Best Men’s Workout – Visual Impact Muscle Building
What is Visual Impact Muscle Building by Rusty Moore?
Visual Impact Muscle Building is a workout program to gain muscle without gaining body fat. The program includes 3 2-month phases and a bonus phase. Each phase is designed to impact the muscles in a slightly different way. You start by focusing on building mass and eventually focus on creating a really dense, lean look. This is completely opposite of the old school bodybuilding “bulking” approach where you would add a lot of mass but lose all ab definition due to fat gain.
Who is Rusty Moore?
Rusty Moore runs Fitness Black Book, a site dedicated to the lean, “Hollywood look” that receives a quarter million page views per month. He has nearly 20 years of fitness experience. You can read my interview with Rusty where he discusses his philosophy in more detail.
What did I like about Visual Impact Muscle Building?
Visual Impact Muscle Building is the best mass gaining program I have ever seen. For years I tried the bodybuilding approach and ended up getting fat. Visual Impact Muscle Building acknowledges that the goal is to add a little muscle mass while maintaining a year round lean, athletic physique. This is reinforced by the 3 phase approach that Visual Impact Muscle Building incorporates. You can start on any phase depending on your goals and there’s plenty of flexibility within the recommended workout routines.
In addition, Visual Impact Muscle Building also offers diet tips for each phase, post workout nutrition advice, and tells you about the only supplement you should ever take. Throw in a bonus phase workout routine that describes how Taylor Lautner got so ripped for New Moon and it’s quite an impressive package.
Oh yea, it comes with a 227 page exercise guide as well so you’ll know exactly how to perform every exercise. It includes a handy printer friendly workout chart as well.
What didn’t I like about Visual Impact Muscle Building?
Visual Impact Muscle Building compiles all the information you need to add muscle without adding body fat. If I had to pick a downside, it’s that your ego will be bruised in phase 1. I was used to strength training with heavy weights. Phase 1 includes fatiguing the muscles with a lot of reps. I had to drop my working weight on bench press by 50lbs. However, in phase 3, I got back to where I was before.
Is Visual Impact Muscle Building an effective exercise program?
Absolutely. I’ve only just begun Visual Impact Muscle Building for a second go-around, and I can already see my muscle mass increasing. Meanwhile, I still have visible abs. This is a lot different than the prior times that I have unsuccessfully tried to gain mass.
Check out my results here:
Need more proof? Check out my friend Greg’s transformation:
Who should use Visual Impact Muscle Building?
If you’re already lean or overly skinny and you want to add fat free muscle, Visual Impact Muscle Building is definitely for you. Even if you’re not quite lean enough, there’s enough information included in phase 3 to help you get lean. At that point, you could start from phase 1 and build a great body.
Bottom Line Recommendation
I highly recommend Visual Impact Muscle Building. If you want to maintain six pack abs while gaining muscle mass, this is the workout program for you.
Do you think VI is a mass gainer? Maybe if you can really eat up the calories but I find with the program the short rep breaks, mostly 2 day splits I find it more as a metabolic resistance training i.e like Ive just done a cardio session.
The way the program is working for me is that I’m getting lean and defined but not putting on muscle. But having said that I eat below my maintenance level and I do a lot of running so maybe that why I see it differently
Raymond,
I do see VI as a program designed to strategically add muscle mass, but not the type of mass that makes you look bulky. Phases 1 is designed to induce sarcoplasmic hypertrophy to increase the size of your muscles. Phase 2 is a nice transition phase. Phase 3 and the bonus phase really help you lean out to get that Abercrombie model look. If you’re eating below maintenance and doing long runs, that would obviously limit muscle gains. VI assumes you will eat slightly above maintenance and perform limited cardio in Phase 1.
Dave
[...] Not Your Average Fitness Tips Dave not only built muscles but kept his visible abs. Visiting Dave’s site is targeted for the busy individual who needs some straight advice about how to lose fat, get ripped, and look great. [...]
I’m using this program, and very confused about pyramid sets. If changing weight is secondary to gaining muscle mass, then why do you change the weight from set to set for exercise 1 of phase 1? Also if i’m specializing on a particular body part(chest & shoulders) , do i still drink chocolate milk after a workout not including those two body parts. Lastly how many meals should i eat during phase 1?
Dave,
What is considered eating ‘Above’ Maintenance? I normally eat Breakfast & Dinner? So to eat ‘above’ maintenance should i add a snack or lunch in that? I really don’t wanna gain excess bodyfat, just muscle.
Michael,
The goal of Visual Impact Phase 1 is to create cumulative fatigue to force your muscles to increase in size. You can do that however you choose. Visual Impact advocates pyramid sets with increasing weights each set. I’m all about time efficient workouts as well so I’ve done the program using 3 sets of 12 reps with the same weight. As long as you exhaust your muscles by the time you get to your last rep, you’ve accomplished your goal.
For eating, I think of calories on a weekly basis. It doesn’t matter if you eat once or ten times per day; as long as you get the right amount of calories, you’ll gain muscle or lose fat. The key is determining the right number. Visual Impact using an equation = target weight multiplied by (hours exercising + 9.5). So if you want to weight 200lbs and work out 4.5 hours per week, you would try to eat 200 x 14 = 2,800 calories on a daily basis. You could also calculate your BMI and adjust for activity factor. Personally, I take these daily numbers and look at everything over a week. Some days I might eat 3,000 calories; others I might only eat 1,000 calories because I perform intermittent fasting.
Calorie counting is painful, so sometimes it’s easier to watch the scale instead. If you’re gaining more than 2lbs per week, it’s likely you’re adding a good amount of fat along with muscle. I’d shoot for 1lb per week on average. Adjust your calories based on how much weight you’re gaining (or perhaps not gaining!).
Lastly, I think post workout nutrition has some value but isn’t necessarily critical to your success. 1-2 hours after a workout, I’d have chocolate milk, no matter what body part you worked. It will help you add mass and provide some nutrients for muscle recovery as well.
Hope that helps!
Dave
Dave,
Kind of a beginner to the whole fitness thing – I was one of the drones who used to just run on the treadmill for hours on end. Life took over (kids, work, etc.) and stopped training. Look story short I ended up at about 198 lbs (5′-10″) before I decided I need to do something. I started back in early March 2011 with a plan to lose weight and get in better shape. I have been using the HIIT training and some light weight training and training 6 days per week, also using ESE 2 days per week. I have gotten my weight down to 173 lbs. I would ideally like to get down to around 155-160 lbs.
Just purchased the Visual Impact training program and I am a bit confused as to when I should start with this program. Should I continue with my current routine until I get down to my target weight and then start with VI or should I start with it now. Little concerned because Phase I talks about adding mass while I am still trying to loss the fat.
Thanks
Joe,
That’s a fantastic transformation over 2 months. At 155-160, I expect you’d look pretty ripped. Visual Impact is designed to add muscle first and then subtract fat. Don’t recycle your e-book yet though…phase III of Visual Impact was designed for fat loss and increased definition. This is probably where you want to start. Once you get to a goal weight, you can strategically add 5-10lbs of muscle by using phase I and II before doing phase III and the bonus phase. Hope that provides a good starting point.
Dave
Thanks for the info Dave. Started with Phase 3 today.
Good luck Joe!
Dave,
I seem to have hit a plateau with my weight loss, holding at around 168 for the past 2-3 weeks. When I look at myself I still see the need to lose more weight but despite my best efforts I seem to have hit the wall.
I am doing VI-Phase 3. I am doing the weight training on Tues, Thur, Sat. I do the HITT training on M-W-F.
My diet is pretty clean, even doing the shake-shake-salad diet during the week and eating normal size healthy meals on weekends. Also, doing ESE 2 times per week.
Any suggestions on dropping the last 10 lbs.
Joe,
I see you’ve hit the dreaded weight loss plateau. Unfortunately the last 10 lbs are usually the toughest. I haven’t done a post yet on weight loss plateaus but I’ll quickly take you through my thoughts. First I have to start with a couple questions. Are you approaching a weight that you haven’t been at for a long time (or ever)? How long have you been performing intense exercise and dieting? Have you taken a week off recently?
My recommendations will depend on these answers but I’m going to assume that you haven’t been below 168 for a very long time and that you’ve been working out intensely for the last 2-3 months without a break. Our bodies always struggle to break through barriers. They put up as many defense mechanisms as they can to avoid going into the unknown abyss. Our bodies are also very good at adapting. Once they get used to a certain diet and exercise program, the effectiveness is significantly reduced.
More importantly, what can you do about these problems? Breaking through a plateau requires time above all else. What happens is that your weight loss from a regular caloric deficit can be cut in half when you’re down to the last 10 lbs. So if you think you’re going to lose 1 lb per week, you might only lose 0.5 lbs. The other way to bust through a plateau is to increase the intensity. However, if I’m right, you’re already working out at a pretty high intensity. I’m guessing it would be pretty hard for you to perform more intense workouts or cut your calories any more.
That brings up step 2. Pull back a little. Take a week off to let you muscles fully recover. Change up your routine if it’s been more than 2 months. Don’t exercise quite as intensely for a month or two. Let your body get used to staying at its new found weight with a maintenance workout. Then, ramp up the intensity and you should be able to lose weight. It’s what I’d call walking to the starting line. The runner who walks to the starting line, takes position, and sprints is far more likely to win than the runner who just finished sprinting a mile. Same goes for weight loss. If you try to push too hard, your body pushes back. Much better to pull back, and then push hard again.
The downside is that this requires time and patience…neither of which I’m very good at. If you feel like you can just change up your routine and push harder, give it a try. I’m betting you’ll need to take the go-slow approach though. Be proud that you’ve lost 30lbs in a very short time and just know that the other 10 will eventually come off.
Sorry for the long response. Hope that provides a little help.
Dave
Dave,
Thanks for the response. Yes, I have not been at this weight in probably 10 years. I have been going pretty intense since early March. I did take a slight break in April (trip to Jamaica but I still ate pretty lean).
I will take the advice that you laid out and see how it works out. Do you also recommend eating a little more and skipping the IF for a few weeks?
Joe,
That certainly clears things up a little. I don’t think you necessarily need to skip IF if you enjoy it. Fasting has health benefits beyond weight loss. Also, not sure if you’ve seen my Facebook page, but the link I posted there today talks about how leptin levels significantly decrease for people who have lost a lot of weight. The post was done by an MD so it’s somewhat technical. My takeaway is that you should have a cheat day once per week where you eat whatever foods you feel like. One cheat day per week is supposedly enough to restore leptin levels and keep them elevated until the following week. Shameless plug, but you can also download my free How to Get a Beach Body book on my Facebook page as well. If you’re not a Facebook person, just tell me and I’ll post the link to the article below. Also happy to send you the beach body report via email if you’re interested. Hope some of the ideas above help ramp up your weight loss again!
Dave
Impossible to go wrong with this program.
I’m currently about half way into Phase I with upper-body specialization, already seeing some decent gains.
Kris,
I agree. It’s an excellent program. The best part is that it can be repeated over and over.
Dave
Rusty seems not to keen on doing much cardio.
Would I be delaying possible result of the visual impact program by doing additional 1.hour of cardio per day ?
Sturlz,
Actually Rusty is really big on cardio, just not during Phase 1. I don’t think your results would be negatively effected. I would try to make sure the hour of additional cardio is more steady state oriented since Visual Impact already recommends HIIT. If you want to add a lot of muscle mass, then I would recommend increasing your calories a little more in phase 1 to offset the additional burn from your extra cardio.
Dave
Hey Dave,
I just bought Visual Impact and will use it to gain mass but first I want to lose the fat I gained over the summer. I am a “skinny fat” person and have cycled between strict diets. I weight train a lot but have never dedicated myself to a mass building program while eating above maintenance. My question is: what’s a good body weight goal (for using his formula to determine calorie needs). I’m dieting down to about 119 pounds, 14-17% bodyfat and am 5’1” male. Thanks a lot, glad to see this program works for people.
Jason,
Very tough question. If you want to get to around 10% body fat, then you need to lose 5-8lbs while maintaining muscle mass. In that case, your ideal weight is 110-115lbs. Let’s say you want to add 10lbs of muscle on top of that. That puts your target weight at 120-125lbs. At the end of the day, we’re only talking a difference of 100-150 calories based on Rusty’s equation. Frankly, given the difficulty in estimating calories, that’s well within a margin of error.
Also, if you have the skinny fat thing going, the best thing to do is eat around maintenance (maybe slightly below) while doing some intense exercise (Phase 1/2 diet with Phase 3 workout might be a good starting point).
Let me know if you have any other questions. Otherwise, good luck!
Dave
Hi,
I wanted to say that I just purchased the VI system ebook today, and finished reading it.
I used to work out daily and was in “decent” shape. Since I recently moved to the Philippines I have been having a lot of trouble maintaining not only an exercise routine but a proper diet as well. It seems the simplest tasks in Th U.S. are made infinitely more difficult over here.
I had a question regarding the system. It was pretty much addressed several posts up. I am naturally built, and have always had a large amount of muscle without much effort, but I have put on a little weight. I was indirectly advised from reading previous posts that if this is the case I should probably start on Phase III rather than 1. But if I decided to go ahead and push through with phase I would that effect how I look in the end?
That is to say, if skin elasticity and the time it takes to shrink to smaller levels is a factor, would I only be stuck with loose skin by the end of Phase III because I failed to first lose the extra weight I have?
In addition, would it also effect the over all cut at the end, making me appear as though I still held too high a Body Fat %?
Cameron,
Some of this depends on your overall goals. Would you rather add 5-10lbs to your existing body or would you rather maintain the same weight but look tighter? If your goal is to add weight, then you can start the program as is. If you’d like to maintain your current weight, you might be best served doing Phase III for a couple months to lose some excess fat before focusing on building muscle. The difference between this program and bulking and cutting is that you really shouldn’t be adding much, if any, fat no matter where you start. If you start at Phase I, you’ll burn off any excess fat gain in Phase II and III. If you start in Phase III, you’ll burn off fat before gaining muscle and continuing to burn fat as you go through the phases again. Not sure if that answered all your questions. If not, let me know what else I can help with.
Dave
Dave,
Thanks for replying so fast, and giving me the good advice.
Actually, what you said makes perfect sense. I have been used to the whole bulking and cutting thing for so long that my mind is fried. One of the main reasons I like this program so much is because it is so straight forward. It has that “Just do it” feel.
Anyway, after re-reading some of the book it makes better sense now, I will be starting this new routine, phase III tomorrow. Then I will go back and regain whatever I lose with the other two phases. The cool thing is I can afford to lose some muscle without looking too thin. I’ll see how it goes.
Thanks again!
Cameron
I have almost completed my no nonsense muscle building program and I have made great great results. As soon as I finished this program I am going to start the visual impact muscle building program but I have a few questions what is the diet like in this program? Is it easy to follow and understand? How will the diet affect my strength? How do I fast? And does this program explain in good detail about dieting? Also do I have to buy eat stop eat diet program? because I dont want to buy two seperate programs I just want to know if visual impact has enough information for me to understand about dieting.
Rick,
Visual Impact Muscle Building is a lot different than No Nonsense Muscle Building. The diet is built around eating much closer to maintenance level in order to avoid excess fat gain. The program is easy to understand and the approach to diet is pretty simplistic. Fasting is just part of the final phase and is a way to generate a caloric deficit, certainly not integral to the success of the program. If you’re looking for a program that lays out the exact meals and grams of macronutrients you should be eating, this probably isn’t it. It’s built to be flexible and tweaked until you find what’s best for you. Feel free to ask any other questions.
Dave
Before I VI Muscle building, I would like to know how much time per day does each workout typically take? I currently workout 45 min. 4-6 times per week (depends because I sometimes work 24 or 36 hour shifts). I could probably increase my workout time to 1-1.25 hours. Thanks
Greg,
There’s some flexibility in how you structure your routines and some differences in time for each phase. In general the strength training portion is around 45-60 minutes per day for 4-5 days per week. Cardio is 15-30 minutes. However, cardio is not involved in every phase and can be done another time if more convenient. Hope that helps.
Dave
How quickly do you get to see results? I weigh in at 191 in 15% body fat do you think I can still get great results from this program?
Rick,
The program is flexible enough where you’ll get some good results. For example, if you’re happy with your current body fat level, you can start in Phase 1 and focus on adding muscle. However, if you’d like to reduce your body fat a little first, you can start in Phase 3. All the tools you need are there.
As for timing, the program itself is 2 months each for 3 phases plus a 1 month bonus phase. If you did the whole thing, that’s 7 months. Again, you can adjust based on your individual goals. If your focus is on gaining muscle, you might extend Phase 1 by a couple weeks.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Dave
Are supplements neccessary for this program?
Rick,
Not during the first 3 phases. Creatine is needed for the bonus phase.
Dave
Can I do this workout program at home? because I got dumbells, bench, barbell and other equipment will this be alright?
Rick,
All my exercise is done at home. So you should have no problems.
Dave
Do you have to eat healthy on the first two phases and eat a cheat meal on the third phase? How many calories should I eat to begin with?
May be asking a question that cannot be answered, but I’ll try anyway. I am going to start VI soon, but will need to workout at home, and only have space for adjustable dumbbells, bench and pull up bar. The problem is the dumbbells go up to about 41kg each, will this be sufficient even at Phase 3, when emphasis is on lifting heavy weights for low reps? I’m at roughly 150lbs at 5″6, but skinny-fat and not that strong. I did used to do strength training in the past, and definitely for compound exercises those dumbbells are not sufficient, but since VI isn’t really using compounds I am hoping it should not involve using heaver weights than that.
Rick,
Rusty’s motto is more focused on eating healthy most of the time. There aren’t any specific cheat days. The third phase obviously requires being a little more strict. I can’t give away everything in his book, but he lays out how many calories to eat for muscle gaining in Phase 1 vs. fat loss in Phase 3.
John,
I think 41kg weights should be sufficient. It obviously depends how strong you get but you can try to slow down the reps if things feel too easy. Either that or buy new dumbbells if you get to that point!
Dave
thanks for the advice Dave, forgot to ask another question I had. VI involves extensive use of pulldown and pressdown, and various cable exercises. Is there a way you can substitute these exercises so that its possible to do exercises with dumbbells, pull up bar and a bench?
Also, on a side note, I don’t know if you’ve come across “The Adonis Effect” program yet, I thought that both would be practically the same thing, but unsure which of the 2 we should be going for if training for aesthetics.
John,
The beauty of any workout program is that you can adapt it to your needs. You can in fact substitute plenty of exercises…have you looked through the Exercise Demos guide that came with VI? That would be a good starting place. If you’d like to know what exercises I substitute, perhaps we could discuss via email.
I am familiar with the Adonis Effect:
http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/workout-routines/adonis-effect
For me, VI just hits a little closer to home to the type of body I’m trying to build, the types of exercises I like to do, and the amount of time I spend exercising. You’ll get great results from either though.
Dave
Yeah I would like to get some suggestions via email, as I’m sure you’ll be able to have better suggestions than what I would come up with. I have looked through that guide, but they are not really the concrete explanations of substitutes for every exercise that I would like. Do you have my email address? as not sure how to contact you.
John,
I have your email and will try to email you this weekend.
Dave
Does the bonus phase actually make your muscles bigger?
Rick,
The bonus phase will quickly inflate your muscles and tighten up your skin. So yes, your muscles will technically be bigger.
Dave
Hey Dave
I am thinking very strongly about buying VI muscle programme. however i would like to know Is there much info in the programme about Nutrition? Also i have been reading alot about guys fasting on phase 3 – surely in the short run yes you will really get your body fat down but in the long run when do increse your calorie intake again by ways of healthy eating your body fat will increase again?
Pat,
It depends on your definition of nutrition. The program provides all the information you need on how much to eat. However, consistent with my philosophy, it doesn’t necessarily tell you what to eat. There’s some built in flexibility to allow you to enjoy your life without dedicating it to a fitness routine. That being said, the better you eat, the better results you’ll probably see.
As for Phase 3, the recommendation deals with intermittent fasting. It’s not as intimidating as it sounds. Here are a couple posts I’ve written about that:
http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/intermittent-fasting/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss-approaches-daily-weekly-fasts
http://www.notyouraveragefitnesstips.com/intermittent-fasting/intermittent-fasting-diets-longterm-weight-loss-success
After Phase 3, if you get into a good maintenance mode diet and exercise routine, you won’t have to worry about much additional fat gain.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Dave
Thanks very much Dave!!!
Pat
No problem Pat. Happy to help further if I can.
Hi Dave. I’m 5’7 and around 190 lbs. right now. My BF% is around 28%. I was looking at VI and curious if I follow it straight through will it help me reduce my BF% while gaining some new mass? Should I be looking at a different program? I really want to get to the angular look the program describes. Just not sure if I need to follow a different program to reduce my BF first before I start VI.
Thanks and Great Blog!
-Kevin
Kevin,
Thanks for the compliment on the blog. In my opinion, VI is a pretty complete program. If your body fat is around 28%, then you could start on Phase 3 of the program which focuses on losing fat while preserving muscle. Once you cut away some fat, you can start the program over and go through all the Phases. My first run through was good but I would have liked to have cut more body fat first (the timing around summer didn’t work though). I’m now going through again starting from my lowest body fat level ever and love the progress I’m making in Phase 1…gaining a pound of muscle per week with no fat gain. Bottom line, I think the program will help you a little now and a lot later. In the meantime, you can always check out the Best Fitness Tips section of my blog or download my free e-books (shameless plug!) at the top of the page.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Just finished reading through your various website comment pages and I really like the honest straight forward information you provide. Thank you as well for linking all the free “best fitness tips” resources on your website in one location, it really makes it easy to access.
I see that you referred to Dr. John Berardi a few times in your previous posts and generally have positive things to say about his research and fitness opinions. He has a fantastic website called Precision Nutrition and a program called the “Lean Eating Coaching program” that I’ll be finishing up in about 4 weeks. As a result of this program I’ve gone from a before weight of 210 lbs down to 180 lbs and have dropped from 22% body fat down to under 7%. I’m currently in the best shape of my life and have completely changed the way I eat and exercise.
I came across your website via the Visual Impact site and I’m considering ordering Rusty’s e-book, but I was curious as what benefit it may have for me at a 7% BF level. I’m definitely much leaner than I was previously, but I’m looking to build some more muscle onto my frame now that I’ve established the proper eating and exercising habits from the LEP above. Fat loss and nutritious, purposeful eating are not something I need to work on as I’m quite comfortable with my current results and eating habits, but I’m curious as to whether I could easily transititon into any of the VI phases right now and if the two programs compliment each other.
By the way, here’s a link http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting to an excellent free resource on Intermittent Fasting that Dr.Berardi recently made available. I practice IF occasionally and found the personal research he did on himself over 6 months very informative.
Garth,
Glad that you’re enjoying the website. I’ve read a lot of Berardi’s website but haven’t done his programs. I like a lot of what I read though. Sounds like you’ve had excellent success with them.
If you’re around 7% body fat, this is probably the ideal time to start Visual Impact. You may put on a little fat during Phase 1, depending on how fast you want to grow muscles, but Phase 2 and Phase 3 you’ll see reduced fat while continuing to increase muscle. I’m going through it for the 2nd time right now starting from a lower body fat level than I was before and it’s been even more successful than my first run through. The diet portion of Visual Impact is kept flexible for the most part. There are guidelines on how much to eat and how to keep generally healthy, but I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t be compatible with Lean Eating.
I recently finished reading Dr. Berardi’s intermittent fasting research and am planning on writing a post about it tomorrow. He did a great job summarizing and documenting the various approaches. I really like Eat Stop Eat (1-2 days of 24 hour fasting) but over the past few months have embraced daily 15-18 hour fasting (Leangains approach).
Let me know if you have any other questions on Visual Impact. Feel free to leave your thoughts on any other posts as well as I’m sure you have some good tips of your own to share after losing 30lbs and 15% body fat!
Dave
I got the program but I’m a little nervous about not getting the results and I’m also wonder if there is an easy way to count my calories daily? Also can I eat 2-3 meals on phase 1 or should I eat more?
Rick,
2-3 meals during Phase 1 is fine…do whatever feels comfortable when it comes to eating. I recommend slowly adding calories to your diet. Do it one week at a time so you can monitor how much weight you’re gaining. In general, I think you can gain 1% of your bodyweight per week with little to no fat gain. If you start gaining more then you might be eating too much. If you’re gaining less, then you could have latitude to eat more.
Dave
Should I fast 24 hours once a week in phase three?
Rick,
You can do once or twice a week depending on how lean you want to get.
Dave
I have just experimented the workout on the first day of phase one and it is really hard. I never knew that I have to lift lighter weight then before. I actually felt the fatigue in my muscles but I dont even feel the burn I’m not quite sure if this is normal and I didnt do well on my pushups I have to do them on my knees and I can only make it up to seven reps. I rested around 25-35 seconds between sets and also pacing my reps fast. I hope I get great results in this program I find it very promising though I really shouldnt be disappointed in myself on my first day of experimenting this workout.
Hi Dave,
I am very interested to purchase and start VI. I started working out early this year and able to see some muscle growth on the upper body. I am on the smaller frame , 5’7″, 140 lbs. However, my body is still not sculpted and lean as i wanted. My mid section is not as lean and still have a layer of fat. Should I be focusing on gaining muscle first or loose the fat? the program is for a 7 month period. What happen after that? Start from phase 1 ?
Thank you
Rick,
As I mentioned in my review, one of the biggest challenges in Visual Impact is the ego hit you experience during Phase 1. Training to failure with little rest is difficult. You’ll find that strength increases massively in Phases 2 and 3 when you do lower rep training with more rest. Give it time.
Dave
ED,
The beauty of the program is that you can start on Phase 3 if you think you still have some excess fat to lose. Whether you decide to get a little leaner first of focus on gaining muscle immediately depends on how you feel about your body. Do you mind holding on to that extra layer of fat for a few more months or would you rather cut as much fat as possible and then prime your body for muscle growth?
Personally, the first time through, I wasn’t quite as lean as I wanted to be but still started from Phase 1. I’ve seen much better results my 2nd time through since I got to my lowest body fat level ever and then started Phase 1.
After the 6-7 months, you can start over or just go into maintenance mode based on whichever phase suits your goals.
Let me know if you have any other questions about the workout.
Dave
I’m confused about how many days per week you are supposed to train in each phase. Is it three days, M-W-F, for Phase 1? My tendency is to workout more often than not, but I do not want to spoil my results by overdoing it. Thanks!
Ken,
It’s generally 4-5 days although you can structure the workout to your liking. Rusty recommends 2 days on, 1 day off. Because of the way my schedule works, I generally do Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Dave
Hey!
Your site helped me to decide to purchase Visual impact! I’m excited to try it out and hopefully have some good results. I don’t have unrealistic expectations, but would love to see some results. I hope you can help answer a few quick questions, because I have no one else to ask right now.
Background: I’ve taken weight training in high school and college, but was never very ambitious. I would feel stronger, but have never looked much bigger. I’m naturally skinny, and tall (6’4″). But not scrawny. Anyway, its been awhile since I’ve done weights and even after reading through the visual impact system, I’m not sure where to start on a few things.
I can’t remember what I used to lift. How much lighter than say the maximum I can lift right now should I start with for phase I, for normal and for pyramid? I know its hard to give specific advise for a question like this, but if you know any good guidelines that would be great!
1) Where do I start weight wise? Rusty says to pull back for phase I from what I normally do. But I don’t have a normal
2) does “4-5 sets to failure” mean I do as many reps as I can until I can’t do any more, every set?
3) The only gym I have access to has only three machines and two treadmills. 2 upper body machines and 1 for legs. no bench or free weights. What do you recommend to do instead of the bench presses, deadlifts, etc?
4) lastly, I’ll probably invest in some dumbbells, how much maximum weight in a set should I be looking for, for a beginner like me so I can do all the workouts, and hopefully build up to more weight?
Sorry this is a little wordy, but thanks for all your help on the blog!
Jeff,
Glad you’ve deciding to undertake Visual Impact. Starting from a lean weight, I’m confident you’ll see good results. Here are some answers/thoughts:
1. If you haven’t weight trained in a while, it’s obviously going to be tough to choose a starting weight. If you know what your one rep max is, I’d probably start around 50%. You can always adjust after the first set. Consider the first couple workouts a test to determine where you should really be. From there, you can advance at a normal pace. Make sure you fatigue those muscles in every workout. Also remember that because you’re creating cumulative fatigue, you may have to start at less than 50% of your max for the second or third exercise of a muscle group. This is the biggest shock to people who have previously focused on strength training. Doing all those sets to failure is really taxing on your muscles…which of course is the point!
2. You are correct. You want to lift until you almost can’t complete a rep. I wouldn’t go as far as doing negative reps or needed too much help to complete the last rep, but your muscles shouldn’t have any reps left in them by the time you finish a set. The goal is to find a weight that coincides with the number of recommended reps.
3. Honestly, no bench and no free weights will make Visual Impact a lot more challenging. If possible, pick up a set of dumbbells and a bench. Ideally you’d get an incline bench (maybe even one that folds for easy storage). Then you’d actually be able to perform the strength training at home and just go to the gym for cardio. You can always substitute bodyweight exercises as well although they’re not as effective as gaining mass as free weights in my opinion. My favorite bodyweight exercises are pushups (plenty of variety that I can discuss further if you’d like), pull ups (again, lots of variations), dips, and inverted rows. There are dozens of bodyweight leg exercises you can perform as well although I don’t focus on building mass in my legs.
4. Since I don’t train legs with weights any more, the limiting exercise for me with dumbbells has always been bench press. I actually perform bench press with a barbell and flat bench. I use a barbell for shoulder press as well but as a beginner could easily have used dumbbells. I guess I have to ask one of those questions I hate…how much can you bench? I think a set of 55lb dumbbells should take care of most exercises, especially during phase 1. As you get strong in phase 2 and 3, you may find that you need more weight. I actually have old school adjustable dumbbells where I change the weights myself. It allows me to use up to 85lbs. The problem with the new adjustable ones that automatically change the weight is that they only go so high.
I returned your wordiness with more wordiness of my own so let me know if you have any more questions. As you advance through the routine, I’m happy to help tweak things if you’re not seeing the results you’d expect.
Good luck!
Dave
Dave!
Thanks so much for your reply, that was super helpful! It was enough to get me started. I really appreciate it as I just moved away from all my friends to start grad school. So, I haven’t found anyone to work out with yet that can help me get going. I finished a 5-day fast last week with HIIT to get rid of any holiday weight I gained, or at least lower it. And yesterday I officially started VI!
I went out and purchased 50lb dumbbells, a barbell with 100lbs(with 25,15,10 lb weights), incline bench, ab wheel, and a doorway pull up bar. (all for $100) Combined with the workout room in my complex I hope to be able to do everything well. The first day was pretty successful, but I really struggled on day 2 (which is actually “day 3″ since I decided to drop day 2. I cycle everywhere and though my legs could be better, they’re decently defined as is.) So, I had a couple questions for you about working the back. First off, and very unfortunately, I can no longer do a pull up. Well, I did one… but.. I’d really like to get back to those since its the best for the back. For today I swapped it out for bent over dumbbell rows and bent over barbell rows. What do you think? Is that an okay place to start? Or should I just keep doing pull ups with really low reps? like 1 or 2 reps..
To answer your question, I’ve never been a heavy lifter in the bench press. I never gave it too much effort, unfortunately. Last time I benched I could do 180 or so max and 150 in a set. Hoping to change all that, but that let’s you know where I used to be. Again, I appreciate your help!
If you feel I’m revealing too much VI, then you can delete this and ask for my email.
Jeff,
Sounds like you’ve complied a nice set of equipment. I think your plan with DB rows and bent over rows sounds good. Once you build up your back strength and arm strength, you’ll hopefully get better at pull ups. I’d focus on them in Phase 2 and Phase 3. Also, for those phases, you might need some more weights but I guess you can deal with that in a couple months. Let me know if you have any other questions as you work your way through.
Dave
I’m thinking of getting the Bowflex 1090 adjustable dumbbells, do you think this will be sufficient? I’m about 67kg now, and not planning on getting huge, but since these will go up to roughly 41kg each, I reckon it might be just enough even at Phase 3. Obviously, squats will be easy, but I’m not bothered about getting huge legs. I was never good at bench press either when I used to use barbells and I really do not have the space to get barbell equipment, so just need your thoughts on that?
John,
I think the adjustable DBs sound right for you. Don’t worry about squats because you don’t necessarily need to do them in Phase 3…unless you really want to. It’s going to depend on your muscular strength…some people are good at pulling exercise, others pushing exercises. Just figure out what exercise is a limiting factor for you and determine if these DBs would be enough. For example, bench press is usually a limiting factor for me meaning that I use the heaviest weights for that. For others, rows might be the limiting factor. Regardless, I think this will work well for you. You don’t necessarily need a barbell set to succeed with Visual Impact. Hope that helps.
Dave
Visual Impact sure looks like something worth looking into. Ever since the movie 300 more people have shifted towards the lean look. However, most people do not have a goal and when they go to the gym they just pick up the weights and start working out. Maybe upper body one day and lower body the next. I like programs which take you through phases.
Keeon,
All good points.
Thanks,
Dave
Hey Dave
I’m just wondering if you can explain in more detail this to me. You have mentioned in the past of having two 15 hours fasts per week and at the weekend you have a cheat day. Does the cheat day involve eating crap all day or just treating yourself to a pizza ? Secondly I have reached a plateau myself with weight loss. I cannot shift the last stubborn fat that is covering my 6 pack. How does incorporating a fasting period and a cheat day specifically target belly fat? I always thought when a person was losing weight the first place it went was off the face so I do not understand on how this fasting/cheat day scenario will specifically target belly fat?
Cheers
Pat,
Very good questions. My cheat days generally involve whatever indulgences I feel like. For example, I might go out for donuts with my wife and son and have a pizza with ice cream for dessert at night. I try not to over-stuff myself.
So, how does this help with fat loss? First, fasting helps increase HGH levels and there’s some evidence that daily fasting of 16 hours can help reduce stubborn body fat (belly fat for most guys). The cheat day simply helps jump-start your metabolism to keep you burning more calories. More calories burned means more fat loss.
Now you’re correct that you can’t spot reduce fat but if you lose enough fat, then you’ll reduce the stubborn spots like the abs.
Ultimately, if I had the freedom to structure a routine without any other obligations, I would perform a 16 hour fast ending around noon. I would exercise at the end of the fast around 10am. My biggest meal would then be around lunch. I would eat slightly above maintenance levels on weight training days and at or just under maintenance on cardio days. On the weekend, I would allow one very high calorie day but try to keep it a little cleaner than eating endless amounts of pizza, candy, and sugar.
Does that help at all?
Dave
Thanks Dave for your quick and very informative response. My only concern is that the weight that one looses from fasting will be put back on in no time plus extra if say for example you were on holiday for a week and you did not work out and had a few beers every night and indulged in unhealthy foods for example pizza fries etc Also are protein shakes allowed during fasting?
Thanks
Pat
Pat,
In the example you provided, weight gain would be an issue for anyone whether they are fasting or not. The beauty of fasting on a regular basis is that you can have these types of indulgences from time to time and still lose weight. Compare that to the traditional calorie counting method where you try to eat below maintenance day of day. Protein shakes are not allowed during a fast since they have calories. Theoretically, you can have zero calorie foods but I recommend avoiding everything so that you condition your body to go without food. This type of discipline will help you avoid mindless or instinctual eating in the future.
Dave
Fantastic thanks a million Dave !!
How essential is the HIIT in the program? Could you merely cut calories (e.g. with Eat Stop Eat) to get most of your deficit? I have a crosstrainer, but its not really designed for sprinting to full capacity.
John,
The biggest value to HIIT is to ramp up fat burning during Phase 3. If you can adequately create a deficit without it, you should still be successful. With the crosstrainer, you’ll at least be able to perform some steady state cardio to burn some extra calories as needed.
Dave