bws programs

faqs
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INTRODUCTION
Most Common FAQ’s
Am I supposed to “eat back” my calories burned every day?.........................................................................................04
Can I get a form check and/or body fat estimation?!...........................................................................................................04
I just purchased the Beginner Program and I cannot find where it lists arm isolation exercises. Is this
an oversight?...................................................................................................................................................................................................05
Should I weigh my food uncooked/raw or cooked?..............................................................................................................06

Spreadsheet FAQ
Are the calories that I am supposed to eat for the day ‘Total Calories’ or ‘Net Calories.’............................. 07
Why does my spreadsheet keep lowering/raising my daily calorie intake?........................................................... 07
When am I supposed to enter my weight and calories into Table 3 of my Nutrition Spreadsheet?.....08
If I am going out of town, forget to log my weight/calories and or I have a massive cheat day and go
well over my daily calories should I leave those days blank in my spreadsheet?..............................................08
How do you know when it is time to move from the Shred Program to the Build and vice versa?......08
The spreadsheet’s recommendation for calories seems really low.............................................................................09

General FAQ
Are protein shakes necessary and when is the optimal time to consume protein/food?............................ 10
When taking creatine, is it necessary to “load” and is it recommended when utilizing the shred
program?............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 10
I am having a hard time meeting my daily caloric goals and protein grams. What should I do?.............. 10
I am experiencing a sharp pain when I perform a certain exercise in the program. What should I do
and is there an alternative exercise that I can substitute in place of it? ................................................................ 11
I am having a hard time understanding what RPE means; if I should train to failure; and if I should
still train if I am sore. ................................................................................................................................................................................ 11
I can not progress on pull ups. Should I stop trying to perform them and or is there a suitable
alternative exercise? ................................................................................................................................................................................. 11

DISCLAIMER
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INTRODUCTION
Whether you’ve just purchased a BWS program or have been using one for a while,
whenever you have a question/concern about the program please consult this
document. We’ve compiled a list of the most common questions asked by our BWS
members. Chances are, most of the questions you’ll come across throughout your
journey are answered within this very document. Please refrain from emailing us
with a question and/or posting a question in the Private Facebook Community
until you have thoroughly read through this document and are sure that your
question is not answered within it!
This will help avoid overwhelming our staff, as well as maintaining the integrity of
the Facebook group such that long-time members aren’t bombarded by the same
questions by new members.
We hope this helps!

To your success,

Jeremy & The BWS Team

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Most Common FAQ’s
Q: Am I supposed to “eat back” my calories burned every day?
A: No, never eat your calories burned through exercise, back in. Doing so will take
you out of a caloric deficit (if you are shredding) or will increase your caloric surplus
(if you are bulking). Stick to the calories recommended in your spreadsheet. This
is because the nutrition spreadsheet averages your calorie intake and calories
burned every day, and uses your weight change to guide its recommendations. If
you suddenly become more active because of a new job for example, then this will
be reflected in your weight change and the nutrition spreadsheet will detect it and
account for it. However, IF on one day you burn significantly more calories than you
usually do (e.g. due to a sporting event, hike, or any activity not part of your “normal”
routine) then we do advise that you increase your calorie intake slightly for that day.
For example, intaking a few hundred calories more for that day than you usually
would because you went on a big hike with some friends. Other than those special
scenarios, stick to what your sheet recommends and avoid meticulously calculating
and eating back calories from activity.

Q: Can I get a form check and/or body fat estimation?!

A: For form checks, please record yourself and reference the tutorials in your
program as well as on our YouTube channel. Please refrain from spamming the
Facebook group with form check videos.
For body fat estimations, please refer to the Nutrition section of your BWS program,
specifically the chapter titled “Nutrition Tracking: How to Use Your Nutrition
Spreadsheet.” Within this chapter, you will find picture examples of what various
body fat percentages look like. We’ve also pasted them below. Avoid asking for a
body fat estimation in the Facebook group. Refer to the reference pictures below and
use them to guide you. Nailing down your exact body fat % is not important, and can
be accurately estimated by just using the reference pictures provided.
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Most Common FAQ’s

3-4% 6-7% 10-12% 10-12% 15-17% 20-22%

15% 20% 25% 25% 30% 35%

30% 35% 40% 40% 45% 50%

Q: I just purchased the Beginner Program and I cannot find where it lists
arm isolation exercises. Is this an oversight?
A: Please refer to Section 2: Training - Chapter 1 “Philosophy & Logic: Creating
Objective Attractiveness” of your BWS Program. In this chapter you will find a
detailed explanation of why there is an intentional absence of arm isolation exercises.
Long story short - as a beginner you need to focus on your main, compound
movements. Much of your arm growth will come from these movements. Then, as
you gain experience and your volume requirements increase, is when we will slowly
add in more arm volume and arm isolation exercises which is done in phase 2 of the
beginner program and then further progressed in the intermediate program. This is
the more effective approach to milk out as much “newbie” gains as we can from you,
as opposed to overdoing it early on which can lead you to a plateau and/or too much
fatigue early on.
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Most Common FAQ’s
Q: Should I weigh my food uncooked/raw or cooked?
A: The weight of a food (e.g. chicken breast) will change as you cook it, due to water
leaving the food through cooking. Thus, for accuracy when tracking calories/macros,
you should account for this by either consistently weighing your food raw (e.g. raw
chicken breast before cooking) or cooked (e.g. cooked chicken breast after baking)
and then matching that with the appropriate option when entering your food into
your nutrition app (MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, etc.) by selecting the raw or cooked version
for that food. Whichever method you choose is up to you. Raw is generally more
accurate, but this won’t make a difference as long as you’re consistent with your
weighing + tracking methods
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Spreadsheet FAQ
Q: Are the calories that I am supposed to eat for the day ‘Total Calories’
or ‘Net Calories.’
A: Within your nutrition spreadsheet you will find your suggested daily calories. This
is the total daily calories you should be consuming each day. Do not subtract your
calories, burned through exercise, from your total daily calories and if your nutrition
tracking app (My Fitness Pal, LoseIt, etc.) is providing you with “Net” calories please
turn that specific feature off, so as not to confuse you. Track and count all consumed
calories.

Q: Why does my spreadsheet keep lowering/raising my daily

calorie intake?
A: Your daily calories are initially calculated using an algorithm that factors in your
height, weight, body fat, and level of activity (the prescribed lifting and cardio listed
in the programs) as well as your weekly weight loss or weight gain goal listed in
Table 1. Then, during the 4th week of your program, the spreadsheet will make an
adjustment based on your data and continue making weekly adjustments to your
calories/macros as it receives more data from you (your daily calorie intake and
weigh-ins). It makes these adjustments by using your average weight change.
For example, if you’re on SHRED and not losing enough weight every week relative
to your weekly goal, then the spreadsheet’s algorithm will adjust your calories lower
so that you can hit your target. Conversely, if you’re losing weight too quickly relative
to your weekly goal, then the spreadsheet’s algorithm will do the opposite and adjust
your calories higher to slow down your weight loss. On the other hand, if you’re
on BUILD and gaining weight too quickly, it will adjust by reducing your calories.
Whereas if you were not gaining weight quickly enough relative to your goal, it will
adjust by increasing your calories.
As you can see, it simply uses your data to adjust its recommendations for you.
However, it is NOT an “end-all-be-all” tool.
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Spreadsheet FAQ
Q: When am I supposed to enter my weight and calories into Table 3 of
my Nutrition Spreadsheet?
A: You should weigh yourself consistently every morning (upon waking for the day)
and after using the toilet. Your calories should be entered at the end of the day
and after all meals have been consumed. Your measurements are also helpful to
input if you’d like to calculat eyour body fat and keep track of your circumference
measurements to assess progress. We’d recommend taking measurements on a at
least monthly basis. Please Note: The more data that the spreadsheet has the more
accurate your daily/weekly TDEE will be. Please make every effort to fill in your
spreadsheet daily with your weight and total daily calories consumed.

Q: If I am going out of town, forget to log my weight/calories and or I

have a massive cheat day and go well over my daily calories should I
leave those days blank in my spreadsheet?
A: If you are unable to track your calories and weight for more than one week, leave
it blank and resume tracking once you get back. If you have a cheat day (consume
significantly over your daily recommended calories), forget to weigh yourself, or
you are noticeably heavier the morning following your cheat day simply leave the
data fields blank for that day. The fluctuation in your weight may throw off the
spreadsheet’s recommendation in the short term (e.g. a week or two) but it will
quickly re-adjust.

Q: How do you know when it is time to move from the Shred Program to
the Build and vice versa?
A: Although each person is different and will have different aesthetic goals, generally
you would move to the build program once you have reached your desired weight
and or body fat goal; you would like to add muscle mass to your frame; and or your
strength on your lifts have waned and you would like to become stronger. On the
reverse, you may find it is time to move to the shred program after building, once
you’ve reached your goal weight/size; and or you would like to trim body fat to reveal
your muscle. Section Six of each program details the steps to take when choosing to
move from one program to the next. Purchasing a separate program is not necessary.
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Spreadsheet FAQ
Q: The spreadsheet’s recommendation for calories seems really low.
If the spreadsheet senses you aren’t losing weight fast enough relative to your goal,
it will continue slowly decreasing your calories until you do (we’re inputting a floor
of 1,200 calories for females and 1,500 calories for males, and generally recommend
you don’t go below that).
However, if your recommendation drops to a level that you’re not comfortable with,
then there can be a few reasons for this:
1. Ensure that your goal weight loss isn’t too aggressive. Aim to lose AT MOST
0.7-1% of your bodyweight per week. A good “safe” rule of thumb that isn’t
too aggressive for most individuals is a goal weekly weight loss of -1lb (-0.45
kg) / week. Adjust to a less aggressive goal weight loss and your calorie
recommendation should increase to a more realistic amount.
2. The spreadsheet DOES NOT account for a body recomposition. In many cases
when dieting, some individuals will be able to build muscle AND lose fat at the
same time. Meaning that their bodyweight will actually stay the same or just
slightly decrease as they are losing fat. All that the spreadsheet will see however
is that your bodyweight isn’t decreasing relative to your goal, and will continue
decreasing your calories as a result. To account for this, IF your strength has
been increasing, you’re getting leaner visually, and your waist circumference
is decreasing yet your bodyweight hasn’t changed much or is just very slowly
decreasing, then IGNORE the spreadsheet’s recommendation! Instead, stick to its
initial recommendation or better yet, set your goal weekly weight loss to either
“0” or a very slow rate of weight loss like “-0.5 lbs (-0.22 kgs) / week”. Then, after
a month or two, after you’ve gone through this “body recomposition” phase (that’s
generally how long it will last), you can revisit the goal weekly weight change and
aim to either start losing weight every week to focus on leaning down or start
gaining weight every week to focus on adding size.
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General FAQ
Q: Are protein shakes necessary and when is the optimal time to
consume protein/food?
A: Protein powder is simply a high quality protein in powder form. It is to be used as
a supplement in your diet to help you hit your daily protein goals. Timing of meals
and protein is not as important as simply meeting your daily caloric and macro goals.
Therefore, look to consume your food when it best fits with your schedule and
exercise routine. However, it’s a good idea to break up your daily protein intake into
around 3-4 meals per day, and ensure that you are getting in sufficient protein (>20g)
around your workouts (1-2 hours pre and post).

Q: When taking creatine, is it necessary to “load” and is it recommended

when utilizing the shred program?
A: Creatine is the most widely and thoroughly researched supplement on the market.
Research has shown that creatine can increase muscle mass, strength and exercise
performance. It is not necessary to load creatine. For simplicity, consume 5g a day
everyday regardless of whether one is shredding, building or at maintenance. It
will take approximately 3-4 weeks for its effects to kick in, and its effects will vary
individually. If you wish to reap the benefits faster (within 1-2 weeks), you may use
a loading approach of 20g of creatine daily for 1 week, then transition to 5g a day
indefinitely. There is also no need to cycle on and off of creatine. If you have a history
of liver of kidney issues please consult with your health care professional before
consuming creatine.

Q: I am having a hard time meeting my daily caloric goals and protein

grams. What should I do?
A: First and foremost, always verify that you are indeed tracking all of the foods
that you are consuming throughout the day including any oils, marinades, sauces
and creamers. Strive to eat fibrous, dense foods if you are constantly feeling hungry
throughout the day. The recipe books and meal ideas within your program are
excellent sources of inspiration here. If you are consistently going over on calories,
swap out dark, fattier meats for lean cut options. Some other helpful swaps are
egg whites for whole eggs, sprays instead of oils, spices instead of sauces. On the
reverse, if you are having a hard time consuming enough calories, look to add healthy
oils (olive, avocado, etc) to your cooking and whole dairy options instead of skim
or alternative choices such as almond milk, and consume more liquid calories (e.g.
shakes).
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General FAQ
Q: I am experiencing a sharp pain when I perform a certain exercise in
the program. What should I do and is there an alternative exercise that I
can substitute in place of it?
A: If you are experiencing any sharp, consistent pains when performing any exercise
within the BWS programs please consult your healthcare professional immediately.
Medical advice can not be provided. In addition, under the Training section of your
BWS program, you will find the subsection “Exercise Alternatives,” and a table
which will provide you with the exercise alternatives for each exercise listed in your
workouts. Please consult this section of your program when looking for suitable
exercise alternatives.

Q: I am having a hard time understanding what RPE means; if I should

train to failure; and if I should still train if I am sore.
A: In the Training section of your BWS program, the Chapter “The Main Workouts:
FAQ” details and fully explains what RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) is and how to
apply it to your lifts. This chapter also explains when and when not to train to failure,
and whether or not you should continue to workout if you are experiencing soreness.

Q: I can not progress on pull ups. Should I stop trying to perform them
and or is there a suitable alternative exercise?
A: In the Training section of your BWS program, at the bottom of the chapter “The
Main Workouts: FAQ” you will find the header: “What if I can’t do pull-ups?” Here
you will find descriptions for the top two pull-up alternatives (inverted rows and pull-
up negatives), as well as a ‘Modified “Pull” Workout’ that you can adjust your “pull”
workout to in an effort to increase your pull-ups. This section also advises you on
how to move to weighted pull ups once you can successfully perform 8 or more body
weight pull-ups.
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DISCLAIMER
The content provided in this PDF is for sician, dietitian, or health care provider
informational and educational purposes advises against it. If you experience faint-
only. Jeremy Ethier is not a medical doc- ness, dizziness, pain, shortness of breath
tor, psychologist, therapist, nutritionist, or or any other form of discomfort at any
registered dietitian. The contents of this time while exercising or while following
document should not be construed as any meal plan/dietary regimen, you should
medical, psychological, dietary, nutrition- stop immediately. If you are in Canada and
al, or healthcare advice of any kind. The think you are having a medical or health
contents of this document are not intend- emergency, call your health care provider,
ed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any or 911, immediately.
health conditions, nor are they intended
to replace a physician, dietitian, nutrition- Please note the following:
ist, or other qualified healthcare profes-
sional’s advice. You should always consult • any and all exercise that you do as a re-
your physician, dietitian, or other qualified sult of what you read in this PDF shall
healthcare professional on any matters re- be performed solely at your own risk;
garding your health, engagement in phys- • any and all meal plans that you follow
ical activity, and/or diet before starting or adhere to as a result of what you
any fitness program or meal plan to deter- read in this PDF shall be used solely at
mine if it is suitable for your needs. This is your own risk; and
especially important if you (or your fami- • any and all foods or beverages that you
ly members) have a history of high blood consume as a result of what you read
pressure or heart disease, if you have ever in this PDF shall be consumed solely at
experienced chest pain while exercising, your own risk.
or if you have experienced chest pain
in the past month when not engaged in No part of this report may be reproduced
physical activity. You should also consult or transmitted in any form whatsoever,
your physician, dietitian, or other quali- electronic or mechanical, including pho-
fied healthcare professional before start- tocopying, recording, or by any informa-
ing any fitness program, meal plan, or tional storage or retrieval system without
dietary regimen if you smoke, have high the express written, dated, and signed
cholesterol, are obese, or have a bone or permission from the author (Jeremy Ethi-
joint problem that could be made worse er). All copyrights are reserved. Built With
by a change in physical activity or diet. Do Science™ may not be copied or used for
not start or continue any fitness program, any purpose without express written con-
meal plan, or dietary regimen if your phy- sent.
BWS programs FAQS