Today at IronGangsta we received a request to share our views on Mr. Martin Berkhan who is quite famous for his super lean physique, strong deadlift and of course his dieting regimen better known as Intermittent Fasting.
There are many out there who believe that everybody who is relatively small must be a natural athlete - it's not always the case. Is Martin an exception ?
Mr. Martin Berkhan has the following body stats according to his web-site.
There are many out there who believe that everybody who is relatively small must be a natural athlete - it's not always the case. Is Martin an exception ?
Mr. Martin Berkhan has the following body stats according to his web-site.
Weight:
194-196 lbs @ 5.5% bf
"bf" stands for body fat percentage or how much "%" of your body is dedicated to fat;
Height:
5'11- 6'1 (too many sources to know which is correct)
Look at those stats once more and then look at IronGangsta's guide: How To Spot A Fake Natural Bodybuilder. You will see that Mr. Martin Berkhan is over by 10-12 pounds while being super lean, dry, shredded and contest ready. So, unless Mr. Berkhan was born on the planet Krypton he is not a lifetime natural bodybuilder.
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| "Small and shredded" does not always equal natural |
Anybody who has been training for a certain amount of time and had the chance to experiment on himself while observing other people in the gym knows that the condition presented by Mr. Martin Berkhan is simply insane and rarely seen in a commercial training facility.
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| Note: Mr. Martin Berkhan looks like a regular person in clothes but that could be said about all fake naturals out there: Layne Norton, Matt Ogus, Frank Yang, Hodge Twins...etc. |
According to IronGangsta's experience and knowledge the above physique is almost impossible to achieve naturally, especially for the not gifter bodybuilders out there. In order for similar condition to be reached most people will use at least the so called ECA stack (combination of Ephedrine, Caffeine and Aspirin) that alone makes you not natural since Ephedrine is a mild narcotic and cannot be sold without prescription. The Olympics are testing for both - caffeine and ephedrine. However we do believe that Mr. Martin Berkhan is also no stranger to much more dangerous and effective drugs used for reduction of bodyfat while preserving muscle mass.
Another sign of drug usage is the side deltoid muscle of Mr. Martin Berkhan - such "eye popping" deltoid is quite rare for a natural bodybuilder at similar bodyfat. Yes, you can get that ripped while being natural but you will also be 20 pounds lighter, not dry and your side delt will not be "popping".
You have to understand that the ultra dry and lean physiques you see out there are usually quite hard to achieve naturally while preserving muscle mass. Maintaining similar condition through the whole year is not an easy task and you have to control 95% of the food you put in your mouth unless you have really, really good genetics. Most people don't and simply go crazy.
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| Most people go into "banana mode" when they are on a super strict diet. |
Since some of you will probably ask whether you can lose weight with Intermittent Fasting I will tell you.
Yes, "Intermittent Fasting" does work but there is nothing magical about it. You are simply eating less - the same thing you do on every diet. Whether you fast for 10 hours or eat really small portions every hour is not that important. The only thing you need to lose weight is caloric deficit. How you get there is just details in the end of the day. No magic here - just a simple calorie restricted diet.
P.S. There are many clients of Mr. Martin Berkhan who will be able to give you a definition of Trenbolone...if you know what I mean.