A common phrase that you hear thrown around in the fitness world is how to get ripped. We all see these celebrities, athletes and fitness professionals walking around with amazing bodies and decide ok I want to look like that without even considering what is involved in trying to get ripped.
I have covered this topic briefly in other posts such as this one How to get ripped fast but after reading an article this week from a fitness author I follow I thought it was worth another mention.
Getting ripped is tremendously hard to achieve but anyone can do it if they are prepared to work hard and follow a system that works and can take them all the way.
One of the guys I respect most in the world of fat loss and building muscle is Tom Venuto who authored the best selling ebook Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle which basically is a blueprint for how to get ripped like you see with bodybuilders and fitness models. In a recent article he talked about how to get ripped and what it actually means to get your body in this condition and I thought it was worth going over some of the points he raised because I think many of us still have this dream of getting like this without any real idea of what it takes. For those who are interested in what Tom had to say you can read his article by clicking here
What does it mean to be ripped
Having a ripped physique is where your body has incredible muscular definition because your body fat is so low.
The skin on your body is very thin and looks to be very tight across your body which allow the muscles to be very visible and defined. When you are ripped all the muscle striations can be seen along with the separations between muscle groups. You also can expect increased vascularity as the veins that have been hidden by the layer of body fat suddenly appear
For men this can add to the look and there are not guys out there who train who don´t want the a thick pulsing vein through the biceps or the coveted lower ab veins which say to everybody “Hey I am ripped”.
Men generally to get more vascular than women and I am sure most ladies are happy about this because for women having too many veins popping through is not the look they want. However I think if women were offered the choice of having a well defined female body with a little vascularity here and there not many would refuse and why not because it looks great.
Unfortunately seeing people in this condition is very rare even in serious gyms and when there is somebody walking around like this they are stand out a mile. Basically we are only used to seeing people like this who are competing bodybuilders and fitness models, athletes, some fashion models and the occasional celebrity who has got in amazing condition for a film.
The reason for this is as Tom states is that on the whole people around the world are getting fatter. To be honest unless you work or spend a lot of time in the fitness environment most people you know or see on a daily basis are overweight and forget ripped are not even close to being lean.
This is why for example when a group of women see a guy who is in shape and got a six pack stomach they go a little bit crazy because it is such a rare sight.
If you can get yourself into super lean or ripped then trust me you will not believe the amount of attention you will start to receive.
Why knowing how to get ripped is such as big deal.
Getting ripped and having a body that everybody talks about is such a big deal because it is so hard to get to this level. In the article Tom talks about the “the last 10-15 pounds.” ….and that they “can be a bear to burn” and this is so true. If you have ever tried to get down to low levels of body fat then you will understand how hard this can be.
Getting ripped is such a challenge because as you get leaner the harder it becomes in terms of managing calorie deficits, dealing with increased appetitive and coping with metabolism adaptation as you reduce calories. When you are trying to get ripped everything you do matters in terms of nutrition, training and lifestyle and this level of discipline in all these areas can become tiring which why many people fall short of the look they really want.
How do you get ripped?
So as Tom states in his article being ripped is all about having low body fat levels. If you know how to reduce body fat to a certain level then you will get ripped.
Just for the record if you want to know what ripped body fat levels are then for men it is between 3-6 % and for women 8-12%. But let me also say these levels are not sustainable for long periods which are why you only see these bodies on competing bodybuilders, fitness models and models in magazines. A more realistic all year figure is between 8-12% for men and 15-20% for women but even at these levels you will still stand out and look in tremendous shape.
So how do you get to these low body fat levels?
The most important factor to having very low body fat is nutrition. Yes you can do all the latest workouts with all the fancy equipment available but if you don´t how to eat properly then you will not see the results. This is why in Toms fat burning program Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle ”75% is focused on nutrition techniques for losing your body fat”
There are loads of workouts available that work really well for burning lots of calories and ultimately fat but if the diet surrounding your training is not right you are fighting a losing battle.
A diet for getting ripped means knowing exactly what food to eat, how much and when with little margin for error because at this stage you just can´t wing it and get a super lean body.
Being this disciplined and organised with nutrition is what differentiates having an alright looking bodies and one that makes people stop and stare.
So is it possible for everybody to get ripped?
The quick answer to this is Yes. If you are prepared to dedicate yourself and work really hard then you can achieve peak condition and be super lean however you must have real self belief that you can do it. If you harbour any doubts or deep down don´t believe you can have a ripped body these doubts these will trip you up along the way and ensure you keep falling short with your targets.
Along with this belief and commitment you also need a plan. Speak to anybody you see who has a great body and I guarantee they follow a system both in the way they eat and the way they train. Not only that you need a plan that you know works and will get you where you want to be if you follow it all the way through.
In his article Tom argues that many of the “ new fangled miracle diet” ….come and go every year and almost all of them fail” because they are not designed to help you get those last few stubborn pounds off which is where the magic starts to happen. He says “It happens to almost everybody – the diet works at first, but stops working before you get all the way there.”
His recommended diet system for taking you all the way and getting you ripped and the one he lays out in great detail in his program Burn the Fat is the one followed by competitive bodybuilders and figure athletes He states it is the “The single most effective fat burning system that stands the test of time for getting ripped ….. bodybuilding and physique athlete nutrition.”
In fact he reckons he can see “bodybuilding and physique athlete nutrition making a massive comeback in the year ahead as more and more people are getting fed up with being short changed by all the worthless new diet fads that have come and gone in the last 10 years.”
Now I am not sure about this but there is no doubting that this way of eating to get lean has worked for many years and will always do no matter if you are a bodybuilder trying to get ripped or a regular guy or girl who wants to drop a few extra pounds.
In conclusion.
When it comes to burning fat and getting lean there are many paths you can choose to follow that claim to promise the very best results. The trick is to find one that suits you best and just stick with it. The system laid out in Tom´s book is tried and tested and will deliver whatever result you are prepared to aim for you just have to decide is the one for you. Personally I like this way of eating because it is based on sound nutrition principles that are not only effective but are a healthy and natural way to lose fat but as I mentioned before it takes a lot of work and is definitely not aimed as a quick fix fat loss plan.
If you want to know how to get ripped then Burn the Fat is well worth a look.
by 
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I think Tom’s principals of getting ripped are spot on. I have his book Body fat Solution and program Holy Grail and they both have helped me a lotto understand weight management using practical and sensible tactics not silly superstition, myths or the Bro-Science from the gym.
Yes getting ripped is a very good goal to pursue especially in summer.
Raymond
Hi Raymond
Yes the more reading and research I do in the fitness niche the more I realise the principals Tom stands for are sensible and work really well. His ebook Burn the Fat was one of the first fitness books I bought online and is one that I go back to time and time again.
Getting ripped is a great achievement and very tough to crack as I am sure you will testify. If you are to have any chance of reaching this goal you need the right information and the right strategy that works for you otherwise you are going to really struggle.
Cheers
Howard
Howard,
You are right about being able to keep very low body fat levels for a short period of time.
Unfortunately many people think that it can be done 365 days a year and this is not so. When a person has those high expectations so many get discouraged. The important thing to remember is that it can be achieved but a person also has to be flexible with their goals and stay at a healthy body fat level year round.
-Sam
Hi Sam
Yes I think too many people think that bodybuilders, models and celebrities walk round ripped all year which is just not possible. The trick is too stay in lean state most of the year (between 10-14%) for men and (17-21%) for women which can be done without being too restrictive then if you want get super lean for special occasions. To be honest for most people being within the ranges I mentioned here will be enough as they will be healthy, looking good but whilst still having room to enjoy the things they like every now and then. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Cheers
Howard
Howard,
Tom definitely knows his stuff. What I like about his material is that his methods are all-natural. We all know a lot of bodybuilders get ripped by using steroids but getting ripped naturally is even more impressive.
Alykhan
It is certainly easier to get ripped when you have more muscle mass, a lot of skinny guys have low body fat but don’t look ripped at all because they simply lack muscle, great post by the way.
Hi Michael
I agree with your comment. This is why a lot of programs fall short in delivering the results because they don´t encourage people to build enough muscle which makes it a lot more difficult to get very lean and like you say look ripped.
Thanks
Howard