The truth about being “shredded”. Should you aim for extremely low body fat?

But first, what does it even mean to be “shredded”?

Before we get into it, let’s define what we mean by being “shredded”. Shredded (aka ‘peeled’ or ‘diced’ and NOT to be confused with ‘lean’ or ‘toned’) is a common term people in fitness culture use to describe someone with extremely low levels of body fat (usually 4-8% for men and 12%-16% for women). This level of conditioning is achieved with the purpose of uncovering the true amount of lean muscle mass or #gains an individual has built underneath his/her fat mass.

Is it healthy to be shredded?

Short answer : Generally speaking, no. This conditioning is not sustainable nor recommended for most people just wanting to have healthier relationships with their fitness, food, and overall lifestyle.

Answer explained: As a natural lifter (ie not on performance-enhancing drugs), getting to low levels of body fat takes a lot of time, energy, and commitment. Here are a few examples of symptoms I’ve experienced (as well as other athletes) when preparing for a physique show and reaching an especially low body fat percentage:

• Overly food-focused and food-obsessed

• Decreased training performance, potential muscle loss

• High irritability

• Poor sleep hygiene

• Low libido

• Day-to-day lethargy

Then why do people get shredded?

Good question. This is a question people unfortunately speed through before making a quick decision to diet down aggressively. It could be because they think it looks cool on social media, have intentions of doing a serious photoshoot, or perhaps to help build additional confidence.

For me? 2019 was actually the first year (I had been training consistently for 8 years prior) that I decided to get stage-ready for a natural bodybuilding show. Bodybuilding is a sport that requires you to achieve a particular level of conditioning in order to properly display your muscularity/symmetry in front of a panel of judges. Winning is no easy task in today’s world where people all around have incredible physiques built from intelligent programming, genetics, and hard work.

With that, bodybuilding is much more than a chance to win a trophy for me. Growing up, I never found a sport or activity that really accepted my potential more than bodybuilding has today. I was overweight, insecure, and unsure of most things about life - but never would I have thought that just a few dumbbell curls could turn my life around. This is my passion and I love doing it.

Since competing I’ve built countless relationships with people I now call my close friends, motivated to improve my physique/fitness for future competitions, and have even started my own coaching service online helping people reach their own unique fitness goals.

Make no mistake, I do not stay “stage shredded” year round. It’s not optimal for all the reasons I’ve mentioned above and does not benefit me in the sport in any way (and would actually work against me if I did).

So are there any upsides to this?

Yes! The intention of this post is not to steer people away from their fitness goals and aspirations. I actually encourage it if that means you’ll be more active and driven than you were before. However, you should reflect on EVERYTHING that you are getting yourself into (not just from this blog but by asking people, doing more research etc.) - and ensure you are fit to go down this route. Outside of looking like an absolute BEAST, you will learn much more about your potential than you did before you started. You’ll see just how resilient you can be, how efficient you’ll want to be, and how patient you’ll need to be in order to successfully reach this goal.

Real question is - should YOU get shredded?

Ultimately, that’s going to be your decision to make. Be sure to answer the “why am I doing this?” Are you ready to get shredded (both mentally and physically)? Are you willing to accept some of the symptoms along the way?

As much as social media pressures us all, it’s okay to have some body fat. It’s actually perfectly normal and optimal when it comes to improving your performance in whatever exercise camp you fall in.

Finally, if you DO decide that getting shredded is what you want, please consider the following recommendations:

• Find a coach (preferably one with this type of experience): Even if you’re an experienced fitness enthusiast, having a coach by your side will be a great way to keep you accountable and be a strong support system when things get rough (because trust me, things will get rough as you dig deeper)

• Give yourself ample time to diet down: This will depend on your starting body fat percentage relative to your deadline, but try not to lose faster than .5%-1% per pound body weight per week. When you’re too aggressive with your caloric deficit, you risk increased muscle breakdown and will likely have a hard time managing daily food intake. As an example and reference, I spent 30 total weeks preparing for my show (not all in a deficit, some diet breaks were taken for special events and vacation) where I lost 30 pounds before I officially hit the stage.

• Don’t be a jerk: Believe it or not, the people around you will still live their usual lives eating their usual amounts of food. Even if you feel like your friends and family don’t understand what you’re going through, be patient and try your best to live a close-to-normal life with them. As long as you don’t act as if your choices are more important than theirs, I promise they’ll give you the support and love you’ll need to get through it.

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Hope you found this helpful! If you ever want to pick my brain or chat about tackling your own fitness goals, feel free to send me an email at coachcudi@gmail.com or send me a message on Instagram @jhon.luke

CUDI out ✌️