In the picture to the right you can see Scott Tousignant, the author of the Metabolic Masterpiece program, after he completed his 12 weeks body sculpting process.
That entire process is, in fact, the Metabolic Masterpiece program. It is simply a documented 12 week process in which Scott decided to change his body completely. His goal was simple: to get totally ripped for a photo shoot he scheduled in advance. As you can see, he succeeded quite well (more pictures below).
About a week ago I published an interview with Scott in which I asked him about his process, how he prepared for it and what advice he can give others about it. I wrote a second post about what I learned from Scott and his program. At that time, I also promised you I would write a review about it. This post is me keeping that promise.
What I am going to do in this post is review the Metabolic Masterpiece plan. I plan on telling you:
- What this program is all about.
- How it works.
- The way the workouts are arranged.
- Whether you should use it or not.
I hope this review helps you to make the right decision about this plan.
How Metabolic Masterpiece Came To Be
Scott Tousignant has been involved in fitness for quite some time. Along with his wife, Angie, he has authored a number of fat loss plans. He was already in decent shape before he decided to start his body sculpting journey, but he wanted to look better. He wanted to get totally ripped.
This was a personal goal and a business one as well. As a fitness author, Scott uses his body as proof of what he can teach others. He knew that by improving his physique that he would get more business and more respect in his field.
So, he decided to go on a 12 week fitness and nutrition plan to get ripped. He even scheduled a photo shoot to set a firm deadline for the process and announced his plan on his blog. This “forced” him to meet his goal. He created a huge accountability system and this creates a bigger motivation.
So, Scott started this process and documented each and every day on it. The result is the entire Metabolic Masterpiece system.
Fundamentals Of Body Sculpting
One of the earlier sections of the program talks about what it takes to sculpt your body. Scott shows how it’s about more than just lifting weights or doing cardio. It’s about workouts, nutrition, and lifestyle.
Workouts
Your workouts need to accomplish a number of goals:
- Burn a lot of body fat as you can’t look ripped unless your body fat is very low.
- Create additional muscle mass. This isn’t just about size, but also about shape. This means that some of the exercises you do in this plan are isolation exercises. These may not be the best for fat loss, but they are important for creating definition and shape.
Nutrition
Scott stresses the quality of your food in a segment titled Eat Smart. This process doesn’t just call for a calorie deficit. You need to eat quality food which gives your body the nutrients it needs to function and perform. Scott also recommends having a calorie surplus day ever 3-5 days to give you a bit of mental rest from dieting and to fuel your muscles.
Lifestyle
There are a number of healthy lifestyle tips in the program which I agree with completely:
- Reduce stress – this can be done with yoga, low intensity cardio, or stretching.
- Sleep more – Sleep is crucial for weight loss and muscle building. You need to sleep 7 hours at least each night while following this program.
- Drinking enough water – 8 glasses at a minimum. More will be helpful.
- Goal setting – Scott set a firm goal and made himself accountable for it. You should do the same.
Mental Preparation
It takes nearly 60 pages to get to the actual workout in this program. The earlier parts lay down the background of the program and talk about the mental aspects of it. It seems that Scott went through a true mental transformation here as well as a physical one. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that his mental strength allowed him to go through this process. He seems to think it’s the latter and he gives some great advice on how to stay mentally fit throughout the process:
- Reviewing your goals several times each day.
- Creating a support group among family and friends.
- Taking daily pictures of yourself to document your progress.
- Being proud of your body regardless of the shape you are in now. It leads to greater determination.
- Working on your mental focus during your workouts and at other times too.
This part of the program can be a bit tedious at times. However, it is an important part of the process, so I recommend reading it all. This is a meticulous process which Scott documents, and you need to go through it all.
Metabolic Masterpiece Workouts
The entire program is divided into 3 phases, each of which is 28 days long. I will go over each of the phases here to give you some background on each of them.
Metabolic Maverick
This phase includes 4 strength workouts each week. You’re will do split training workouts targeting the upper body during one workout and the lower body during the next. You will also need to do 30 minutes of walking 3 – 5 times a week.
The goal of this phase is to start burning fat and building some muscle. This is how you begin sculpting your body to fit your optimal body shape. A secondary goal is to increase strength to allow you to handle the workout load of the following phases. During this phase you need to increase the load of the exercises week by week so you’ll not only see but also feel the progression.
Pyramid Pandemonium
During this phase you’re taking the split training to a new level. You will train each body part just once a week and work in a pyramid style: the load you’ll be using will increase with each set to a maximum one and then decrease back down. This is a style used by bodybuilders. In a way, this phase resembles the goals of bodybuilders as you want to not just lose fat but to also create shape with your muscles. For that you need isolated and pinpointed work.
Now, obviously as this program is based on Scott Tousignant’s process, I don’t know how right it is for women. I asked him and he assured me that it is. What I can say is that women don’t need to worry too much about building huge muscles. They don’t have the right genetics for that. In fact, this is one of the common fitness myths that I warn women about. Weight lifting is crucial for women, so I believe that you can get good results with Metabolic Masterpiece as well.
During this phase Scott walked for 30 minutes every day.
Rock That Body
The final phase will incorporate some super-sets, triple-sets, and powerful lifting combos. It is the hardest phase of the three, but you will be in much better shape by then. This is another split training workout routine with 4 sessions each week. However, the load is bigger than in the previous phases and you will feel the difference.
During this phase Scott actually had days in which he walked both in the morning and in the evening. It’s a big time investment.
Nutrition
There are a number of eating type days in this program: some are calorie deficit days and others are calorie maintenance. During each day you have 3 meals and a snack. Scott includes meal plans in the program.
Documented Progress
The special thing about this entire process is how Scott documented every single day of it. He took daily pictures and wrote a complete log of what he did. This gives you a better idea of what you need to do in order to stick to this program and see it through. Here is the final picture of Scott.
My Thoughts On The Program
There’s no doubt that Scott went through a big process here and his results are inspiring. However, this is a plan that’s hardly right for everyone. Here are some of my thoughts:
1. This is a bit of an over-kill for anyone who’s looking to simply drop some pounds. You can do that with less intense, less demanding programs.
2. The demanding nature of Metabolic Masterpiece makes it a plan that may not fit everyone’s schedule, lifestyle, or interests in life.
3. This program does work and should deliver great results. It’s no wonder, really, as there’s a lot of hard work involved in this plan.
4. I recommend using this plan only if you’re ready to make a big commitment for 12 months, have access to a gym, and your goal is to go through the same process Scott did. If so, then this is a plan worth doing.
As you can see, I like the Metabolic Masterpiece plan. However, I don’t think it’s for everyone. It’s a fantastic program, but requires a massive commitment on your part. To learn more about it visit Metabolic Masterpiece and learn more about Scott’s story.
