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Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat: The Secret Science Behind Physical Transformation

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Diet and fitness books appear at a dizzying rate – and with a wealth of dubious claims – in a culture facing increasing health problems based on a sedentary lifestyle. Ori Hofmekler’s Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat pulls out of the pack by focusing on the biological principles that dictate muscle gain and fat loss. Written for the widest readership–competitive athletes, bodybuilders, trainers, martial artists, sports nutritionists and coaches, dieters, and anyone concerned about their health–the book builds on the concepts popularized in The Warrior Diet. Author Hofmekler describes in simple, lay terms how under-eating and fasting can trigger an anabolic switch that stimulates growth and rejuvenation; how to reengineer the body at the cellular level to burn fat and build muscles; and how to naturally manipulate the body’s hormones for rapid muscle fusion and faster fat breakdown. Maximum Muscle, Minimum Fat offers smart strategies for taking advantage of hunger to stimulate growth, burn fat, and boost brain power; techniques for turning insulin into a muscle builder instead of a fat gainer; and methods for shattering training and diet plateaus–in the process enhancing metabolic function, improving performance, and increasing the capacity to gain, and sustain, prime health.

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2003

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317 people want to read

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Ori Hofmekler

13 books22 followers

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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Guillaume Belanger.
60 reviews19 followers
August 12, 2015
Ori Hofmekler does a lot of things, but he is really an expert in human survival science. This book is not an easy read because it is dense with complicated information about the relationship and interactions of a wide range of different hormones that control anabolic (building) and catabolic (breakdown) processes in the body. We learn that all hormones come in pairs with opposite actions. This is obviously necessary to achieve balance, but it is clearly not understood by most of us.

Hofmekler strives for optimal survival. This means optimal metabolism, optimal extraction of nutrients, optimal muscle mass and performance, optimal hormonal balance, and therefore the need for optimal foods and food utilisation, optimal extraction of nutrients by the digestive system, optimal training.

Recommendations are to eat mostly protein and saturated fats from eggs and raw milk products, as these are the most easily and efficiently digested and absorbed source of protein (almost entirely used, compared to protein from meat where at most 30% of it is used). To eat enough omega 3 fats (krill and fish oils) and avoid omega 6 fats (polyunsaturated vegetable oils) in order to them in a 1:1 ratio, eliminate sugars and starchy carbs, eat lots of vegetables, and a very moderate amount of fruit. What is most important, however, is the kind of training we do and the timing of eating to control hormones.

The best kind of training is high-intensity exercise, both interval training for cardio and muscles, and resistance training with weights. Indeed, the ultimate is a complete mixture of all sorts of high intensity exercises done in a sequence in order to stimulate as many bodily systems and muscles in as many different ways as is possible. The high intensity of the training should not allow for more than 45-60 minute workouts. That's optimal.

We should work out on an empty stomach, whether we are doing resistance training with weights or high-intensity interval training. Training on an empty stomach forces the body to learn how to use its glycogen and fat reserves very efficiently. In addition, this triggers a mechanism that is intended to preserve the protein of the muscles being used, instead looking for dead tissue and non-active sources of protein like scar and tumour tissue to be recycled as amino acids to sustain and maintain the active muscles. Eating after workouts should be about one hour after, and should not contain any sugar or starchy carbs, but mostly protein. An intense workout stimulates the secretion of growth hormone, one of the most important of all hormones, and enhanced secretion will continue for about 24 hours as long as there is no sugar or insulin in the bloodstream whose presence immediately stop growth hormone production. In addition, the body cannot utilise more than about 30 g of protein at once for tissue repair and muscle growth. Anything in excess of this is wasted. Typically, we should eat little most of the day, and eat big meals in the later part of the day from 17h onwards, ensuring plenty of time between the end of the meal and the time we go to bed to ensure proper digestion and good sleep.
Profile Image for Kasia Radzka.
Author 8 books7 followers
January 11, 2018
Interesting concepts. Quite technical but full of useful ideas to implement to maximise muscle and minimise fat. Some of it goes against current convention. The techniques won't suit everyone but we are all built differently so it's not supposed to. If you're interested in gaining muscle and minimising fat, it's a short but valuable read.
Profile Image for Ahmed El Husseiny.
10 reviews1 follower
May 13, 2018
It is for those who've read the Warrior Diet and want to learn more, and if so , this book offers a lotmore it shows more info about the science behind cycling between periods of over eating and then under eating; and it is also for those who want to learn how to tweak their own diet plan, it works as well.
Profile Image for Chetan Narang.
76 reviews42 followers
February 11, 2018
The core message that this book carries is quite easy to understand and also makes sense in that it's all natural and biological.
Would love to put this into practice!
24 reviews
April 19, 2019
Fat loss section of this book was really good.
255 reviews
July 5, 2020
First, let me say that I live by the Warrior Diet. I hoped this would be the next iteration...but this was too much science for me...
Profile Image for Shamas Iqbal.
6 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2021
The book in 3 sentences


The book was very scientific and articulated really detailed knowledge of how the body operates through a range of different processes for eating types of food burning fat etc very hard to read

There were golden nuggets however that could be picked out

Focusing on stress and muslce

Undereating and exercise with quick protein straight after

Minimise carbs during day and ensure carbs after workout

Eggs and dairy are good

Fasting and undereating trigger anabolic states and promotoes steroid synthesis


Impression on me

Good book and key nuggets to drive through.


How the book has changed me

Hooefully kicking into gym moving forward I will start adopting the idea of...

Stress management workouts

Minimum rest

Giant sets

45 min workouts max

Endurance/strength/speed drills



Top quotes

Androgens and testosterone most.important steroid hormones

Growth hormone is a nocturnal hormone

Workout must include strength speed endurance

Summary notes

Time to put it into action overall extremely scientific but we move forward with the golden nuggets that came with it.
2 reviews
September 10, 2015
In Ori Hofmekler's book sihows the way to gain Maximum Muscle Minimum Fat. This is a nonfiction health and fitness book with no characters or plot. I thought that it was boring And slow because it just gives you information. I did learn how to optimize my diet to make me healthy as possible. If you find that you are someone that needs to take in a lot of information in short amounts of time this book is for you. I found it confusing and hard to follow most of the time. It did meet my expectations because I knew that it would be boring because my brother read it and said it was. There is no way to make this review interesting because the book was just throwing facts and what and how you should eat and work out. It also tells you when you should eat to trick your body to burn fat and build muscle. It disproves the theory that you need to gain fat to build muscle. Touches different points like steroids and natural hormones which I like and am interested in.
17 reviews1 follower
August 10, 2013
This book should be acknowledged as one of the greatest books of all time, all jokes aside. If you are interested in learning about being the healthiest version of yourself without a downside or a lack in any physical ability, this book is for you. With concepts not shared by most the health advocate societies, you as a trainer, coach, at home parent, or athlete; should enjoy reading this book. Sometimes technical when it comes down to terms, but well worth it in and is extremely useful as personal reference. This is a must have for anyone aspiring in the health and fitness field. NOT AS A EBOOK!!! It is far more useful paper back. Also don't try to read this in less then a week, when you begin to read you will understand why and you will want to absorb all the information it has to offer.
Profile Image for Henry Barry.
Author 1 book24 followers
Read
January 9, 2015
A scientific look into muscle gain and fat loss. A bit too scientific for me to understand it all entirely, but definitely worth reading. Lots of useful information. For example, fasting will not induce muscle loss unless done for more than 24 hours. If done for less than 24 hours, fasting detoxifies the body and produces growth hormone. The author suggests lots of sleep, 20 hours of undereating/fasting with 4 hours of overeating per day, avoidance of processed foods and chemical additives, and short, intense exercise sessions. Also doesn't hurt that the book is only 135 pages.
Profile Image for Dana Crouch (Callaway).
334 reviews
August 9, 2012
A good companion to The Warrior Diet. It can be very technical and scientific at times, which made it a bit of a hard read. I'm not a biology major for a reason and that reason is that biology words tend to be cumbersome and boring.

Anyway, the information is interesting and quite a bit different from what one typically hears about fitness/weight loss in day-to-day conversation.
9 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2011
This book is a very scientific look at how to lose fat and gain muscle. It goes into the cellular levels of each and gives some broader ideas on how to accomplish them. If you want to gain insight into how some of the more off the wall books like Tim Ferriss' Four Hour Body actually work this is the book to read.
3 reviews
September 9, 2015
Informative nonfiction facts on ways to stay in shape. Clearly explained the ways to be most efficient and effective in your fitness aspirations. If your serious about your weightlifting or aerobics training this is a perfect read for you. Athletes or anyone who wants to be healthy and physically fit will enjoy learning how to gain "maximum muscle minimum fat".
Profile Image for Calvin Lawson .
8 reviews9 followers
February 16, 2016
I finally know the truth!

I love how thorough this book is and it has changed my life forever. Going to start making some life changes and start fasting and overeating way more. Thanks!
8 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2012
This was the same as the warrior diet. The general concept is very interesting to me, but I don't agree with his methods, and again he needs more research to support his claims.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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