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My One Year Transformation with the Greek God Program

The whole reason I became a partner of Kinobody.com is because of my results with the Greek God Program. Luckily I recorded short videos from time to time while following the GGP and I was able to make this transformation video.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments. I read and answer everything.

In this post I’ll share what I did to achieve these results. Here we go!

How the Greek God Program works

The training philosophy of the GGP is very simple: Train for strength on a few key movements and accept muscle growth as a side effect.

The logic behind it is much solid than you’d think.

Science shows that we cannot train for size. We can either train for strength or endurance and the increased size of our muscles will be a side effect of that.

If we train for strength, our muscle fibers will adapt by increasing in size so they can produce more force. On the other hand if we train with high reps and short rest periods, our muscles will grow to store more glycogen to better cope with future workouts.

Here is the key point: the amount of growth you can get from strength or endurance (high volume) is not equal.

We can very quickly max out the amount of fuel we can store inside our muscles. That’s why pump training (or high rep training) only produces a small percentage of the overall muscle growth.

How small? The best approximation would be 30%. The remaining 70% of the muscle mass a natural lifter can gain will come from getting stronger in a medium rep range.

I’m sure you’ve noticed this yourself. If a guy can bench 185lbs for 5 and another can bench 225lbs for 5 the latter will have a bigger chest.

It doesn’t matter if the first guy trains more, sleeps more, and eats better – if he is 40 lbs behind on an exercise he will have less muscle mass.

This leads us to a very important conclusion: The training program that will get you stronger the quickest (in the 5-10 rep range, not 1-4 reps per set) will also be the program that will you get you muscular the quickest.

Volume becomes more important when you get to an advanced level and you want to push your body to your genetic potential. However, we’re not after the bodybuilder look. To get a fitness model/Hollywood actor type body, you only need to get very strong in a medium rep range.

A Fast way to get strong

This is where the Greek God Program shines.

It strips away all the unessential and focuses entirely on strength gains on a few key movements:

Chest – Incline Bench Press
Back – Weighted Chin-ups / Pull-ups
Shoulders – Standing Press / DB Shoulder Press
Legs – Squats or Sumo Deadlifts

These are your indicator exercises. The progress you make on them indicates how close you are to your goal physique.

Of course you also do assistance exercises to grow your arms, calves, pump up your shoulders, and develop your abs, but the bread and butter of your routine are the indicator exercises.

As we said earlier, strength is so closely linked to muscle development in natural lifters that you can predict how you’ll look based on strength on these movements. For example, if you want to look like the guys below, get to their stats:

greek god physique standards copy3

To produce rapid strength gains, the GGP routines use an A/B split, alternating each workout on non-consecutive days.

Hitting a muscle group only once a week is generally too infrequently to maximize strength gains at the intermediate level. The reason for that is because you can still make small strength gains almost every workout so doing an exercise more often means you get more opportunities to progress.

With the GGP you train each of the indicator exercises once every 4-5 days with low volume. Combined with Reverse Pyramid Training, this is the key to fast strength progression. 

RPT is a style of training that relies on very high intensity. No other training style allows you to lift as close to your limits as RPT. That is simply because you are performing your heaviest set first, when you are completely fresh and you don’t need to replicate that set for the rest of the workout.

Because of the high intensity used, you can create a complete training stimulus with very low volume (in fact, RPT works well only with low to moderate volume).

The progression model is also very well set up.

Most beginner-intermediate lifters can improve only about 1% from workout to workout on the main compound lifts.

What that means is that if we load the bar more than 1% from workout to workout  we’re usually going to lose reps. If you are lifting somewhere between 100 and 200 lbs, adding just 5 lbs to a lift would mean an increase between 2.5-5%. Or if you try to add reps with the same weight that is also very hard to do because adding a single rep to your top set usually increases the predicted one rep max by 3% or more.

So even if your training routine is excellent, you still need to track your lifts and load the bar at the right time with the right weight. You must increase the intensity by 1% or less so you can make continuous progress.

Nutrition for Muscle Gains with Minimum Fat

Staying lean while building muscle is essential for looking great year round.

The Greek God look is all about proportions and body fat is a HUGE part of that. Your waist must stay slim at all times so your shoulders and back appear much wider and give you a V shaped torso.

Obviously, to be able to lean bulk you have to be lean in the first place. But once you’re lean, gaining muscle with minimum fat requires a well designed nutrition plan.

The most important thing is to eat the right surplus of calories. You only need a few hundred calories above maintenance every day to promote lean muscle gains. Remember that nutrition is only permissive to muscle growth, the stimulus comes from getting stronger in the gym. 

Greg did a great job explaining the lean gaining protocol in the program.

Depending on how easily you know you gain fat in a surplus, you set the weekly calorie intake 1500-1900 kcal above maintenance.

The reason you set the surplus as a weekly average instead of daily intale is because you’ll be cycling calories on rest days and training days.

By doing this you may be able to improve nutrient partitioning a little because you’ll be eating the majority of your surplus around your workouts. We know protein synthesis starts to climb 3-4 hours after training, peaks at the 24 hour mark and then steadily decreases until it goes back to baseline 36-48 hours after training. We also know training depletes some muscle glycogen and carbs won’t be converted to fat until the glycogen stores are replenished.

So basically with this protocol you provide most of the caloric surplus at a time where nutrients will be used for recovery and growth, and less of a surplus on rest days when they are more likely to be converted to fat.

The result

When you combine a minimalistic training routine focused on gaining strength in the 5-8 rep range with a nutrition protocol that supports lean muscle gains you can an amazing result.

You’ll start building proportionate mass in your shoulders, upper chest, back, and arms while your waist is staying slim. This will lead to great waist-shoulder proportions and will give you the model type body you’re probably chasing.

So the question is:

Is your current training program working?

If not, I suggest you don’t do that anymore.

Give the Greek God Program a try. It has hundreds (if not thousands) of success stories to back-up it’s effectiveness and is also very easy to implement. I mean, I don’t care how busy you are, you can go the gym 3 days a week for one hour.

greek god program

This is the page of the program. You can learn more about it here.

 

If you have any question leave a comment below. I appreciate all feedback and I read and answer every comment.

 

73 Comments

  1. Moonlight15 on August 2, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Bravo Radu ! Frumoasa transformare, sper sa ajungi acolo unde iti doresti ! Multa bafta !:)

    • Radu Antoniu on August 2, 2015 at 5:39 pm

      Mersi mult!

      Bafta si tie! Vreau sa vad si eu transformarea ta

  2. Moonlight15 on August 3, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Multumesc ! Sigur, cred ca im momentul in care o sa ajunga la 1 an de sala sau 11 luni o sa-ti trimit niste poze,dieta merge bine,daca reusesc sa ajung acolo unde vreau iti trimit poze poate o sa le si postezi, oricum te-am recomandat prietenilor mei pentru treaba buna pe care o faci. 🙂

    • Radu Antoniu on August 4, 2015 at 11:10 am

      Super!

      Cu siguranță am să le postez 🙂

  3. The Gabriel Rusu on August 4, 2015 at 9:20 am

    Ce evolutie faina mai Radu! Bravo, poate nu te mai recunosc cand ne vedem:))

    • Radu Antoniu on August 4, 2015 at 11:03 am

      Hahaha poate ca nu!!

  4. Moonlight15 on August 5, 2015 at 7:39 am

    Am o intrebare, care poate o sa te puna pe ganduri :))

    Cum poti ajunge un atlet sponsorizat ca Greg O’Gallagher,Marc Fitt,Lazar si asa mai departe?

    • Radu Antoniu on August 5, 2015 at 10:10 am

      Trebuie sa ajungi sa ai cateve zeci de mii de followeri pe social media precum Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

      Apoi firmele vor fi mai mult decat fericite sa te sponsorizeze.

      Apropo Greg nu e sponsorizat de nimeni.

      • Moonlight15 on August 5, 2015 at 10:48 am

        Nu iti poti incerca norocul la diferite firme de modelling sau ceva?

        • Radu Antoniu on August 7, 2015 at 7:04 am

          Nu m-am concentrat pe asta inca. Poate ca da

          • Moonlight15 on August 7, 2015 at 10:41 am

            Nu sunt singurul care isi doreste o cariera in sportul asta :))!



  5. MUKESH on August 20, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    I am doing lots of abs exercises but not getting any result. So why is that happening and at what point i am lacking please tell

    • Radu Antoniu on August 21, 2015 at 5:28 pm

      Hey MUKESH

      I answered your email as well. You probably need to start tracking your nutrition. That’s where fat loss really comes from.

      • Juan on January 14, 2016 at 9:17 pm

        Hey how would my diet look if I weight 150lbs 5″8 age 17 like how much carbs calories and protein

      • Bhupesh on June 7, 2019 at 2:48 pm

        In 2 months how much it will lead physique change?

  6. Eli on September 7, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    I know that in order to get bigger you must get stronger, but i found it doesn’t necessarily mean that the stronger one has bigger muscles. for example I incline bench the 100lb Dumbbells for 5 but some of my friends that struggle with the 50’s but spend hours on the pec dec and cable machines have bigger chests than me. another example, mike Mathews has a bigger and fuller chest than Gregs yet he mentions his bench is under 300 while Greg is pushing 320.

    • Radu Antoniu on September 10, 2015 at 7:58 pm

      Hey Eli,

      You’re right, some people are more muscular than others at the same strength level.

      However, for each individual the same truth remains: If they want to get bigger, they need to get stronger.

      Also I found body fat distribution plays a big role in how muscular an ordinary guy looks. For example your friends may seem to have a bigger chest than you because of better fat distribution.

  7. Alex on September 19, 2015 at 10:52 am

    salut radu as vrea sa iti cer ceva pareri sau niste raspunsuri am inceput sa merg la sala acuma 2 luni..dar nu am mers dreptat..adica am avut cv pauze intre antrenamente din cauza munci..stiu ca asta nu e bine..am inceput cu antrenamentu tau pt incepatori..merge destul de bine..dar as vrea mai multe detali..pt antrenament si o alimentatie sa iau in greutate acuma am 69 de kg..dar as as vrea sa ajung pe ;a 75..de kg..ai un skipe cv sa putem vorbim mai multe si ma ajuti daca doresti bine inteles o zi buna..!

  8. houss on September 22, 2015 at 2:13 pm

    hey radu,

    i am watching your videos over a couple of months, and i really like your videos. I still do have a question: i just did a fat loss for 5-6 months and i am now on 10% BF( while doing IF). I do want to do a lean bulk, my question is do i need to reduce carbs during my non- workoutdays, or can i just keep eating my carb% intake and be in a light surplus, thank your for the support!

    king regards

    • Radu Antoniu on September 22, 2015 at 10:03 pm

      Hey! Thanks for your support!

      Yes, you can eat the same macros every day. What’s most important is to make sticking to your nutrition very easy and focus on making strength gains.

  9. Klaus on October 21, 2015 at 10:38 am

    Hi, what kind of lower body exercises are included in the program? I seem to only be reading about armcs, chest, back and shoulders…
    Regards,
    klaus

    • Radu Antoniu on October 22, 2015 at 8:45 am

      Good thing you asked Klaus,

      The Kinobody programs are all geared towards building the “Hollywood physique”. Because of this, the legs must not be developed so much that they overpower the upper body. Most people can grow their legs and butt much faster than their upper body.

      The program includes only one or two leg exercises (depending on the routine). Beginners and intermediates do back squats and deadlifts until they build the size they’re happy with. After that point they can maintain doing pistol squats, bulgarian split squats, or box jumps.

  10. Adam on December 1, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    Hey Eli,

    Reading your review of the Greek God Program makes me think that it’s al it’s exactly the same as Greg’s Zac Efron workout routine https://kinobody.com/workouts-and-exercises/zac-efron-workout-for-neighbors/

    Can you please let me know because I don’t want to buy the program if this is essentially what it is. Please be honest!

    • Radu Antoniu on December 3, 2015 at 4:32 pm

      Hey Adam,

      Yes all the Kinobody routines are very similar.

      The value of the complete program is that it shows you how to progress from one routine to another, how to change exercises when you stall, how to properly load the bar, how to set up your nutrition, etc. You can learn all this from reading free articles too, you’ll just have to know how to put the pieces together.

  11. Derek on December 28, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    Hey Radu, I appreciate your approach to helping others achieve their fitness goals. I’m considering the GGP but want to do it in my home. Is there a list of some sort that tells me what equipment I will need to own to perform the exercises in the routines? I’ve got a set of Powerblock dumbbells(5-70lbs each) and a door mount chin up bar. Basically the P90x standard equipment. I don’t belong to a gym but would consider joining if I would need to dedicate a room to bulky fitness equipment. Thank you for your time and all of your great inspirational video’s.

    • Radu Antoniu on January 5, 2016 at 9:01 pm

      Hey Derek thanks!

      For the GGP you need to be able to do incline bench press, weighted chin-ups, standing shoulder press, deadlift, barbell/dumbbell curls and skull crushers, and lateral raises.

      If you can do these at home and have enough weights for overload then it’s great. Otherwise you’d do much better if you joined a gym 🙂

  12. Ezequiel on January 7, 2016 at 11:30 pm

    Hi Radu. Thank’s for sharing this information. When you refer to the weight in incline bench press, how do you measure it? Do you count the barbell weight? The same goes for biceps curls. Thank you very much. Best regards.

    • Radu Antoniu on January 17, 2016 at 7:49 pm

      Hey Ezequiel,

      Yes, you count the bar as well.

  13. Colin larsen on January 10, 2016 at 12:13 am

    Hello,

    I am in pretty good shape, and am
    Now starting the Greek god program. There are so many different ones to do, on there and it’s very confusing.

    Where do I start? Which one do I do? I feel
    Like there is a new video and new thing all
    The time, I iusy need the program laid out for me to do it for 3 months then go from
    There?

    Help…

    • Radu Antoniu on January 17, 2016 at 7:23 pm

      Hey Colin,

      I’ve done the GGP like this:
      Strength and Density Routine – 8 weeks
      3 Day Split – 8 weeks
      Chest Specialization – 6 weeks
      3 Day Split – 8 weeks
      MEGA workout – 8 weeks
      I’m currently still on the MEGA workouts

      You can follow the same strategy I did

  14. Chris on January 13, 2016 at 2:42 pm

    Hi Radu,

    Great transformation and thanks for sharing your progress!
    How tall are you?

    Cheers,
    Chris

    • Radu Antoniu on January 17, 2016 at 6:23 pm

      Thanks Chris! I appreciate your support!

      I’m 6 feet tall (183cm)

  15. Damian on January 18, 2016 at 10:58 pm

    Hi, could you detail more about the nutrition part of the plan? Thanks a lot!!

    • Radu Antoniu on January 28, 2016 at 10:14 pm

      Sure, I explain that one in this post.

  16. Chris on January 21, 2016 at 12:39 am

    When you say you’re cutting in your video, is that a part of the GGP or have you thought of something yourself? also, how old are you? great work!

    • Radu Antoniu on January 28, 2016 at 9:57 pm

      Hey Chris!

      Some of the routines in the GGP can be followed in a deficit as well. I kept the nutrition principles the same but I lowered the calories so I was in a deficit.

      I’m 21 now.

  17. Kurt on January 25, 2016 at 4:38 am

    Hey Radu,

    I’m currently starting my third week in GGP and am moving with a lot of momentum. The only thing that confused me throughout the program was the strength and density modifications. Ex. Swapping standing press for weighted dips. Do I swap them every workout A or do I swap them 6-8 weeks later so I don’t plateau?

    • Radu Antoniu on January 28, 2016 at 9:44 pm

      Nice! Keep going Kurt!

      Yes you only swap them when and if you’re stalled.

  18. Romeo on March 5, 2016 at 11:56 pm

    Hello Radu!

    Thanks for sharing your fitness journey/story. You have inspired me to explore what’s possible…I’ve purchased the GGP and looking forward to the changes ahead.

    Keep up the great work!

    Romeo from Toronto, Canada

  19. aayush jain on April 28, 2016 at 5:09 am

    what should i eat (vegetarian)

  20. Zed on May 1, 2016 at 1:20 am

    hello radu… I’ve seen most of the guys at my gym use the 8-12 rep range and they’re all strong and muscular. As a beginner I’ve followed what you suggested (5×5) but I could barely feel my muscles “working”. On my last workout I used the 8-12 rep range and added a little volume and there I felt the effect it had on my muscles. What do you think about this? Is post-workout soreness a good indicator of workout effectiveness?

    • Radu Antoniu on May 3, 2016 at 3:25 pm

      Hey Zed!

      You can definitely make progress using the 8-12 rep range as well. But the reason I recommend 5×5 is because it produces faster strength gains. As a beginner you are not strong enough to lift heavy weights in the 8-12 rep range. There is a certain intensity threshold you need to pass in order for a rep to produce a potent muscle building stimulus.

  21. Wiseley on May 8, 2016 at 11:37 am

    Hi, Radu. i’ve watched ur video and that’s really a great transformation !
    i purchased greek god program last week. and have been doing it for a week. i get difficulties in counting my calories because of my daily schedule which is really busy (i know it looks like an excuse but to be honest i really put my effort no matter how busy or tired i am to make time to workout 3 days a week even it’s just for one hour). i do have a question, i’m now around 15.5-17% of bodyfat (67kg, 173 cm), i don’t have any equipment to accurately measure it (i live in a small village luckily with an internet) but i can see slight lines of my abs. i’ve just realized that greek god program is for gaining muscle mass which is why i need calorie surplus. is it okay for me to lean bulk at my current bodyfat ? or should i purchase another courses from kinobody ? thank you for the support 😀

  22. bob on May 9, 2016 at 9:05 pm

    Hi Radu,

    Can i do the greek god program while practising boxing or I will lose my gains?

  23. Samz on May 14, 2016 at 8:38 am

    Hey Radu!

    I’m 16
    I weigh 83 KGs
    I’m 172 cm tall
    I recently started goimg to the gym
    I want to grow a solid upper body
    How can I do that?

  24. Shawn on May 22, 2016 at 4:33 pm

    Radu,

    Your transformation really inspires me. You look awesome, brother! I’ve been watching you videos for about a week now, and they’ve helped me greatly. I wanted to say thank you for doing what you do well.

    • Radu Antoniu on May 26, 2016 at 8:56 am

      Glad they helped Shawn! I appreciate your support!

  25. Vvin on May 23, 2016 at 12:49 am

    Hi Radu

    I just joined Warrior shredding Programme yday. I am now intermittent fasting starting to follow this though I have very limited accessories in my gym in the condo. Anyhow I will continue “cutting” and follow this for now.
    How Long in time normally we should “warrior shred pro” before go for Greek God. How do I know? Is that waist measurement to the body height?
    Tks
    Vin

    • Radu Antoniu on May 26, 2016 at 8:54 am

      Hey Vin!

      Great. You follow WSP until you’re happy with how lean you are. Then you start GGP to focus on muscle growth and weight gain.

  26. Paul on June 4, 2016 at 8:09 am

    Hi Radu,

    Love you content! I’ve recently just started the greek god program and I find that it takes me 3 – 4 days to recover. As such, it’s hard for me to hit the gym if I want to lift without soreness.

    Do I just push through the soreness and lift anyway?

    Thanks for the help!

  27. Charles on June 15, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    Hey man great job,you look fantastic. One thing to note-your shoulder posture actually got worse and your left shoulder is especially rolled forward and you need to do some proper back exercises to balance out your physique.

  28. Tual on June 21, 2016 at 11:44 am

    Great job Radu!

  29. mohamed on July 4, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Hey, Radu. I am interested in Greek God Transformation.But one thing i want to ask you. Do you take lean muscle protein drinks.

  30. Thomas Klass on July 5, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    Hi Radu,
    what is the right speed of the movement for the reps?
    A movement has always two parts. Would you recomment to do both with the same speed?

  31. Guillermo on July 8, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    Hi Radu,
    congratulations for your work, it’s really a good guide and simple to understand.
    I’m cutting for my first time and I’ve lost like 3 kgs, but this includes 700 grs of muscle, according with a specialist that did some measures on me. I’m 77kgs and eating 150 grs of protein. Do you think I have to increase that in order to stop loosing muscle or it’s normal to loose this amount of muscle when cutting? thank you very much!! G

  32. Troy on July 9, 2016 at 10:57 pm

    On rest days do you still eat above maintenance??

  33. Colton Rooney on July 11, 2016 at 8:15 am

    Hey do you have to start with the warrior program then go to greek god bc I didn’t do the warrior program but I’m already pretty lean at 11% body fat from doing other things but can I start with the greek god program ?

  34. JC on July 23, 2016 at 10:08 pm

    Hi Radu, for WSProgram im at 12% bf right now, should I workout 2x a week for each body part for more fat loss? Thank you i advance.

  35. Cazare on August 25, 2016 at 5:41 pm

    Super citire si aplicabil in viata de zi cu zi.

  36. Jason Vise on August 30, 2016 at 3:24 am

    Hi Radu, I am around 15-16% body fat and have good muscle development but can’t seem to get over the barricade of 15%. I have read about the Greek God and aggressive fat loss program and was just wondering which program you think I should do because I know that I could lean down with the AFL but the GG it seems has gotten overweight people to very low body fat as well. Thanks

  37. Jason on August 30, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    Hi Radu. I am around 15% body fat and was thinking about buying the either the AFL program or the GG program as I want to lose fat and put on muscle size. What would you recommend?

  38. Darav on September 2, 2016 at 10:35 am

    What would you tell a person who can’t do a single pull up.

    I’m 22, 183cm, 74kg, 15% body fat (as per your method)

  39. Jan on February 24, 2017 at 6:34 am

    Do you do the lean bulk protocol when lean bulking? Maintenance +500 cals on training days and maintenance +100 on non training days or you do the lean bulk strategy where you bulk 3 weeks then cut 1 week?

  40. Cosmin on March 27, 2017 at 7:19 am

    Salut Radu! Te urmaresc de mult timp si apreciez foarte mult ce faci, mai ales din punct de vedere al meseriei mele (kinetoterapeut). Consider programul tau foarte bun si capabil sa genereze o crestere musculara semnificativa.
    Totusi, am o întrebare: de ce să nu transformăm ceva bun în ceva senzațional? Dacă este adevărat ca sinteza proteinelor durează doar 48 de ore după ce ai stimulat un muschi, nu ar fi superior un program full body executat de 3 ori/săptămână? Sau un alt program care să înlesnească stimularea unei grupe musculare de 3 ori/săptămână? Ce parere ai?
    Cu stimă, Cosmin.

  41. Hamlet on June 3, 2017 at 3:07 pm

    Bravo…brabisimo Radu! U r very inspiring my man, I love ur accent lol.

  42. Hussain on September 29, 2017 at 12:12 pm

    Hi Radu.

    What is your view on a socalled “seated” military press with a barbell? Will your shoulders develop just as well if you only do military press seated?

  43. Dave on October 25, 2017 at 9:10 am

    Hi – I cannot afford to lose weight . I am about 12% body fat and need to eat . I am not sure that I should do I/F but instead eat 4/5 meals throughout the day , although I like the rest of the programme . Any ideas ?

  44. Haris on February 28, 2018 at 11:22 pm

    Hey Radu,
    I am skinny fat and I wanted to should I cut with the warrior program or Greek god program?

    • Haris on February 28, 2018 at 11:23 pm

      I am skinny fat and wanted to know if I should I cut with the warrior program or Greek god program?

  45. Jack on March 1, 2018 at 3:41 am

    While on the rest days can we use cardio abs and mobility while being on Greek god or will that affect the calorie intake.

  46. Jp on December 12, 2018 at 7:16 pm

    Quick question. I started the program about a week ago at 163lbs. Therefore, my maintenance level should be at 2445 calories per day. I’ve been adding 100 cal per day on rest days and 500 per day on training days to start. My goal weight is about 172 lbs. Should I be constantly changing my maintenance level as my weight increases? So if next week I weigh 165 should I adjust my maintenance to 2475 cal…subsequently my weekly 1900 surplus? Finally, once I reach my goal weight of 172-175 lbs should I just stop my maintenance level there and just continue one with the weekly surplus?

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