Chasing Clarity: Health & Fitness Podcast

Most people still think building muscle is as simple as “just eating more.”

So they push their calories in the name of muscle gain and then they wonder why they gained far more fat than muscle.

In Part 4 of my LEAN GAINS SERIES, I break down the truth about calorie intake for muscle growth and answer one of the most common questions I get as a coach:
HOW BIG OF A SURPLUS DO YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BUILD MUSCLE?

Because the goal of a productive Lean Building Phase is not just to gain weight. It’s to gain MUSCLE while minimizing unnecessary fat gain so you can improve body composition long-term.

In this episode, I cover:

THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS AROUND CALORIE INTAKE FOR MUSCLE GAIN
WHY YOU CANNOT FORCE FEED MUSCLE GROWTH
THE RATE OF GAIN TARGETS I USE WITH CLIENTS IN A LEAN BUILDING PHASE
WHY I USE A RATE OF GAIN INSTEAD OF A BLANKET “300 CALORIE SURPLUS” RECOMMENDATION
THE RESEARCH COMPARING FAST VS SLOW WEIGHT GAIN AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR FAT GAIN
THE MOST RECENT STUDY BY HELMS ET AL. 2023 ON SMALL VS LARGE SURPLUSES IN TRAINED LIFTERS
If you want to build a lean, strong, muscular physique without spending half the year dieting off a bad bulk, this episode will give you the framework.

WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:

Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/

Email: [email protected]

For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry

Brandon’s Website: https://www.brandondacruzfit.com

My Reading Recommendations: 
THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS 
https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

There is no shortage of nutrition advice in the health and fitness industry.

Yet despite all the information available, many people still struggle with the same core challenges: losing fat and keeping it off, improving metabolic health, and building a lean, strong physique.

In this week’s episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined once again by nutrition researcher and educator Mikki Williden for a Q&A episode covering some of the most important topics when it comes to long-term body composition improvement and metabolic health.

Together we discuss the habits that separate successful dieters from those who repeatedly regain weight, the most effective lifestyle levers for improving insulin sensitivity, and the biggest nutrition mistakes many women make when trying to build a lean, strong physique.

As always, this conversation blends physiology, research, and real-world coaching experience so you can better understand what actually drives sustainable results.

HERE’S WHAT WE COVER:
THE HABITS & BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS OF SUCCESSFUL DIETERS WHO LOSE FAT & KEEP IT OFF LONG-TERM
WHY STRUCTURE, SYSTEMS, & PHYSIOLOGICAL READINESS MATTER MORE THAN WILLPOWER
THE MOST EFFECTIVE LEVERS FOR IMPROVING INSULIN SENSITIVITY THROUGH NUTRITION & LIFESTYLE
HOW BODY COMPOSITION, RESISTANCE TRAINING & MOVEMENT IMPACT GLUCOSE CONTROL
THE OVERLOOKED ROLE OF SLEEP & STRESS MANAGEMENT IN METABOLIC HEALTH
THE BIGGEST NUTRITION MISTAKES WOMEN MAKE WHEN TRYING TO BUILD A LEAN PHYSIQUE
WHY CHRONIC UNDERFUELING PREVENTS MUSCLE DEVELOPMENT & BODY COMPOSITION PROGRESS
THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC BUILDING PHASES & NUTRITION PERIODIZATION

If you’ve ever struggled with fat loss maintenance, improving metabolic health, or building a leaner, stronger physique, this episode will give you practical insights you can apply immediately.

WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:

Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/

Email: [email protected]

For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry

Brandon’s Website: https://www.brandondacruzfit.com 

My Reading Recommendations: 
THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS 
https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

One of the biggest bottlenecks holding many back from reaching their ideal physique is that many people overestimate how hard they’re actually training.

They believe they’re pushing their sets to failure…But in reality they often still have several reps left in the tank.

When this happens, the training stimulus they think they’re creating doesn’t match the stimulus their muscles are actually receiving, which is one of the reasons so many people train for years yet still look the same.

In this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I’m joined once again by Dr. Scott Stevenson to explore whether the average trainee is truly pushing their sets hard enough to maximize muscle growth.

We examine the research on load selection, effort regulation, reps in reserve accuracy, and training volume, and discuss why many lifters may unknowingly be training further from failure than they think.

We also explore Dr. Stevenson’s hypothesis of there being a potential central governor in resistance training, and whether subconscious pacing may influence effort during high-volume training sessions.

In this episode we cover:
WHY MOST TRAINEES SELECT LOADS THAT ARE TOO LIGHT
RESEARCH SHOWING LIFTERS CHOOSE ~53% OF THEIR 1RM WHEN SELF-SELECTING WEIGHTS
WHY LOW-LOAD TRAINING REQUIRES PUSHING CLOSER TO FAILURE TO STIMULATE HYPERTROPHY
THE LIMITATIONS OF USING RIR AND HOW INACCURATE FAILURE PREDICTION CAN BE
WHY MANY LIFTERS BELIEVE THEY’RE TRAINING TO FAILURE WHEN THEY AREN’T
WHY META-ANALYSES SHOW A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VOLUME AND MUSCLE GROWTH
THE PELLAND META-REGRESSION AND WHY HIGHER VOLUMES DON’T SHOW A CLEAR INVERTED U
HOW EFFORT PER SET MAY CHANGE AS TRAINING VOLUME INCREASES
BEHAVIORAL CHANGES THAT MAY OCCUR DURING HIGH-VOLUME TRAINING SESSIONS
SANDBAGGING, PACING, AND KEEPING REPS IN RESERVE
THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNOR THEORY IN REGULATING EFFORT
WHY RPE OFTEN TOPS OUT AROUND 7-8 IN MANY TRAINING STUDIES
WHETHER THIS REFLECTS EFFORT REGULATION OR ADAPTATION TO HIGH WORKLOADS
PRACTICAL COACHING INSIGHTS ON HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU’RE TRULY TRAINING HARD ENOUGH

Ultimately, the goal of this episode is to encourage you to ask yourself one honest question:

Am I really training as hard as I think I am?

Because sometimes the biggest breakthroughs in physique development don’t come from adding more exercises or more volume…They come from learning how to push the sets you’re already doing to a higher level of effort.

WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:

Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/

Email: [email protected]

For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry

Brandon’s Website: https://www.brandondacruzfit.com

My Reading Recommendations: 

THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS 
https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

The Central Governor Model of Exercise Regulation:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Central-Governor-Model-of-Exercise-Regulation-proposes-that-the-brain-regulates_fig2_224709105

A lot of people say they want to build muscle.

But what they end up doing is taking the same extreme mindset they use during fat loss and flipping it in the opposite direction.

They go from cutting calories aggressively to force feeding food, loosening up diet quality, gaining weight too fast, and calling that a productive building phase.

And that is exactly where a lot of people go wrong.

In this episode of the Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness Podcast, I break down the difference between a Lean Building Phase and the more traditional bulking approach many people take, why the “eat big to get big” mentality backfires, and how to actually gain muscle without packing on unnecessary body fat in the process.

If you’ve ever been hesitant to go into a building phase because you’re afraid of getting fat, or if you’ve tried to build in the past and ended up overshooting, this episode will help you reframe the entire process.

HERE’S WHAT WE COVER:

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKE MANY PEOPLE MAKE WITH NUTRITION FOR MUSCLE GROWTH
WHY YOU CANNOT FORCE FEED THE MUSCLE GROWTH PROCESS
LEAN BUILDING VS BULKING PHASES
WHY FOOD QUALITY, ADHERENCE & TRACKING STILL MATTER IN A SURPLUS
THE DRAWBACKS OF TAKING AN AGGRESSIVE BULKING APPROACH
HOW EXCESS FAT GAIN CAN WORSEN BODY COMPOSITION, BIOFEEDBACK & METABOLIC HEALTH
THE ADVANTAGES OF TAKING A LEAN BUILDING APPROACH TO MUSCLE GAIN
HOW TO GAIN MORE LEAN MASS WITH LESS FAT MASS WHILE STAYING HEALTHIER THROUGHOUT THE PHASE

If you’re interested in doing a Lean Building Phase and want to be properly guided through the process, this is a phase I take many clients through to help them maximize muscle gain while minimizing unnecessary fat gain.

WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:

Follow Brandon on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/

Email: [email protected]

For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry

Brandon’s Website: https://www.brandondacruzfit.com
My Reading Recommendations: 
THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS 

https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw

A lot of people still think muscle gain is simple: eat more to gain more muscle.

But the real question is: do you actually need an energy surplus to maximize hypertrophy or do you just need to be out of a deficit, training hard, and executing consistently?

In this episode, I’m joined by return guest Dr. Eric Helms to break down the relationship between weight gain, rate of gain, and muscle growth — including what the research actually shows and how to apply it in the real world.

TOPICS WE COVER:
IS AN ENERGY SURPLUS NEEDED FOR MAXIMIZING MUSCLE GAIN (SLATER ET AL.)
WHAT PREVIOUS WORK LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR YOUR RECENTLY RELEASED WEIGHT GAIN STUDY?
A BREAKDOWN OF THE HELMS ET AL. 2023 STUDY “EFFECT OF SMALL AND LARGE ENERGY SURPLUSES ON STRENGTH, MUSCLE, AND SKINFOLD THICKNESS IN RESISTANCE-TRAINED INDIVIDUALS: A PARALLEL GROUPS DESIGN”
HOW TO TRACK MUSCLE GAIN PROGRESS IN THE REAL WORLD

If you want a smarter framework for building muscle without blindly force-feeding calories, this one will bring a lot of clarity.
WHERE TO CONNECT WITH ME:

Follow Brandon on IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/brandondacruz_/⁠

Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

For Info on Brandon’s Coaching Services: ⁠https://form.jotform.com/bdacruzfitness/coachinginquiry⁠

Brandon’s Website: ⁠https://www.brandondacruzfit.com⁠

My Reading Recommendations: 
THE MUSCLE & STRENGTH PYRAMIDS 
⁠https://getdpd.com/cart/hoplink/25469?referrer=1l54og96lf1ccw⁠