About the RCB Program
Below are selected frequently asked questions and answers about the RCB program. Click on the question to toggle the answer. You can find more questions and answers in our RCB Strength Training FAQ.
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What are the contents of Ripped Cut and Buff? Are there any pictures, workout routines? Recipes?
+Ripped, Cut & Buff is an instructional text that describes a program of strength training, nutrition and motivation to increase overall health and longevity.
Unlike other strength training programs, RCB focuses on gradual changes in lifestyle to integrate a three-times-a-week exercise regimen, changes in diet and improved awareness and focus on good health for a lifetime. The objectives set forth in RCB use transitioning and substitution to make changes to long-established, unhealthy behaviors to activities that increase strength through progressive lifting of free weights, a healthy diet and health education.
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Is this program designed for men and women?
+Ripped, Cut and Buff employs a long-term approach to good physical health. Improvement is based on personal assessment and tracking progress in both quality of exercise and diet.
Because RCB provides a complete program of exercise and diet, while debunking common myths and misconceptions about weight loss, strength training and a healthy lifestyle, both men and women will benefit from the information contained in this text.
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Am I too old to use this program?
+No. RCB is based on the principle of personal improvement. Thus, progress is determined by the individual. The starting point is determined by the individual reader and progress is only measured against the previous performance of the participant.
In fact, RCB, by design, avoids setting unrealistic goals or creating unrealistic expectations of the reader. Further, all individuals who undertake the RCB program are warned often to see a physician before undertaking any change in diet or level of exercise to determine if there are health issues that preclude participation.
Each individual measures success against past performance only, not by a standard set of exercises, number of reps and circuits. Once the reader obtains medical clearance to undertake a program of improved diet and exercise, any individual can begin the RCB program and measure progress according to their specific goals.
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Am I too young to use this program?
+Strength training stresses muscles and joints to what’s called the body failure threshold – the point at which the participant can no longer perform an exercise using proper form and posture. Ripped, Cut and Buff emphasizes the critical importance of form and posture to ensure an effective workout.
However, young bodies are still growing and developing and the physiology of these young bodies may not be prepared for progressive lifting. Also, young people may be more inclined to demand visible results faster. This runs counter to the RCB’s basic principle of gradual improvement based only on past performance.
With adult guidance, young people can begin the RCB program to integrate exercise and quality nutrition into their lives. This is when lifestyles are created. RCB’s focus on good health while strength training makes it the ideal program for young people. However, adult supervision is highly recommended. Further, very young children will require different amounts of foods from all food groups to maintain optimum health. The diet described in RCB is based on sound principles of nutrition but is not targeted at still-developing bodies.
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Do I need to join a gym or can I do these workouts at home?
+Ripped Cut and Buff can be used in a gym or home setting. The required equipment is available in any gym or can be purchased at any sporting goods store.
Suggestions for lowering equipment costs and simplifying the integration of strength training into daily life are provided throughout The RCB Strength Training Program.
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What if I am vegetarian? Can I use this program as well?
+The biggest challenge facing vegetarians and vegans is access to quality protein used to rebuild muscle. Protein forms the building blocks of muscle and, therefore, has a direct correlation to increased strength.
Protein usually comes from meats and fish – chicken, beef, sole and other animal products. However, protein can also be consumed by eating animal products like milk, cheese and eggs, and by eating more peas and beans in combination to provide complete protein – the protein that is contained in meat.
RCB’s sample diet does not address the special nutritional needs of vegetarians. However, through the RCB principle of substitution, vegetarians and vegans can design a diet that provides adequate protein and other nutrients.
Once again, RCB is designed to adapt to all lifestyles. The reader doe not have to adapt to the RCB program. The program is designed to adapt to a variety of lifestyles and age groups.
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How much time does the workout take & how often do I have to do it?
+RCB is comprised of common exercises performed in circuits. While RCB does recommend setting goals, numbers are not stressed. Instead, progress is measured only against past performance and body failure thresholds.
Thus, participants established their own performance baselines during their first RCB workout, record these baselines and measure progress against these baselines.
Strength training is not a competitive activity. It is an activity designed to improve long-term good health. Unlike other strength training programs that require a certain number of reps, circuits and stages of development, RCB is intended to gradually improve overall strength and good health for a lifetime.
Movement preparation takes 10 minutes and the RCB exercises require approximately 45 minutes 3 times a week. The workouts can be designed to fit in to any busy schedule and performed in the morning, during the day or in the evening.
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Can I order this eBook if I live outside of the United States?
+Certainly. The information contained in the Ripped, Cut and Buff Strength Training Program can be used by people anywhere. This information is based on well-researched, Applied Exercise Science. RCB can be used by anyone with access to basic strength training equipment and quality sources of nutrients.
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Can I substitute the foods in RCB with foods available in my own country?
Absolutely. RCB doesn’t prescribe a diet. Instead, the text teaches the basics of good nutritional health so you eat foods that you enjoy and that are readily available at the market.
A disruption in routine eating habits often prevents people from sticking with a strength training program. Again, RCB is highly adaptable to a variety of foods, levels of activity and, of course, individual schedules.
Eat what you want. Gradually substitute higher-quality, nutrient-rich foods for empty calories. Good food is available throughout the world so you eat the foods you’re used to and enjoy to avoid disrupting established eating routines.
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What is an eBook?
+An eBook is a book that you download to your computer’s hard drive. From there, you can read RCB on your computer screen or print out the text to take with you.
In addition to the main text, RCB also provides separate eBooks on diet and nutrition, nutrition education, sample diets, recipes and other information that can be integrated in to the reader’s current lifestyle more easily.
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Is it safe to use my credit card online?
+Yes. When you purchase the RCB program all personal information is encrypted. We take your privacy and security very seriously and employ state-of-the-art digital technology to secure all personal data.
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How long do I have to follow the workout plans to see some results?
RCB delivers immediate results. However, the RCB program is about gradual improvement for a lifetime. We do not encourage a focus on “visible” results. These will come in due time.
What distinguishes RCB from other strength training programs is that RCB is based on gradual changes in lifestyle and long-term adherence to basic principles of safe exercise, improved nutrition and motivation based on personal performance.
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I have medical diseases. Can I use the workout plans in RCB?
+The authors of RCB recommend that all participants in this strength training program see their family physicians to determine if they are healthy enough to undertake the RCB program.
People with pre-existing medical conditions must obtain approval from their doctors to undertake the exercises and dietary changes described in the RCB program. It simply makes good sense before starting any program of increased physical activity.
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I don’t want to get that bulky look. Will RCB work for me?
Yes. You set your own goals. If you want to increase muscle mass and bulk up, the RCB program will deliver those results. But, if you simply want to tone muscle, increase muscle definition, increase overall strength and improve health, simply perform more reps and more circuits using less weight.
Once again, RCB is designed to adapt to your personal objectives and lifestyle. It is a blueprint for good health – a plan that you integrate for the long term to deliver the results you want. It’s simple to improve health and increase strength without bulking up.
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Do I need to buy any expensive supplements for RCB to work for me?
+Not unless you want to.
Supplements are just that – they supplement the nutrients found in healthy foods. If you eat a healthy diet made up of nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups, supplements aren’t necessary. However, many strength trainers use supplements as a form of nutritional “insurance.” By taking a single, multi-nutrient supplement daily these people insure their bodies receive the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients required for good health.
However, RCB does not require that you spend a lot of money on expensive supplements as long as you adhere to the principles of good nutrition described in the RCB program.
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How do I know if RCB will work for me?
+RCB is based on sound principles of science – progressive lifting and a healthier diet that you gradually integrate in to your life. RCB is not a program you start, reach a goal and quit.
RCB is designed to change lifestyles gradually. It is based on principles that have been proven to work.
Even if you’ve tried other strength-building programs or weight loss diets, RCB is specifically designed to fit your lifestyle for a lifetime.
The RCB program requires a small, initial commitment – a small amount of self-discipline to begin. However, once participants realize the benefits, the changes in lifestyle are self-perpetuating. This makes RCB easier to integrate into your life, it doesn’t require hours of time, it doesn’t require drastic changes in diet and it provides motivation through better health.
When you feel better physically and emotionally, you’re more inclined to stick with a strength training program. RCB doesn’t require super-human will power. In fact, the basis of RCB is simple: with small, gradual changes in your lifestyle, you will see an increase in strength and vitality. You will see the shape of your body change.
You will experience success because you define success based solely on personal improvement. You measure success against past performance and enjoy the emotional benefits that success brings with it.