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All;

I am on week 2 of Beast, and I see no way I will have shaved off all that fat I gained during the previous phases. I am concerned since the plan says do not continue Beast for more than 4 weeks.

Is it referring to the calories or macros or both? I could use some help on how to continue a cut. However, I do NOT want to burn off muscle that I gained, as I will have wasted all this time.

Thanks in advance

The structure of Beast Phase, in terms of diet (substantial caloric deficit) and workout programming (a return to the longer and potentially more taxing Build Workouts for 2/4 weeks) leaves one exposed to potential overtraining fatigue if carried for more than 4 weeks. Remember - this is coming at the tail end of a rigorous ~8 weeks of 6 day/week resistance training.

It's very easy to fall into the trap of excessively modifying programming in an effort to "ramp up" the intensity by adding cardio, cutting calories further, etc. This can work for some (like smick); but for others, it can start a downward spiral of fatigue, overtraining, and loss of the positive gains from the past months of work.

I would recommend completing this round as per the program outlined. Afterward, take a week or two for deloading - either a) try a few workouts from a different program at reduced intensity, or (even better) b) a week or two of Body Beast workouts at 50-60% of the weight used when you completed the program. This allows the motor pathways which complete the movements to remain freshly trained so that movement efficiency is not changed, all while easing the loading imposed on the body's muscular systems to permit a more optimal program of active recovery.

After the deload period, begin another round of Body Beast (Lean), but modify the diet plan to eliminate (or reduce) the caloric surplus during the first two phases. Maintain the same workout intensity (and continue to strive for increasing the loading for the larger multi-joint compound movements on a weekly/semi-weekly basis).

You could also consider a more sophisticated dietary protocol such as some form of IF (intermittent fasting which can be very effective in reducing bodyfat while supporting lean muscle gain). If you scroll back through past threads on this board, there have been several threads on IF - you can also message me if you'd like more info.

Could you forward me a link to that facebook group?

Sorry for the delayed response. Get on Facebook and type in team ripped IF.