# Shred — Evidence-Based Fitness & Hypertrophy Protocol (Full Specification)

> Comprehensive, peer-reviewed computational fitness protocol translating 25+ landmark sports science meta-analyses into actionable individual prescriptions.

## 1. Energy Expenditure & Metabolic Modeling

### Mifflin-St Jeor (1990)
Validated across 10 independent studies as the most accurate indirect calorimetry proxy:
- Men: `REE = (10 × weight_kg) + (6.25 × height_cm) − (5 × age) + 5`
- Women: `REE = (10 × weight_kg) + (6.25 × height_cm) − (5 × age) − 161`

### Katch-McArdle Formula (1996)
Applied when Body Fat % ($BF$) is provided, utilizing Lean Body Mass ($LBM$):
- `LBM_kg = weight_kg × (1 − BF / 100)`
- `BMR = 370 + (21.6 × LBM_kg)`

### Physical Activity Level (PAL) Multipliers
- Sedentary (Desk work, minimal exercise): 1.20
- Light (1–2 days/wk structured training): 1.375
- Moderate (3–5 days/wk structured training): 1.55
- Active (6–7 days/wk structured training): 1.725
- Very Active / Competitive Athlete: 1.90

`TDEE = REE (or BMR) × PAL`

---

## 2. Objective-Based Caloric & Energy Partitioning

### Fat Loss (Cut)
- Target Deficit: 500–750 kcal/day (~20–25% reduction).
- Physiological floor: ≥1,200 kcal/day (women), ≥1,500 kcal/day (men).
- Safe Rate of Loss: 0.5–1.0% of total body weight per week (Helms et al., 2014; Garthe et al., 2011).

### Body Recomposition
- Maintenance energy (~0% to −5% slight deficit).
- High protein (2.0–2.2 g/kg) + progressive overload.
- Induces simultaneous myofibrillar protein synthesis and adipose triglyceride oxidation in untrained, detrained, or moderately adiposed individuals (Barakat et al., 2020).

### Lean Hypertrophy (Bulk)
- Target Surplus: +250 to +400 kcal/day (~10–15% surplus).
- Natural Muscle Gain Ceilings (Aragon & Schoenfeld Model):
  - Beginner (<1 yr): 1.0–1.5% body weight / month
  - Intermediate (1–3 yrs): 0.5–1.0% body weight / month
  - Advanced (3+ yrs): 0.25–0.5% body weight / month

### Maintenance & Optimal Energy Availability
- 100% TDEE.
- IOC REDs consensus benchmark: Energy Availability `(EI − EEE) / FFM ≥ 45 kcal/kg FFM/day`.

---

## 3. Macronutrient & Leucine Dynamics

### Daily Protein & Per-Meal Leucine Threshold
- Daily Intake: 1.6–2.4 g/kg body weight (Morton et al., 2018; Helms et al., 2014).
- Distribution: 0.40–0.55 g/kg/meal spread across 3–5 feedings (Schoenfeld & Aragon, 2018).
- Leucine Threshold: ≥2.7–3.5g of leucine per feeding to trigger maximum intracellular mTORC1 activation.

### Dietary Lipids (Fat)
- Range: 0.6–1.0 g/kg/day (20–30% of total caloric intake).
- Prevents down-regulation of steroidogenesis (luteinizing hormone, free testosterone) and provides essential fatty acids (Helms et al., 2014; Whittaker & Wu, 2021).

### Carbohydrates
- Allocated from remaining caloric budget: `(Target_kcal − (Protein_g × 4) − (Fat_g × 9)) / 4`.
- Re-synthesizes intramuscular glycogen for high-intensity glycolytic resistance contractions (Burke et al., 2011).

### Fiber & Hydration
- Fiber: 14g per 1,000 kcal (minimum 25g/day) (Reynolds et al., Lancet 2019).
- Fluid Baseline: 35–45 mL/kg/day + 500 mL per 45–60 min training session (EFSA 2010; Sawka et al., ACSM 2007).

---

## 4. Hypertrophy & Resistance Training Prescription

- **Weekly Volume**: 10–20 hard sets per muscle group per week (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
- **Frequency**: 2× per muscle group per week (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).
- **Proximity to Failure**: 1–3 Reps in Reserve (RIR / RPE 7–9) on compound multi-joint movements; 0–1 RIR on isolations (Refalo et al., 2023; Zourdos et al., 2016).
- **Rest Intervals**: 2.5–3+ min for multi-joint compound movements, 1.5–2 min for isolations (Schoenfeld et al., 2016).
- **Deload Periodization**: 40–50% reduction in set volume every 4–8 weeks to dissipate accumulated systemic fatigue.

---

## 5. Cardiorespiratory Conditioning & Metabolic Health

- **Zone 2 Aerobic Base**: 150–300 min/week at 60–70% HRmax (`HRmax = 207 − (0.7 × age)`). Enhances mitochondrial density and fat oxidation (San-Millán & Brooks, 2018; ACSM).
- **Zone 5 / VO2 Max Intervals**: 1 session/week (4 × 4 min intervals at 90–95% HRmax; Helgerud et al., 2007).
- **Daily Steps (NEAT)**: 8,000–10,000 steps/day (<60 yr) / 6,000–8,000 (≥60 yr) (Paluch et al., Lancet Public Health 2022).
- **Interference Effect Mitigation**: Prioritize cycling/incline walking over running; separate heavy lifting and intense cardio by 6+ hours (Coffey & Hawley, 2017).

---

## 6. Recovery & Tier-A Ergogenic Aids (ISSN / IOC)

- **Sleep Duration**: 7–9 hours/night. Prevents 55% reduction in fat loss during caloric restriction (Nedeltcheva et al., 2010; Tasali et al., 2022).
- **Creatine Monohydrate**: 3–5 g/day indefinitely (Kreider et al., 2017).
- **Caffeine**: 3–6 mg/kg ingested 45–60 min pre-exercise (Guest et al., 2021).
- **Protein Isolate**: 20–40 g/dose as needed to reach the meal leucine threshold.
- **Vitamin D3**: 2,000–4,000 IU/day if deficient (<75 nmol/L).
- **Omega-3**: 1,000–2,000 mg combined EPA/DHA daily.

---

## 7. Master Bibliography & Landmark DOIs

1. Morton et al. (2018) — Br J Sports Med — DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
2. Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger (2017) — J Sports Sci — DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1210197
3. Schoenfeld et al. (2016) — Sports Med — DOI: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8
4. Schoenfeld & Aragon (2018) — JISSN — DOI: 10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
5. Barakat et al. (2020) — Strength Cond J — DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000584
6. Refalo et al. (2023) — Sports Med — DOI: 10.1007/s40279-022-01784-y
7. Helms et al. (2014) — JISSN — DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-11-20
8. Mifflin et al. (1990) — Am J Clin Nutr — DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
9. Reynolds et al. (2019) — Lancet — DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31809-9
10. Paluch et al. (2022) — Lancet Public Health — DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00302-9
11. Nedeltcheva et al. (2010) — Ann Intern Med — DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006
12. Tasali et al. (2022) — JAMA Intern Med — DOI: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098
13. Helgerud et al. (2007) — Med Sci Sports Exerc — DOI: 10.1249/mss.0b013e3180304570
14. San-Millán & Brooks (2018) — Sports Med — DOI: 10.1007/s40279-017-0813-0
15. Kreider et al. (2017) — JISSN — DOI: 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z
16. Guest et al. (2021) — JISSN — DOI: 10.1186/s12970-020-00383-4
17. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products (2010) — EFSA J — DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1459
18. Garthe et al. (2011) — IJSNEM — DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97
19. Iraki et al. (2019) — Sports — DOI: 10.3390/sports7070154
20. Burke et al. (2011) — J Sports Sci — DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2011.585473

---

## 8. URL
https://h3manth.com/fun/shred/