# Coming Soon - Phil Learney Q&A



## Lorian

Following on from the positive feedback of the El Toro Q&A, we'll soon be running a similar feature with Phil Learney.

*If you have any questions you'd like to ask Phil please post them in this thread.*

We'll compile a list of the best ones and the full interview will be posted early in the New Year.


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## Bull Terrier

I believe that his main expertise is on diet, so with that in mind I'd like to hear his take on what his favourite approach is for recomping out of the following:

Carb BackLoading

Skiploading

Intermittent fasting

Carbless post-workout (promoted alot on the Dat's forum)

Carb cycling (i.e. systems like Ultimate Diet 2.0)

I love the sound of the Q&A. Thanks Lorian!


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## SwoleNerd

What are your thoughts on nutrition timing? does it make any difference aslong as you meet your macro/micro requirements within a 24 hour period? (24 hour example is purely for simplicity vs tracking weeks/months)

What is the importance of reverse dieting out of cutting phase?


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## SwoleNerd

Has carb-frontloading not been the large dogma for the last 3-4 decades and is this carb backloading not just dogma in the opposite direction?


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## Bull Terrier

SwoleNerd said:


> Has carb-frontloading not been the large dogma for the last 3-4 decades and is this carb backloading not just dogma in the opposite direction?


This is probably not the right thread to answer your question, but in reality they are really not so dissimilar as may appear. The concept is essentially the same, i.e. keep insulin "quiet" (i.e. not spiking it by consuming carbs) for a large portion of the day to enable lipolysis. Even intermittent fasting employs the same concept.


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## Chunkee

I'd like to ask about protein intake requirements, i know it's not the most exciting of questions but i'd like to hear the view of someone as educated as Phil.

As there are some people who eat 400g+ and swear by it and there are others (using tinytom as an example after a post i read of his) that eat around 200g and are twice the size of some of the 400g+ crowd.

So, my question is this - Are people taking in these large amounts benefiting anymore than someone hitting the 200g mark?


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## Crazy-Northerner

What section of the site will the interview be posted in?

Would like to hear his thoughts on pre/intra/post workout nutrition. What protocol he follows.

cheers


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## Chunkee

I'd also like to ask his view on counting incomplete proteins towards a daily intake.


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## paul xe

Couple points from me, another request for the benefits of carb cycling and secondly, hints and tips for the best way endomorphs and insulin resistant people to get and stay lean.


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## Guest

Some excellent questions put forward already, looking forward to this


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## Big Man 123

Question to him:

- How really do the AMPK and mTOR factors affect muscle growth and how to effectively manipulate them for our convenience?


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## Big Man 123

What an amazing opportunity, looking forward to it!!!

Thanks a ton Lorian !!


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## Kroc

Lorian said:


> Following on from the positive feedback of the El Toro Q&A, we'll soon be running a similar feature with Phil Learney.
> 
> *If you have any questions you'd like to ask Phil please post them in this thread.*
> 
> We'll compile a list of the best ones and the full interview will be posted early in the New Year.
> 
> View attachment 142090
> View attachment 142089


 @Learney ... I wouldnt mind a strength + power lifting themed Q+A


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## paul xe

Kroc said:


> @Learney ... I wouldnt mind a strength + power lifting themed Q+A


Oh yes, another vote here for that!

Good shout!


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## Milky

Crazy-Northerner said:


> What section of the site will the interview be posted in?
> 
> Would like to hear his thoughts on pre/intra/post workout nutrition. What protocol he follows.
> 
> cheers


Good question this as l think its a very important and very over looked part of training..


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## JonnyBoy81

if you are sitting at a high % BF (26ish) would you continue to bulk, or would you cut down to decent BF% and then start to bulk again?

goals being size / strength / mass & lean

what do you consider an acceptable amount of BF to carry? (non - competitive)


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## Milky

JonnyBoy81 said:


> if you are sitting at a high % BF (26ish) would you continue to bulk, or would you cut down to decent BF% and then start to bulk again?
> 
> goals being size / strength / mass & lean
> 
> what do you consider an acceptable amount of BF to carry? (non - competitive)


I am not Phil ( obviously ) but l have done threads on this and IMO bulking and cutting is twice the work, why not lean bulk, that way you look like you train all year round and don't have to do twice the work by trying to cut after bulking.

Be interesting to hear his opinion on this as well :thumbup1:


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## JonnyBoy81

Milky said:


> I am not Phil ( obviously ) but l have done threads on this and IMO bulking and cutting is twice the work, why not lean bulk, that way you look like you train all year round and don't have to do twice the work by trying to cut after bulking.
> 
> Be interesting to hear his opinion on this as well :thumbup1:


just wondering though, is a clean bulk better than a cut, if you are already a fat cnut? :lol:

i would see a clean bulk as an option when i am at a decent BF%? i will no longer be doing the bulk / cut crap

yeah it would be good to see what he thinks mate


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## paul xe

I'm pretty sure it was @dtlv that said a lean bulk should be that, a bulk from lean. I tried lean bulking from a high BF and tbh, I just got fatter. Then I cut down to around 15% ish (which I know is not exactly low) and then started eating more from a 500 calorie deficit and adding 50 cals per day each week and I'm staying much leaner this time.


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## Thunderstruck

Id like to know if Phil still follows the 'loads of cardio' rule to cutting or does he prefer burning fat through weight training and nutrition. I have heard alot of top trainers use very limited cardio now for cutting bodyfat, if so what is his take on this and how would the weights sessions be the same split or more circuit based ie squats - deads - pull ups - lunges etc etc.


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## paul xe

I would certainly recommend listening to all of his podcasts as he has covered some of the subjects that have been suggested already.


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## Bull Terrier

This is one of the best things to come along in quite a while on this forum. I really do appreciate the opportunity and it goes to show why this is such a great forum. Massive thanks to uk-m admin :thumbup1:


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## 38945

Interested to hear Phils take on these, some v good questions so far.


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## Fatboy80

I'd say, for everyone with a question. It'd make sense to state your goals first. So Phil could answer it more accurately.

For example:

"My goal is to build muscle mass, what would be the best preworkout nutrition?"

As there's loads of variables he's not going to know about just with a very generic question. Maybe state your stats and previous diet/training history too.

Just an idea to get more out of it.

Dom


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## lambrettalad

looking forward to this Q&A

I'd like to ask

I am still trying to bulk but would like to know, as someone who is over 40 (41) should I take a different approach to training and dieting/supplements etc?


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## Chelsea

Milky said:


> Good question this as l think its a very important and very over looked part of training..


I agree that its a good question and i'd like to hear more from what Phil uses or believes to be optimal but wouldn't you agree that instead of being a very overlooked part of training, in fact its actually a massive trend at the moment and a subject that comes up on here a lot what with all the products that are out there for pre workout drinks, intra workout aminos and post workout shakes?

Not being an ar$e but it seems that too many people are focussing more on this time around the workout rather than nutrition for the rest of the day which if anything is more important.


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## dtlv

I'm such a cynic with a lot of the 'expert bloggers' out there, but Phil is one person I really rate as someone to follow and read and then read beyond. He's has a great in depth understand of a lot of things and can marry the theoretical and scientific side of things with practical application that is realistic.

A good coup for UKM to get this.

If I were to ask about one thing myself it would be his ideas on encouraging healthy posture, injury prevention and balanced muscular development with long term training... whether he recommends any specific exercises, stretches or similar practises as an adjunct to the main routine to keep things in balance.


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## Milky

Chelsea said:


> I agree that its a good question and i'd like to hear more from what Phil uses or believes to be optimal but wouldn't you agree that instead of being a very overlooked part of training, in fact its actually a massive trend at the moment and a subject that comes up on here a lot what with all the products that are out there for pre workout drinks, intra workout aminos and post workout shakes?
> 
> Not being an ar$e but it seems that too many people are focussing more on this time around the workout rather than nutrition for the rest of the day which if anything is more important.


I actually think nutrition period is vastly over looked by lots of people mate, regardless of the time of day, l do how ever feel the addition of amino acids etc around workouts is very beneficial and is well worth the consideration in your daily diet plans..


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## Lorian

Bull Terrier said:


> This is one of the best things to come along in quite a while on this forum. I really do appreciate the opportunity and it goes to show why this is such a great forum. Massive thanks to uk-m admin :thumbup1:


Thanks, although I can't take all the credit - we're lucky that our Mods have come good contacts!

We're going to be running more of these next year so it's good to hear positive feedback.


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## Learney

Thanks everyone, am looking forward to this. Love the forum and wish I could spend more time on here but this is a nice opportunity for me too so thank you.

I'll do my utmost to answer peoples questions the best I can. Keep them coming!

Phil


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## Wee G1436114539

@Learney

When comparing differing amounts of volume completed with the same load, is it the work done or the amount of rep performed under strain that accounts for any difference in resulting hypertrophy?

For example;

Group 1 : 1 x 12 with 12RM, say (hypothetically) last 3 reps performed under significant strain, ie 1 set to "failure".

Group 2 : 12 reps with 12 RM, performed as 2 x 6, no reps under any strain.

Group 3 : 30 reps with 12RM, performed as 12, 10, 8 and each set to failure, 3 reps in each set performed under significant strain, total of 9.

Group 4: 30 reps with 12RM, performed as 5 x 6, no reps under any strain.

Group 5: 18 reps with 12RM, performed rest pause as 12,3,3. Total of 18 reps, 9 performed under significant strain.

What differences in amount and type of hypertrophy would you expect between the 5 groups and why?


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## Bull Terrier

Having listened to most of the podcasts and perused his site from start to finish I have a burning question for him&#8230;

He gave an example in his site of a hypothetical ectomorph on a cut. Throughout the cut the calories are kept constant (so as to not drive down certain key hormones), whilst adjusting the macros i.e. reducing carbs gradually whilst increasing protein and fats. Learney really drives home the concept of eating whole foods, cutting out all junk food. This is for reasons of ingesting foods with active enzymes for maximal absorption. He recommends not doing cardio (or using fat burners) unless at the very end of the cut.

What I just don't understand is how fat can be lost if calories are not reduced and cardio isn't done (unless at very end of cut). He says to create the calorie deficit via resistance training, but assuming that one's weight was constant at given calories prior to the cut (and undergoing weight training obviously) then I don't see how things will change when starting the cut unless weight training sessions are increased. Of course there are plenty of fat loss tricks, but I always thought that a fundamental of fat loss is that at the end of the day it becomes a question of calories in versus calories out. He touches on calorie cycling in Podcast 6 (cycling calories, but whilst maintaining the same average of calories over the span of several days and hence no true calorie reduction) when talking about contest prep, but without really going into any detail.

What am I missing here?? (Sorry about the length of the question)


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## Hera

We'll be closing this thread in a weeks time so just bumping it in case anyone else has any more questions to fire at Phil  ...

Once the thread is closed, Phil will answer a selection of questions in a new thread.


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## Mighty Sparrow

@Learney

Please could you explain about post workout shakes when looking to gain lean mass only.

What should a shake include if you have a super clean diet (no refined/processed foods, gluten or soy etc)?

Can fruit be used as a carb source post workout?

Should fat be avoided immediately after training?

Cheers.


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## Dave 0511

Lads you do know a lot of these questions are answered in Phil Learney's podcasts...

My question would be - where do you think the fitness industry will be in 10 years time?


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## Hendrix

I would love to ask Phil:

I have downloaded the podcasts you have done Phil and loved them, really learned a lot. As a PT I have a lot of clients that have the metabolic damage you talk about. In your opinion, what kind of diet would you advise for someone like this. You know the type, they have tried every diet going and just don't seem to be able to lose any bf whatever they do.

Thanks in advance Phil


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