Goal of UD2 is fat loss while maintaining (if not gaining a little) muscle mass. This is why UD2 appealed to me because we're told "pick one, you can't do both" and "if you diet, you'll most likely lose lean muscle as well."
You spend the first 3-4 days of each week cutting your calories basically in half, cutting carbs drastically (but not to ketosis levels), and keeping fat at a minimum. This diet is aligned with "depletion workouts" that deplete glycogen using high rep sets (15-20), maintaining tension for 45-60 seconds during the set, and resting at most, 45-60 seconds between sets. All in all, these workouts on average run 1:20 minutes and can include 40+ sets.
For those who have never done this type of depletion workout...on low carbs/cals...brutal. But you get used to it. I was doing a 5x5 previous to UD2 and almost lost my lunch on my first depletion workouts.
You also mix in cardio on these days, but only steady state, to maximize fat loss.
Once you've depleted your glycogen you shift gears to the growth phase of the week. You start with a full body "tension" workout that has you in a rep range of 6-12. After the tension workout, you then load up on carbs. Big time. To replenish your glycogen. This carbup period lasts 30 hours and it's not uncommon to see someone (like myself) eat 1100 grams of carbs over the course of 30 hours. You also load up on creatine at this time.
Once the carbup is complete, you move to a "power" workout. You know, lift heavy, low reps. After carbing up and loading up on creatine, you feel like a superhero. The power workout is then aligned with a more balanced diet of protien/carbs/fat the last two days of the week in order to promote growth.
Then it all starts over again the next week.
It's a hell of a routine. Tough. Detailed. But if you like structure and just plain follow instructions, this thing works. Period.
I'm on week 6 and I've lost 13-14 lbs and I've been told that I haven't lost any muscle.
I can't say enough about UD2. Lyle McDonald knows his shit.
KY
