Clean bulking starts at the solid base. You’re adding muscle without adding fat, which is different than losing a considerable amount of fat.

But what exactly is this “solid base?” What does it look like? More importantly, what’s a realistic solid base? Especially for someone that isn’t genetijacked?

If you’re obsessing over your eight pack, you’re outside the realm of real. But if you’re doing the truffle shuffle, you’ve gone too far.

Let’s balance.

For those of us with a lesser genetic backing (and not using performance enhancing drugs), traditional bulking is backwards.

We don’t partition our nutrients well. The caloric influx isn’t used efficiently in the name of lean body mass (see Fail #4 and Fail #5).

Think of sculptors. One sculptor sucks (that’s us). The other is Polykleitos. Just because you’re working with the same clay (amount, type) doesn’t mean the sculptures will end up identical. It depends on the skill of the hands at work.

Calories may indeed just be calories from a heat standpoint, but the body chooses of what to make of each calorie. Throwing back endless food without regard for body fat is bad news. Itself, body fat is a good indicator of partitioning. Leaning down is one of the best partitioning improvers. It’s the “reset” button.

Once you’re lean, there’s little reason to get fat again. Yo-yo dieting is a recipe for more stubborn body fat because fat cells are primed to suck up as many juicy nutrients as possible after hardcore calorie deficits. (More on this next week.)

We have enough stubborn body fat, but thanks for asking.

This “reset” button brings us to something I call the solid base. The solid base is around 10ish% body fat for men and 18ish% body fat for women. (Here are some pictures for reference.)

But woe is me — the solid base is blowing up in my face. Apparently allowing permission to lean down leads to extremist mindsets. And it shouldn’t be a surprise because it’s something I also dealt with. Let’s get the train on the tracks so you can start progressing.

Solid base conception

What you’re going to look like at your solid base — and what % body fat your solid base actually is — depends on:

Genetic propensity to hold and gain muscle

Current amount of muscle mass

Use of performance enhancing drugs

Anyone willing to showcase themselves half naked (or even fully naked) on the internet has some wherewithal to make themselves look as good as possible. It’s easy to think that one single picture represents what people look like 24/7, but most pictures are shot with good lighting and “ideal” conditions. And so people that are already rather lean obsess over the pinnacle of leanness because of what appears in most pictures. But realize the people in the pictures…

Might have superstar genetics

Might be digitally enhanced

Might only look like that during photo shoots

Are working with ideal environmental conditions to better highlight muscle

When I was a padawan, I obsessed over “pinchable” belly fat. The picture below was taken in 2006. I actually sent it around to a few mentors at the time. If I was a mentor of my former self, I’d reply, “You’re insane for obsessing over this. And if you drop any further in body fat, you’re going to destroy your muscle building potential.”

But since I can’t go back in time, I offer this advice to you.

If you’re obsessing over the slightest bit of pinchable body fat, you’re making a big mistake.

Below is a picture from a reader. He didn’t think he was lean enough. Basically: big mistake.

Part of me wants to say that this little obsession is “normal” if you’ve ever had any reservations about your body imagine. The other part of me wants to say this little obsession is over the top.

I have another example from a member of one of my Skinny-Fat Solution coaching groups.

He’s made tremendous progress over the length of his training life (even beyond the first photo here). The time lapse goes left -> middle -> right.

The picture to the far right (and I told him many times) is likely his solid base. Yet he wants to get back to the body fat level more so shown in the middle. But I think he should maintain far right status, and add muscle without fat via the Chaos Bulk.

He actually thought the middle was his solid base. I’d imagine this is common because the solid base is a rather arbitrary concept. But it’s only arbitrary in definition. It’s quite helpful because it represents:

A level of leanness is that is sustainable long term

A comfortable level of leanness

An visual representation of physiological functioning

Oh snap! It’s more than teh sexiness!

There’s a research study floating about right now. It showcases a natural bodybuilder’s journey to 5% body fat. You can read the abstract here.

Big things to note:

Testosterone dropped by 60%

Strength dropped…and never really returned to normal

So once you drop below the “solid base,” you’re looking at whacky hormones and sucky strength. Neither of which are to conducive to muscle. Don’t expect to drop below the solid base and make meaningful muscular progress. Unless your genetijacked. Most of us don’t have that luxury.

So the questions are: “What does the solid base look like, and how do I know I’m there??

Dirt on the solid base

I threw out numbers for the solid base earlier. But body fat % is just a number, and most people use unreliable methods to measure body fat. Unless you’re using water or air displacement (underwater weighing, Bod Pod), you’re going to be a little off.

An experienced person using calipers is decent. But the “experience” thing is hard to come by.

Most scales and other electrical devices are at the mercy of hydration, among other random factors. They aren’t reliable enough to be taken seriously.

So my advice: forget about the number. It’s useless anyway. I use the benchmark of having a decent abdominal definition in good lighting. (More on this soon.) I realize women carry more body fat in the legs, and that the abs might not be the best gauge, but it works best with the ethos of the Chaos Bulk. So just go with it for now.

Abandon the idea of being disgustingly ripped 24/7. But don’t abandon the idea of being lean 24/7.

The pictures below are of a friend of mine, and they are a perfect example.

There’s a big difference from left to right. The right picture’s lighting is more conducive to showing the shape of the muscles. But even then, he’s a bit denser in the second picture.

Everyone wants the picture to the right. But that’s really not the solid base. The solid base is more towards the left. And even then, he has the potential to carry a higher body fat because his abs are very visible despite bad lighting. (Note: The body fat percentages in the pictures are estimates. Keep that in mind. Again, don’t obsess over the numbers.)

So the solid base isn’t the “ultra ripped” ideal most people have. But it’s still pretty ripped. And if you ever wanted to be ultra ripped for a little while, you wouldn’t be more than a few weeks of work away.

Being ultra ripped is a short term endeavor if you have any muscular ambitions. Maybe a four week thing — looking good at the beach or whatever (even though no one at the beach really cares…).

You can’t really embrace chaos if you’re ultra ripped. You get ab fright.

“Oh no! MY lower left abdominal muscle is 34.5% less visible. CALL THE AMBULANCE.”

If you’re working with some chaos, leanness will fluctuate just a bit daily. Your ab definition might *gasp* get worse for two consecutive days. (Make sure the back of your head didn’t explode after reading that last sentence.)

Given that the body isn’t linear, you can’t expect to make linear progress. Clean bulking is about staying around a solid baseline. Key word being around. Not surfing too far below. Not surfing too far above. But not surfing directly on the line either.

Surf too low, your hormones and muscular progress go down the tubes.

Surf too far above, your partitioning shits.

Surf too straight, you don’t swing your body enough to provoke the creation of muscle.

And the only way to handle this above and below relationship is to make things a little chaotic.

Sure, 1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1 = 10.

But so does 1-3+2+5-4+7-2+3+1.

Mirror tricks and lighting

One of the solid base classifications: abdominal definition under good lighting. Don’t underestimate posing either. (Hint: you underestimate both.)

Both of these make a distinct solid base classification so damn difficult. And to show you what I mean, I took two pictures within one minute of each other. The one on the left is at a bad angle with sub par lighting. The one on the right is with a better angle, better posing, and better lighting.

The difference between these two almost warrant before and after Chaos Bulk testimonial pictures. (You can see progress pictures on the Chaos Bulk website though…true progress pictures.) Yes, the Chaos Bulk is so effective it works in just one minute of concentrated effort. (You heard it here!).

Admittedly, this just makes the solid base all that more confusing. But if you have some ab muscles showing with just a “pinch” of fat left on your lower abs, you might just be at your solid base.

And I know, I know, “…x, y, and z are super duper lean year round and still gain muscle.” If that’s your mindset, I’ll give you one year. Come back then with your proof of possibility.

Until then, I’ll keep my solid base recommendation as is: lean…but not too lean.

There are a few other things about the solid base you need to know (or perhaps you’d rather just watch me pinch my body fat), so check out the video below for a little more dirt on the solid base.



As usual, if you have any questions drop them below in the comments.

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Browse similar posts:

Clean Bulk Fail #1 You’re Creating Training Noise

Clean Bulk Fail #2 You’re Tuned Into the Wrong Station

Clean Bulk Fail #3 You Don’t Have Cojones

Clean Bulk Fail #4 You’re Think a Calorie Is Just a Calorie

Clean Bulk Fail #5: You Aren’t Eating Enough

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