BODY COMPOSITION CALCULATORS
To support SEQUENCE 8 training the body composition goal is to build an athletic physique so you can perform at your strongest. This will require most of your time spent consistently increasing strength & muscle and then every so often a reduction in fat% to maintain a great bodyweight to strength ratio. I call this the LEAN MASS METHOD. We will aim to work in a 4:1 ratio of Gaining to Shredding. If you haven't been training and eating nutrient-dense foods for a while. Then you will likely gain muscle and lose fat at the same time if you do everything I say. The nutritional goal is to provide sufficient nutrients to the body to allow you to perform at your best. Simply put, we want the foods that give us the most bang for our buck. Nutrient density is extremely important to support performance output in session and healing of the connective tissues during the recovery process. Eating whole foods that work with your digestive system will do wonders to enhance body composition and performance simultaneously when sufficient energy intake is met.
This ticks both boxes QUALITY & QUANTITY! This is what separates us.
With all body composition goals, it's important to recognise that training is always the driving force. It's impossible to gain muscle mass without any progressive resistance placed on the body. Your wins in training will help drive your wins with your nutrition because success in one area creates success in another. This page is just one tiny part of the process. I recommend using the S8 Nutrition Master Plan and lessons (found on the platform) to aid all performance, body composition and nutritional goals including muscle gain, strength gain, fat% reduction & becoming a well rounded athlete.
FAT LOSS: SHRED PHASE
I have found in my time as a Transformation PT for fat loss a short intense effort lasting 8 weeks gives you a manageable timeframe to work with. This can work as a catalyst for changing unhealthy lifestyle habits and understanding more about how your body responds to certain food sources. Giving you full control of your fat levels as and when you need to perform better with your sport. A keynote here is that we want to maintain as much lean mass as possible and steadily decrease fat%. This means we don't want the weight to go down... we want the fat% to go down. This will require a calculated and specific approach. I will teach you exactly how to do this using the S8 BODY COMPOSITION MASTER PLAN.
MUSCLE BUILDING: GAIN PHASE
An adequate amount of muscle mass will come as a by-product of SEQUENCE 8 training. As you get stronger your body will build more muscle if it's needed to perform that exercise or skill. All you need to do is provide sufficient nutrients and calories to your body. I recommend eating in a slight calorie surplus instead of a gigantic surplus to achieve this. This will give you a better chance of preventing gaining excessive fat mass which would hinder bodyweight strength performance and possibly overall health. The goal here is to increase in strength & muscle mass will minimising fat mass gain over a long period of time. We will spend most of our time in a GAIN PHASE to support SEQUENCE 8 training. I will teach you exactly how to do this using the S8 BODY COMPOSITION MASTER PLAN. For the untrained, this often leads to body recomposition which means gaining muscle & losing fat at the same time.
Use the S8 Calculators and S8 Fat% Categories below to help decide which is the best
approach for yourself to aid in body composition & overall performance.
BODY FAT% CALCULATOR
The SEQUENCE 8 go-to method for measuring body fat only requires a measuring tape. Simple, easy to repeat and relatively accurate within 1-2%. This method was developed by the US NAVY and as it is a highly complex formula I have provided a calculator to do the work for us. It's important to note all methods of body fat readings use different calculations & formulas. DEXA scanners & callipers require skill or an appointment to use while scales can change drastically with hydration levels and without handles only measure the legs. We want to be able to repeat this weekly to really see what is going on and what move to make next... if any. A simple waist measurement from week to week will tell us what we need to know. Secondary to this will be your jeans and shirts. Prepare to buy a new wardrobe.
This also offers some clear numbers/data from the measurements alone to assess what is happening during your transformation. If in doubt about any figures shown or what to do please contact me via email harry@sequence8.co.uk or Instagram messenger @harrybaldwin_
MALE
- Neck (Just underneath the larynx/Adam's apple)
- Waist (over the belly button)
FEMALE
- Neck (Just underneath the larynx/Adam's apple)
- Natural Waist (the narrowest part of your waist)
- Hips (Over widest part of your glutes)
SEQUENCE 8 FAT% CATEGORIES
We know that bodyweight athletes (gymnastics, calisthenics and many other sports) perform best without carrying too much unnecessary fat mass. We also know training towards advanced strength skills while including a variety of rep ranges and progressive overload to the muscles will ultimately lead to an exceptional physique. To do this we want to steadily increase lean mass while building strength.
As always I think its best to have something measurable so I would like to present you with the S8 FAT% CATEGORIES. I believe everyone's body is amazing no matter what shape or size. These are simply guidelines to help you easily decide on your body composition goals and tailor your training with your bodyweight to strength ratio in mind so you can perform like an animal. This may explain why some people feel heavy in pull ups while others feel like they are easy. By no means are these a must to train this way but can be used as a general guide for enhanced performance and outcome. There are pros and cons to each category. For instance, if you can't deal with being out of the lightweight stage then you a restricting your ability to gain muscle and strength because you have to cycle between dieting up and down all the time. Even worse if you are constantly fighting to be lean all the time then you may be down-regulating your metabolism so when you do eat normally again you put on fat% fast. Imagine the version of yourself who can happily go from light to heavy over 6 months putting on 4kgs of lean mass and building strength the whole time. Whos going to be stronger, perform better as an athlete and be in better shape in the long run? I want to teach you how to purposefully navigate through the stages to truly serve your future self. The most important thing with any change you make is to listen to your body, the way you talk to yourself and once you find it... stay where you feel you operate at your best.
CC FAT% CATEGORIES
There are pros & cons to each category. We will use each to our advantage.
Generally sitting in the mid range is healthy and sustainable to perform well and look the part.
MALE
High 20-30%+
Mid 10-20% ✅
Low 5-10%
FEMALE
High 30-40%+
Mid 20-30% ✅
Low 15-20%
For the general population, to perform well with bodyweight training I have found a body fat% for men to be between 8-15% and for females 18-25%. Obviously, there are exceptions either way and Olympic gymnasts will be much lower when entering a competition phase. These are not figures found in studies as I couldn't find anything truly applicable to the general population who are not in competition or professional athletes. Instead, these figures are from my own journey and experience coaching men & women in classes & 1-2-1.
I believe the middleweight range to be achievable, realistic, healthy and can be maintained by anyone on autopilot and without tracking once you dial in the strategies. It's important to recognise that too little fat% for women can negatively affect hormone regulation which I do not consider healthy in any way and believe that it should not be glorified the way certain parts of the fitness industry does. I do not ever recommend women dropping below 15% as this is putting you at risk. If any negative side effects happen at any range below 20% for Women or 10% for Men you must put on fat mass and consult your physician for the sake of your health. Too much fat mass will also hinder your performance with bodyweight training as you will be carrying excess weight during your exercises.
WHO SHOULD GAIN
If you are in the Light or Middleweight category
then I recommend a GAIN PHASE to increase strength & muscle.
WHO SHOULD SHRED
If you are currently at the top end or outside of the Heavyweight category
I recommend a SHRED PHASE to be more effective in your workouts.
All will be explained via easily digestible coaching videos found on the S8 Platform. I will teach you how to get the results you seek using the S8 BODY COMPOSITION MASTERPLAN.
What I am presenting here is different operating ranges for you to work in at different times. Our sport-specific focus isn't just on hypertrophy alone. It's on all-round PERFORMANCE. I do not want you shredding down for long or losing excessive weight from useful lean mass. The main task is making continued strength adaptations while staying relatively lean... how lean is your choice. I want to help increase your understanding and give you control of your body composition to aid overall performance and life.
I will provide you with actionable steps to meet your goal. It is a highly rewarding process to gain full control of your body composition and nutrition. This is something you will never lose when you understand how and why the changes are happening. From there we can continue to enjoy the process, look great, get stronger and achieve new bodyweight skills. Its a win all round.
CALORIE TARGET CALCULATOR
Use the calorie calculator below to get a clear figure of calories to consume each day. I recommended choosing 300cals above maintenance for a steady GAIN PHASE or 300cals below maintenance for a steady SHRED PHASE. You can then plug this into the S8 MEAL PLANNER & a calorie tracker app such as My Fitness Pal. Be careful not to overestimate your activity. For example, if you train strength 3 times per week and have a sedentary job you would still select the lightly active option. As always this is a tool to assist you, make your life easier and also give you a starting point. I understand calorie tracking isn't for everyone and it certainly doesn't have to be.
The priority is the results. Often people set out and do everything right. But they don't know what they are aiming for, what speed is best, how to measure progress or how to adjust to stay on track. For consistent clear calculated results, we need to fully assess what is happening after the first week and make adjustments as we go. I will teach you exactly how to do this and take full control of your body composition using the S8 BODY COMPOSITION MASTER PLAN found on the platform.
If you have any questions on anything please contact me via email harry@sequence8.co.uk or Instagram messenger @harrybaldwin_ I want to help you. I want to get you the results.