Thanks to a recent question that was posed to me, I was able to reflect on the fact that I am 50 years old and there’s 12 things I know about getting and staying lean at any age. In this video, I am going to cover 12 actionable items that I’ve done and have coached to celebrities, athletes, and average joes that you can learn from if you’re goal is to get lean. If you can follow these actions, then you can not only lose body fat, but you can keep it off forever, too.
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The first action on this list is to make your “why” bigger than your cravings. That means that you need to figure out why you want to lose weight and get lean. What is the real motivating factor behind why you want to get lean? It helps by asking that question 5 times, with each answer diving a little deeper into your psychology and motivation. For example, on the first pass, you might say you want to get lean to look better. Why is it important that you look better? Once you answer that, ask yourself why that answer is important too. Soon, you will get to the deep root of the motivation behind ultimately why you want to burn fat.
Next is understanding that nutrition beats training for staying lean. I have said it for years and I will say it again; you can’t outtrain a bad diet. That means that no matter how much effort you put into the weight room and lifting weights, none of it will be able to correct poor nutrition. If you’re nutrition is sloppy, your results will be too. Understand that to get lean, your diet must first and foremost be your priority when it comes to good choices. If you can’t get your nutrition in check, it will otherwise feel bigger than life itself and will be impossible to harness.
Now, on the topic of nutrition, you need to prioritize high-protein, quality nutrition over extreme dieting. That means including all 3 macronutrients, which, yes, means including carbohydrates. However, you need to be smart about it. The first tip here is to aim for 0.7-1.2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, the higher end being if you are resistance training. Then, have a priority towards fibrous carbohydrates while filling in the rest with your starchy carbohydrates. The best way to visualize this is to do the plate division method I have preached so many times before – 40% of your plate should be protein, 40% fibrous carbohydrates and the remaining 20% will be starchy carbs such as pasta, rice, or potatoes. Too often do I find those that eliminate entire macronutrients end up falling off the wagon simply because it’s unsustainable.
Then, you need to understand that timed eating is your friend. If you can set your meal times to specific times on the clock, you will be setting yourself up for success. This will allow you to structure your eating habits around the clock, knowing exactly when you will be eating, whether that is with multiple smaller meals more frequently throughout the day or your larger meals that are scheduled for only 3 times in a day.
This next approach works for both nutrition and training and it’s knowing that consistency beats intensity. You need to find a way to be as consistent as possible for as long as possible as opposed to just going all out to start thinking that the extreme is going to last longer than your willpower. I would rather you give 80% effort for 3 years than 100% effort for 3 weeks. Knowing that there will be slip ups along the way, give yourself some leeway and understand that you are not going to be perfect because focusing on being 100% perfect all the time will set you up for failure 99 times out of a 100.
You have to remember, while nutrition determines your body fat levels, training determines your muscle mass and ultimately your metabolic efficiency. It’s one thing to lose weight overall, but it’s another to lose body fat and retain muscularity. By engaging in strength training, you are building more muscle which will then increase your metabolic efficiency giving you more leeway in your nutrition. It’s not just about high intensity fat burning workouts, but traditional strength training that will help to build the most muscle possible and create larger depots for your caloric intake.
For the rest of the list, be sure to watch to the very end of the video so that you too can build muscle, burn fat, and get lean at any age.
If you are looking for a complete workout routine and meal plan, be sure to head to athleanx.com and check out the program selector tool. It will take you just minutes to find the exact plan that fits your current goals and will help you to build ripped athletic muscle quickly.
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