It’s one thing to be lean, but it’s another thing to be lean and 3D. That look where every muscle on your body just freakishly pops out. You’re not smooth and you’re not soft – you’re jacked. It’s not easy to achieve, but when you put in the work and follow some helpful tips and strategies, it’s definitely achievable. So, if you’re looking to achieve a 3D physique and get lean, you’re definitely going to find value from this article.  

1. Know Your Numbers (and Track Them)

Do you know how many calories you’re supposed to consume each day to lose weight? If not, how do you know if you’re in a caloric deficit? Figure out what your maintenance calories are and then drop your calories between 250-500 each day. That will help you lose anywhere from 0.5-1.0 pound each week. * Try to manage your carbs and fat while focusing on your protein intake (which we will discuss shortly) if you want to get lean and achieve a 3D physique. And as I always say in articles like this… “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Track your macros! You don’t know if you’re hitting your number if you aren’t tracking them. Utilize something like the MyFitnessPal app to input all of your foods and keep track of your nutrition and weight loss progress.  

2. The Best Way to Keep Muscle is the Same as How to Build It

I never understood the whole “if you want to get ripped you need to lower your weights and increase your reps.” Sure, maybe if you wanted to decrease your lean muscle mass or train for endurance. The bottom line is, training for hypertrophy is the best way to not only build but maintain your muscle. Keep the weights as heavy as possible (yet manageable) and push for the 8-12 rep range. If you really want to put your mind and body to the test, implement Hany’s FST-7 program into your training. There are several benefits to his methodology which can be explained further in his video.  

3. Utilize Cardio to Your Advantage

Notice how I didn’t say “do cardio every day” for this tip? Cardio is amazing for burning calories but can be minimized if your diet is on point. Diet is much more important than cardio. And if your diet is spot on, you can minimize how much cardio you actually need to do in order to achieve that 3D physique and get lean.  

4. Increase Your Protein Intake

When you are bulking, you can get away with moderate protein and higher carbs and fat. The opposite is the case when you are trying to cut body fat to get lean. As you lower your carbs and fat, you will want to increase your protein to help fill in those calories as well as supply your muscles with quality protein and amino acids to maintain your lean mass and prevent your body from using your lean mass as fuel. Skipping on the protein could cause you to see a loss in lean muscle tissue – the opposite of what you’re trying to do when striving to achieve that 3D physique. Post-workout is an important time nutritionally, especially when it comes to refueling and feeding the muscle. A liquid protein source would be ideal here due to how quick a liquid can get shuttled out to the muscles versus whole food options that need to be broken down first. Evogen has two extremely beneficial sources to achieve this with their IsoJect and Evofusion proteins.  

5. Get Enough Sleep

People seem to underestimate just how important sleep and proper rest is. Your muscles cannot rebuild and repair themselves if you aren’t getting enough recovery time. Not only that, but lack of sleep can throw off your hormones, zap your energy, increase cortisol levels, and completely destroy your physique and progress. Make sure you’re getting a minimum of seven hours of quality sleep each night.  

6. Water Should Be Your Best Friend

If you want a 3D physique, you’re going to need to embrace the fact that water is your best friend. Most other beverages we consume contain calories – added calories we don’t need when looking to get lean and jacked. Keep a bottle of water on you at all times and continually refill it throughout the day to not only stay hydrated but to help minimize hunger pangs. Many times, when we get the sensation of hunger, it actually means we are thirsty and slightly dehydrated.  

7. A (Sunless) Tan Will Make Your Muscles POP

A simple trick to helping make your muscles pop and enhance the 3D physique you’re striving to attain is through adding a little color to your skin. If you resemble Casper the Friendly Ghost, your muscles are going to look washed out due to your skin tone. Getting a spray tan or using a sunless tanning lotion can help bring out your definition and show more of the muscle separation.  

8. Supplement Smarter

When it comes to supplements, they are exactly that – supplements. They shouldn’t be used to replace proper nutrition or exercise but rather, can help enhance both. When you are looking to get lean and achieve a 3D physique, you’re going to want your body to constantly be burning fat. Through exercise and nutrition, this can be accomplished but it can also be improved through the help of certain supplements. Evogen Nutrition has a full line of fat loss products at your disposal to do just that. Through their help, you have the ability to burn fat all day long – even while sleeping!  

9. Make Your Own Meals

The best way to stay on track with your nutrition and help fast-track your progress toward achieving a 3D physique is to plan and prepare your own meals. By doing so, you know exactly what is in each meal, how it is prepared, and it takes out the guesswork. When you eat out at a restaurant, you really have no idea how they are preparing your meals (such as with the inclusion of butter and oils) and if you ask, the waitress may not have the answer. Not only that but if you ask them to prepare everything a certain way, you risk them not following your instructions. Play it safe and prepare all of your own meals and minimize the number of times you eat out.  

10. Manipulating Carbs and Cheat Meals

Carbohydrates get thrown under the bus these days when, in fact, there are specific times where they can be extremely beneficial. The same can be said about cheat meals or also referred to as “refeeds.” Carbohydrates can help provide you with optimal levels of energy during workouts. For that purpose, it is recommended to shift your carbohydrates or weekly cheat meals to before workouts (especially those where you are training lagging body parts that you want to help achieve that 3D look). Pre-workout carbs can also help you fill out during your workouts and give you a sleeve-tearing pump. To maximize your workouts, GlycoJect can be used to provide a super carb matrix that can boost performance while promoting muscle volumization. Additionally, Evolog can be implemented as well. The purpose of Evolog is to help shuttle nutrients into the muscles rather than it getting stored as body fat – ultimately making your carbohydrates work for you rather than against you.