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...Whatever the cost of the Martin's consultation is, it's the best money I've spent. I'm still using my original fat loss program as the framework for my current training and diet almost 12 months later. 

Dieting and training goes a lot further than just lifting weights and cooking meals. Finding a method you believe in and having someone that is honest and trustworthy to teach it to you is the first step for anyone trying to change. The moment I got my consultation was the first time I stopped googling things like "when is the best time to eat carbs" or "when should I eat before I train". I was constantly hearing different things from different people and it just confused me. I had complete faith in Martin and I take everything he has taught me to do as gospel. 

I could not be more thankful for Martin's work, knowledge and the time he has given me to help me improve myself. I have friends who have paid for programs from other online coaches and I couldn't believe the lack of support and information that they received compared to what I got from Martin's consultation, hence why I'm lingering around 6-7% BF all the time and they're looking for the next new gimmick for fat loss. 

In my opinion, I believe Martin is one of, if not the world's leading nutritionist for strength training and intermittent fasting. Also, you feel very cool when you tell people that your personal trainer is from Sweden. Makes you look kind of serious.

Ilian H

This guy's a champ. 👏

In the 16 weeks of following the program under Martin's supervision, I lost over 17 kilos, at the same time gained a good deal of muscle and increased all my lifts by over 25%. Half-way on the program I broke into the 1000lbs on the three big lifts and toped 200kg on both squat and DL. To put it simply - I now warm-up with my 1RMs a year ago..
The greatest parts of working with Martin/Leangains:
- The accountability: I was genuinely afraid of "what would Martin say" and that is a great driver. Even now, months after off Martin, I still think of it when I am about to do a food choice.

- The advice: Martin has a (solid) answer to almost every question but is not afraid to say "I don't know" either - while others will always give opinions even if no idea on a subject. The time it would take to experiment (especially for a busy person like me) worths much more than having a real expert who will give you a true and tested advice. 

- The diet: IF aside (which once you get used to, don't even notice), the diet is a revelation. You can eat pretty much everything, IIFYM-style, and after spending over 2 years of munching on just chicken breasts and egg-whites, getting to eat bread and potatoes made it into a constant banquet! Word of caution though - you will get odd looks if you order your main meal of the day in a restaurant and both waiters and friends will try to convince you not too eat so much, as it is "bad for you". Don't try to explain, nobody gets it... 

- The workouts: RPT is fantastic and I now do everything RPT-style. Together with Martin we did some modifications to the training and added additional sets and the progress has been constant across all moves. I couldn't imagine going back to 5x5 or any type of typical 5 day splits. 

- Longevity: it is a sustainable lifestyle. Once you get used to it, counting the calories and doing the workouts becomes second nature. I know I can always compensate, even if I go overboard on an occasion, I feel strong and when I start doing deadlifts, squats or rows, the curl bros drop their dumbbells and stare in awe (and yes, as shallow as it sounds, it feels good). 

Overall, I couldn't be happier from working with Martin and I hope many others will have equal success on Leangains! Highly recommended to anyone who wants a smart and effective approach to transforming their body and gaining strength in the process.

Matthew L

43-year old Matt got pretty shredded. From 219 lbs (left) to 195 lbs (right).

By the way, check him out on Instagram and give his supplements a closer look if you're on the hunt for a fat burner. Matt sent me a few samples and there was one that I found quite effective - it's called "Miami Lean" and contained yohimbine among other things. *

* Apparently, "Miami Lean" has been discontinued and replaced with "Rio Lean."

I have been in this game a long time and have tried a ton of training methods, supplements, diets,ect. I learned about lean gains and intermittent fasting about 4-5 years ago but it wasn't until I hired martin to personalize my plan via his lean gains approach that my results took off. Yes, I was on the waiting list for a good year or more and did experiment with IF via the programs on his site but didn't nail it until I got the consultation and then it all came together.

At first I was skeptical about the very brief training schedule even though I was a mentzer/yates HIT proponent. But I have to say it was the best change I made. It cut through the smoke and mirrors and was a solid plan that would be the corner stone of my training plan to this day.

Whether your goal is getting lean or doing a lean bulk I encourage you to reach out to martin with an open mind. Set your self up for progress not failure. The things you will learn will set you up for life and can also be personalized to fit any schedule or life situation.

Put the knife to the OCD lifestyle and the 6 meal a day system and start living and enjoying both your training and nutrition again.

Arthur S

12 weeks, 11 lbs lost, but strength gained. What more can you ask for?

Final weight (averaged): 155.3 (11 pounds lost since start of consult... amazing!). I think I've reached my goal ... for the time being. Pretty damned ecstatic with the results. Thank you so much for everything. It's been pretty life changing for me.

Luke A

What a physique! 12 weeks, 9 lbs lost...and yes, you guessed it, strength gained.

I could not be happier with the results and how I feel, including zero elbow/tennis elbow issues of the past. And I just kept getting stronger. Amazing! 

Thanks again for everything it was a pleasure to work with you !! I plan to continue to improve with Leangains and I will keep you posted.

Theis D

11 weeks, 6 kg lost. Not bad seeing that the poor guy was in a car crash and had to take one week off - but that clearly didn't faze him and he still came out leaner and stronger at the end.

It is like I grow and slim down at the same time like what you told in last status email - body recomposition?

Hell yes, son!

Tony J

45 year-old Tony lost 10 lbs in 12 weeks and got stronger in the process. Not bad for a veteran of the iron game. Age is no excuse, folks!

 I have really noticed that my love handles on my sides are almost completely gone, and my abs haven’t looked this good in two decades. The best part is I feel I’m at or close to my strongest ever. I was also glad to see some better defined muscles in my back, and pleasantly surprised at the definition in the front of my legs (separation in the Quadriceps muscles). All of this at almost 45 yrs old. Not too shabby.  

Martin, your expertise is worth every penny spent. Thank you.

Heather J

Former athlete Heather lost 10 lbs in 12 weeks. But here's the crazy part: using a specialized chin-up routine that I developed, she went from being able to complete a single chin-up to 14 (!) chin-ups at the end of the 12-week period. 💪

And yes, that's 14 chin-ups in a row, which is more than what 90% of the males reading this are able to do.

Thank you for the excellent guidance and thorough information, it has been greatly appreciated and extremely valuable in making this change in my life.

Fred C

Have you seen how an extra 5 lbs of muscle looks on a body? Well, now you have, and when I say "5" I'm probably undershooting that figure, because I actually think Frederik looks leaner in the after-picture. What kind of advanced drug cocktail do you need to make that happen? None whatsoever. What you need is 4 months, good diet and a solid training program, split into roughly equal parts bulking and cutting.

I have been working with Martin for a little over a year now, and I have nothing but good things to say about my experience. Without his help, I’d likely still be caught up in all of the nonsense we seem to live by these days. There is no secret sauce, just a fair amount of dedication and advice on where to apply it. 

To my surprise, within a month of beginning my bulk with him, my TDEE (calories burned daily) shot up dramatically and my bulking calories had then become my maintenance calories. While it was great being able to incorporate some more chocolate chips into my pancakes, it also had a much larger benefit. My increase in TDEE meant that my cutting calories were significantly higher. When Martin said that I should be averaging 2,000 calories per day if I wanted to lose a pound per week, I was a bit skeptical. However, I figured that I would give it a shot. 

Sure enough, I was shedding weight even faster than he had projected. For reference, I was 5’11 and around 155lbs at the time, so being able to lose weight at those calories made cutting a breeze. 

If you want a no-nonsense approach to your fitness goals, this is the place to go. You will not be disappointed.

Paul A

Look at this crazy guy. I have no doubt that he added 10 lbs of muscle over 7 months on my program. Paul started out at 132 (left), lost a few pounds on a 4-week cut (middle), and spent the next 6 months bulking. He was 140 (right) last time I spoke with him and still leaner than when we started working together. Naturally, his strength gains are through the roof as well.

You can hear all this from Paul himself as he hosts his own YouTube-channel with practical advice for the Leangains diet. Check it out! (And hit that subscribe button to keep him motivated. I honestly think his content is pretty good.)

Honestly, I could not realistically be happier with my progress.  You’re a fucking genius.  Short story…I was at the playground with my kids and they were playing on the monkey bars.  I tried doing a pull-up instead of a chin-up, just for fun.  I could not do more than 1 pullup 4 months ago.  I think I did 10 with ease and felt like I could have done 20.  I wish I would have found your website years ago.  I already told you about the distance I have added to my golf drives and that is not bullshit, it absolutely amazes me.  Thank you!

Cameron S

Here's another great example of body recomposition if you ask me. During the 8 weeks we worked together, Cameron only lost 4 lbs - but as you can see, there's a remarkable difference in appearance for such a modest amount of weight loss.

Tony L

Despite a lot of barbecues and drinks during our 12-week period together, Tony made quite stellar progress. Take a look at the numbers yourself:

Here's what I wrote him back:

Haddoum S

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I picked an assortment of clients, went for some diversity. Choose most clients based on some point/nugget I wanted to share. Probably forgot a few good ones (sorry). There's a few more on an external HD from my old comp.

I'll summarize the important stuff and have included some testimonials. Not from everyone, since this would be way too long. Actually, you know what, I'll just copy-paste some stuff from emails and call that testimonials. How about that.

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After, Week 26: 185 lbs (Note: Breaks due to travelling.)

Martial arts practitioner Dan Ordoins (www.bujinkanlife.com) shows that age is not an excuse. 

"Wow Martin what can I say it has been great working with you. With your Leangains intermittent fasting approach you brought me from over 220lbs down to just under 185lbs. I didn't think I needed to loose that much weight. Surprising how much fat you carry around thinking you are lean. In working with you I was able to keep most of my strength/ lean muscle mass and even make some nice gains. It was great seeing the looks and hearing the questions when I am doing chin-ups for reps with 110lbs strapped to my waist."

"I love your no bullshit approach. I think one time you called me on my shit when I said I upped my walking at one point. Hey this is what I needed. You gave me a plan directly tailored to my needs and to what I was trying to achieve. In that sense it made it easy for me."

"I love the fasting and working out fasted. I know in the beginning I questioned it but now I look forward to it.... I feel pumped ready and charged for and during the workouts. Absolutely love it and look forward to each workout. I often wished they came sooner."

"Now that we transitioned from cutting to maintenance and now to what your program is all about 'Lean Gains', I feel I am ready to pack on the muscle and strength without the fat. I know that we are ending our journey together as far as the coaching. I feel you have given me the tools to push forward on my own. During our time together you have changed my ideas and beliefs on diet, nutrition and strength gains. I am ready to move on and see the gains I can make..... and most important the healthy sane way of eating for a lifetime."

"Thanks so much Martin, rest assured I will be following you along your journey as you spread the word. I can't wait for your book to come out, I will be one of the first to get it. Also look forward to me sending you more updated pictures when I make some killer lean gains."

Keep up the great work! You Rock!"

- Dan

From anorexia, to drastic overtraining and everything in between I went from one extreme to the other all throughout High school. The only time I ever looked pretty good was during my senior year when I was doing insane amounts of circuit training with kettle bells and had just begun The Warrior Diet. However, after a year of being on The WD I realized I had gained back a bunch of weight, and my strength had not increased by any significant means. It was time for a change.

I was referred to Martin's site by a very influential person and whose opinion I highly respect. I began to read Martin's blog top to bottom. I began to loosely implement his work and noticed some pretty good results, but I wanted more. I contacted him early on in summer 2010 and took my place in the queue that is Martins waiting list. About a week before I began my freshman year in college I received word from Martin that I had the opportunity to work with him if I so chose. I jumped at the chance. Best decision ever.

Within a week I had my own individualized training routine and nutrition guide. At this point I had been at University for about 2 days and was immediately engulfed with the college atmosphere that is drugs, alcohol, overweight nutrition teachers…you know the usual. I was immediately unhappy with my environment but I found a lot of comfort in Martins program and the results I was having. I was quickly deemed “the kid who eats a ton at the dining hall late at night.” I loved this name...

I can honestly say that Martins help and encouragement were an integral part of me sticking through my first 2 months of school. Not only did he answer any and all of my questions regarding my program in depth, but he clearly showed that he was concerned about my mental and emotional health and well-being and was a great motivator.

My results came clearly and quickly. In 9 weeks I went from 135lbs to a low of 120.8lbs. Not only did I lose a significant amount of weight, but all of my lifts (Bench, DL, Squat, and Weighted Chins) all shot up. All of these gains were made while consistently enjoying pizza, pasta, and burgers. Being a college student is hard enough, but being a college student on an intense fitness/nutrition program puts things on a whole different level, and the flexibility of Martins program really helped out with my sanity. I was able to eat over 1500kcal in one sitting 4 times per week. Haha seriously? I challenge anyone to find me a successful nutrition program which allows that.

All I have to say is thank you Martin! You have helped me in so many ways and clearly opened my eyes to a whole new world of training and nutrition. I can’t wait to work with you again in the near future.

- Jordan S

P.S. As a side note to all college students who use Martins program...try not to let any overweight nutrition teachers get on your nerves. It’s hard, but it’ll help your grade in the end."

Age: 24
Before, Week 1: 159 lbs
After, Week 4-6: 150 lbs

This client maintains a low body fat at all times but choose to cut some fat before Christmas. First picture shows conditioning shortly after a lean muscle gaining phase and second picture shows conditioning after the cut.
When this client told me that he was "closing in on his goal" of achieving a physique similar to that of Brad Pitt, AKA Tyler Durden in "Fight Club", I told him to gain some fat, start smoking, get into a fight, and stop training his arms and shoulders. (The implication of that being that he had already surpassed his goal.)

Age: 24
Before, Week 1: 159 lbs
After, Week 16: 145 lbs (Note: Breaks included.)

Age: 26
Before, Week 1: 160 lbs
After, Week 12: 169 lbs
Rapid strength and lean mass gain. Shawn made the following gains in the key lifts:

Squats: 175 lbs x 7 to 250 lbs x 7 (+75 lbs)

Deadlifts: 220 lbs x 7 to 295 lbs x 7 (+75 lbs)

Bench press: 120 lbs x 7 to 150 lbs x 7 (+30 lbs)

Weighted Chins: Body weight (160 lbs) + 10 lbs x 6 to body weight (169 lbs) + 50 lbs x 6 (+49 lbs)

According to an electronic scale, Shawn lowered his body fat from 12% to 10% in the process but such scales are notoriously inaccurate. However, looking at his pictures, I think it's safe to say that he didn't gain any fat whilst adding 9 lbs of lean muscle in 12 weeks.
"Before I contacted Martin, I had tried fighting my innate difficulty gaining weight with just shoving food into my body. Sure enough, my weight went up, but the sad reality was that I was just getting fat--as a friend tactfully disclosed one day. I was able to cut the weight, but that got me where I had started: really skinny. Only now, I was afraid that putting on any muscle meant getting fat: something I was uncomfortable with."

"I approached Martin with some skepticism, but it ended up being a great decision. He laid out a comprehensive diet and training plan that fit my daily schedule and food preferences."

"Life happens and I couldn’t always follow the diet perfectly; social events came up and I wanted to go out and drink with my friends once-in-a-while. In the end, my compliance was probably about 85% or so. Except for days where I chose to go off my diet in the name of fun, I never had any difficulty sticking to it. Martin taught me how to minimize the impact of what lapses I had, and there was never a point that I felt like my diet controlled my life--or guilty that I was indulging on occasion. Indeed, given my results after 12 weeks, I think the best thing I can say about Martin’s program is that I was able to get fantastic results DESPITE my lapses."

"As for training, I enjoyed the routine Martin designed for me. I quickly adapted and I saw some pretty big strength gains across the board. People noticed a difference. Friends who had no idea I was training would say, 'Wow, have you been working out? Your arms look a lot bigger.' You can imagine that this made me feel VERY good about my progress in the gym."

"I found Martin easy to work with. I’m still making gains on the program Martin designed for me, and I’ll be sticking to it for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, I’ll have an even better set of pictures in another 3 months!"

- Shawn

Age: 18
Before, Week 1: 157 lbs
After, Week 7: 150 lbs

A good deal of strength and muscle gained in the process.



Alex

Age: 22
Before, Week 1: 159 lbs
After, Week 9: 154 lbs 

The improvement in appearance and strength for a modest 5 lbs of weight loss on the scale indicates significant body recomposition.

Richard 


49-year old Richard Nikoley from "Free the Animal" made great progress on a Paleo-based version of my approach. You can find a thorough breakdown of his progress, as well as interviews with me, on his site.