too.
I noticed that I have been having a bloated stomach since the past week and the digestion of the proteins consumed( whey, chicken, eggs etc) is not so good these days. I have been having a constant burn in my tummy since couple of days and get that hell will break loose feeling at potty visits.

Should I go skip the crea-mono, or do you guys think it will subside?

[EricChowles]

I have been having a constant burn in my tummy since couple of days and get that hell will break loose feeling at potty visits.

I had this sometime during the early stages of this program too. I just had a bowl of hi-fiber cereal in the morning twice a week for 2 weeks and it helped a lot. I also removed coffee from my diet for a bit because I find every time I drink coffee, without fail - I need to go to the toilet within 5-10 mins of drinking it with that exact feeling sometimes.

[TheRider]

I had this sometime during the early stages of this program too. I just had a bowl of hi-fiber cereal in the morning twice a week for 2 weeks and it helped a lot. I also removed coffee from my diet for a bit because I find every time I drink coffee, without fail - I need to go to the toilet within 5-10 mins of drinking it with that exact feeling sometimes.

I guess the restricted diet messes up with the stomach enzymes. I am going to try some granny recipes this week, which are basically some digestion boosting grains ( I dont know what they are called)
Couple of days back gulped down an apple sauce serving (kids size) hoping it will lead to better things. It did help but the sugar doesn't

[Malachai]

I have to say this work out program is so good. After watching his video over the weekend I got excites and started my workout yesterday. I'm so looking forward on getting cut like him.. The first leg work out was really good but couldn't do every single one since I don't have the right stuff at home. But I worked out harder.

[thomaspriddy]

Day number two is over and done with. Both my buddy who's doing this program with me and myself we're spent by the end of the chest workout. It's definitely been a fun couple of days but I'm going to welcome tomorrow's rest day with open arms!
-thomas

[roberts280]

hi kris, just found your workout, looks great, i have one question though, im a skinny guy looking to add a bit of size before my rugby season this summer. is this workout mainly dedicated to burning fat and toning up, or would this workout be suited for a guy like me, i weigh 145 pounds with reasonable muscle size.
hope you can get back to me quick
thanks!

[Submerge]

hi kris, just found your workout, looks great, i have one question though, im a skinny guy looking to add a bit of size before my rugby season this summer. is this workout mainly dedicated to burning fat and toning up, or would this workout be suited for a guy like me, i weigh 145 pounds with reasonable muscle size.
hope you can get back to me quick
thanks!

It's a full body workout that trains to muscle failure, so you should be good with this workout in gaining strength. Just don't follow the diet.

[pyaarawala]

hi kris, just found your workout, looks great, i have one question though, im a skinny guy looking to add a bit of size before my rugby season this summer. is this workout mainly dedicated to burning fat and toning up, or would this workout be suited for a guy like me, i weigh 145 pounds with reasonable muscle size.
hope you can get back to me quick
thanks!

It might be a better idea to get on one of those mass gaining programs like Jim Stoppani's shortcut to size or any of those other ones. But I gotta admit this program is pretty fun. The workouts are great, so yeah just make sure you're eating above maintenance and don't do as much cardio as Kris says to do in this program.

[LostmySanity]

I found an interesting app on the IOS appstore and android marketplace. Called "my fitness pal" for free.

it tracks your daily intake and breaks everything down for you. It even has supplements and all sorts of random foods in its database. i was pretty shocked to see it had half the stuff in it. also has a barcode scanner for products that arnt in its database.

You can add them by breakfast lunch dinner and snacks and it logs everythingwith info such as protien fats carbs sugars sodium etc. It helps me keep accountable for my intake in a day. Can also add cardio sections which negate from your caloric intake.


Lemme know if anyone else tries it. i find it super helpful as a reminder throughout the day so i dont over or under do it.

[wmische9]

Your question about carb supplements wasn't stated in a way that I could understand it, but you should be taking something like Vitargo after a workout if possible, or replace it with other high-gi carbs like bananas, white bread, etc to restore depleted glycogen levels in your muscles and promote recovery.

Eric is there any other Carb supp as good as Vitargo but a bit cheaper that you are anyone else could recommend?

[Rickyw972]

Eric is there any other Carb supp as good as Vitargo but a bit cheaper that you are anyone else could recommend?

Carbo gain or a banana as recommended by gethin when someone else asked.

[southernsun]

Can I change the cardio routines to yoga on my rest day?
Btw I just started this program and I'm on day 4 now. Thanks.

[Tommo83]

I found an interesting app on the IOS appstore and android marketplace. Called "my fitness pal" for free.

it tracks your daily intake and breaks everything down for you. It even has supplements and all sorts of random foods in its database. i was pretty shocked to see it had half the stuff in it. also has a barcode scanner for products that arnt in its database.

You can add them by breakfast lunch dinner and snacks and it logs everythingwith info such as protien fats carbs sugars sodium etc. It helps me keep accountable for my intake in a day. Can also add cardio sections which negate from your caloric intake.


Lemme know if anyone else tries it. i find it super helpful as a reminder throughout the day so i dont over or under do it.

Been using this app for about 2 weeks now, it's brilliant, shocked me too when I scanned in some of my supplements and BAM, thery were already in the database.

[EricChowles]

Eric is there any other Carb supp as good as Vitargo but a bit cheaper that you are anyone else could recommend?

Vitargo is an actual brand, but it's also a concept - being that it's a post-workout supplement.

There are many other brands that also provide post-workout supplements that contain fast-acting sugars and carb sources that effectively achieve the same thing. Many studies and bodybuilding nutritionists out there also preach that fast-acting carbs aren't always more effective than any other carb source such as slow-acting oats, sweet potato, brown rice, etc - as long as you get some protein in immediately such as a protein shake (as always, this is debatable and there are many different opinions about that - Kris' program is obviously against the concept).

Jim Stoppani's 12-Week Shortcut To Size Program mentions this for post-workout:

Take a good, fast-digesting, post-workout supplement (something like Vitargo, or dextrose, or maltodextrine) or you can do it simple with gummy bears, or Pixy Stix or SweeTarts). Candies like that are low-fat, but fast-digesting sugars.

Keep in mind Stoppani's program is a bulking program and includes a lot more fats and doesn't put such a high focus on lean foods and cutting body weight - so it may not be ideal for Kris' program, but it still gets the job done.

And of course Kris Gethin also recommends bananas post-workout if need be.

[wmische9]

Thanks EricChowles,

I already have Jim Stoppani's program also bookmarked. So if I do go out and buy a carb supplement I suppose I just need to make sure it has dextrose or matodextrine in it then right?

Thanks again

[joejccva71]

Will this program work if I'm counting calories? My TDEE is 2500 calories a day. Are you guys eating a surplus or eating a deficit while doing this program? One thing I don't get is how does Kris know how many calories he's getting a day. How does he know he's getting 1g of protein per lb of LBM? I don't get it. You guys are eating a calorie surplus to build your muscle right?

[EricChowles]

Will this program work if I'm counting calories? My TDEE is 2500 calories a day. Are you guys eating a surplus or eating a deficit while doing this program? One thing I don't get is how does Kris know how many calories he's getting a day. How does he know he's getting 1g of protein per lb of LBM? I don't get it. You guys are eating a calorie surplus to build your muscle right?

Kris just goes by what he KNOWS works for him. He has done (if I remember correctly) a total of 7 official / successful 12 week transformations so far over the years, and he knows exactly how his body responds accordingly. This plan isn't necessarily for the general public - it's FOR HIM but he has made it public so that others can follow along too because it will work for most people too.

He just knows that if he eats a fist size of protein and a cup of carbs that it will be enough for him to keep him fuelled and going throughout the whole program while still having a constant fat-loss and muscle building effect. He knows that if he has something like extra healthy fats or fruit in his diet, it hampers his results rather than improves them.Therefore I would imagine that he is eating in a deficit of calories because he expects a good amount of fat loss over the 12 weeks (I think he lost like 30-35 lbs over the whole program and he was pretty lean compared to some others to start with).

You look like you are in pretty good shape, so you should have a fairly good idea of what works well for you. Either try the 12 weeks as Kris recommends, and then repeat it later with adjustments that you believe you should make, or just make adjustments straight away according to what you want to achieve.

This program WILL work for EVERYONE, but just to different degrees, depending on how you have been training and eating until now.

[athletics]

All - I have completed my 12 Week Program with Kris Gethin.

I was very happy with the results. My goals were to get from 183 pounds to 170 (got to 169). Most of my weight was in my mid-section, some in legs. I wanted to get from 14.8 to 10% body fat (got to 10.8 - will improve with next workout routine). My MAIN goal was to decrease my waist from 36.3 inches to 32 (got to 31.5!!)

I saw mild drops in other areas due to the loss of fat layers, not muscle. My goal was not to get ripped, I will focus on this later. I wanted to loose this weight. I am, was still, a skinny guy at 6'1''. But after MBA school + working, my physique was not to my standard.

I was motivated and focused.

DIET - give myself an A-. No slip ups during the 3 months, but had a few weeks of travel and had to eat out (healthy) at times.
WORKOUTS - A. Had a couple of light workouts due to injuries, but was very dedicated here.
CARDIO - A+. This was a time commitment I had to make and I did it.

I would recommend this program to anyone who is dedicated and motivated.

See an attached collage from week to week. All from the side since my mid-section was the priority.

[veightkiller]

All - I have completed my 12 Week Program with Kris Gethin.

I was very happy with the results. My goals were to get from 183 pounds to 170 (got to 169). Most of my weight was in my mid-section, some in legs. I wanted to get from 14.8 to 10% body fat (got to 10.8 - will improve with next workout routine). My MAIN goal was to decrease my waist from 36.3 inches to 32 (got to 31.5!!)

I saw mild drops in other areas due to the loss of fat layers, not muscle. My goal was not to get ripped, I will focus on this later. I wanted to loose this weight. I am, was still, a skinny guy at 6'1''. But after MBA school + working, my physique was not to my standard.

I was motivated and focused.

DIET - give myself an A-. No slip ups during the 3 months, but had a few weeks of travel and had to eat out (healthy) at times.
WORKOUTS - A. Had a couple of light workouts due to injuries, but was very dedicated here.
CARDIO - A+. This was a time commitment I had to make and I did it.

I would recommend this program to anyone who is dedicated and motivated.

See an attached collage from week to week. All from the side since my mid-section was the priority.

If your goal is to lose fat you definitely nailed it. I question though did you try to lift heavy weights within those 3 months?

[joejccva71]

Kris just goes by what he KNOWS works for him. He has done (if I remember correctly) a total of 7 official / successful 12 week transformations so far over the years, and he knows exactly how his body responds accordingly. This plan isn't necessarily for the general public - it's FOR HIM but he has made it public so that others can follow along too because it will work for most people too.

He just knows that if he eats a fist size of protein and a cup of carbs that it will be enough for him to keep him fuelled and going throughout the whole program while still having a constant fat-loss and muscle building effect. He knows that if he has something like extra healthy fats or fruit in his diet, it hampers his results rather than improves them.Therefore I would imagine that he is eating in a deficit of calories because he expects a good amount of fat loss over the 12 weeks (I think he lost like 30-35 lbs over the whole program and he was pretty lean compared to some others to start with).

You look like you are in pretty good shape, so you should have a fairly good idea of what works well for you. Either try the 12 weeks as Kris recommends, and then repeat it later with adjustments that you believe you should make, or just make adjustments straight away according to what you want to achieve.

This program WILL work for EVERYONE, but just to different degrees, depending on how you have been training and eating until now.

Yea man I appreciate it. I think I'm going to do his workouts exactly how he does, but as far as supps and nutrition, I'll stick with my calorie counting and eat a 20% deficit under TDEE like I have been. Also the only supps I take are whey protein (when I can't get my protein from whole foods), creatine, orange triad multi, and fish oil. I might start taking BCAA's again but not sure if they are 100% necessary with enough protein consumption.

Thanks bro.

[veightkiller]

Yea man I appreciate it. I think I'm going to do his workouts exactly how he does, but as far as supps and nutrition, I'll stick with my calorie counting and eat a 20% deficit under TDEE like I have been. Also the only supps I take are whey protein (when I can't get my protein from whole foods), creatine, orange triad multi, and fish oil. I might start taking BCAA's again but not sure if they are 100% necessary with enough protein consumption.

Thanks bro.

your body use 20 amino acids and 10 of those your body can produce the rest you will get from what you eat. If you think you eat enough and get the 10 out of 20 you should be fine if not adding BCAA wouldn't hurt other than your pocket.

[thomaspriddy]

Guys please pardon the question as I've looked through the thread quite a few times but am yet to find an answer to my question. What kind of protein take are you guys going with? Are you doing 1:1 (weight/grams) or you closer to a 1.5:1? I'm looking to add a good bit more of lean muscle during the course of my 12 weeks so I've been closer to 1.5:1, but I don't want that to thwart the results of the program.

Thank you in advance for the help guys!
-Thomas

[djc87]

Hi guys i am on week 2 and had a question. What is the purpose of the carb supplement with PostWO? I haven't been taking any carbs with my postworkout shake but i think i will start to if it helps..so just wanted to get an understanding of what it helps with.

Also the two i would be interested in would be Vitargo and Karbolyn i am getting a good deal on both of them so which would you guys recommend?

[EricChowles]

Guys please pardon the question as I've looked through the thread quite a few times but am yet to find an answer to my question. What kind of protein take are you guys going with? Are you doing 1:1 (weight/grams) or you closer to a 1.5:1? I'm looking to add a good bit more of lean muscle during the course of my 12 weeks so I've been closer to 1.5:1, but I don't want that to thwart the results of the program.

Thank you in advance for the help guys!
-Thomas

Hi guys i am on week 2 and had a question. What is the purpose of the carb supplement with PostWO? I haven't been taking any carbs with my postworkout shake but i think i will start to if it helps..so just wanted to get an understanding of what it helps with.

Also the two i would be interested in would be Vitargo and Karbolyn i am getting a good deal on both of them so which would you guys recommend?

Did you two watch the video on the 12 week trainer home page? You know... the one titled "Step 1: You Must Watch Video [Required]".

Because if you did, you would know:

Don't count calories, you don't want to complicate things, you want to keep it simple. Just count your portions - if you were to eyeball your food then looking at your protein you normally go for about a fist-size, plus a fist-size of complex carbohydrates as well which is about a cup

So for Kris his protein intake is around 200 grams per meal and he is quite a big guy. If you are smaller than him then chances are you are wanting roughly 150-180 grams.

They aren't a magic pill that will replace a nutrition or training program, but they will assist you achieve better results and stay strong throughout the program. Vitargo - Take immediately following a workout because it's the fastest digesting carbohydrate you can put into your body to replenish those depleted glycogen stores

In other words it helps with both the speed and quality of your muscle recovery.

[76Truck]

Hey fellas, fixin to start this workout. Only question I have, are there other meal plans ? Or did yall just follow the one posted for 12 weeks? The same thing over and over for the duration of the workout ?

I went paleo for 3 months and I though that was hard. This looks a little tough but I'm willing to do it to get my results.

[athletics]

If your goal is to lose fat you definitely nailed it. I question though did you try to lift heavy weights within those 3 months?

The goal was to loose weight. My strength had diminished in some areas after a lack of consistent workouts, so the heavy weight didn't come until the second half. Went to failure otherwise.

[thomaspriddy]

To EricChowles

I did watch the video but worded my question poorly (I'm accustomed to using ounces on my food scale as opposed to grams) and I can see where it lead to confusion on your behalf. I wasn't referring to the weight of the protein source but rather the amount of protein within the given source (IE: 4oz (113 grams) of chicken contains 8 grams of protein).

However after re watching the video to ensure I didn't miss something. I did some math and figured his intake is in between 1.5-1.75 grams of protein per lbs of body weight.

I do appreciate your assistance and apologize for the confusion.
-thomas
Note: due to my post count I was unable to quote Eric.