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The High Performance Journal - April 8th, 2025

I Have a Confession to Make:

I care about how I look. I’m vain. There—I said it.

When summer hits, I want to look my best. I want to hit the pool, remove my shirt, and look amazing.

So today, I’m sharing my 90-Day Summer Shred Protocol—the strategy I'm using to cut to 10% body fat. If you want to drop 20+ pounds and feel incredible in your bathing suit by the summertime, this is for you.

Just ask Robert, who lost over 23 pounds in 90 days and saw his abs for the first time since college:

Most people don’t fail from lack of motivation—they fail from lack of structure. This protocol gives you that structure.

Let’s go 🔥

Dango Note: If you're already in your best shape, then, quite frankly, you probably don't need this. I'll be coming out with a deep dive on something health and optimization related in the next one. For now, you could just skip this one if it doesn't relate to you.

The 90-Day Summer Shred Protocol

Step 1 - Set Your Calorie & Macro Targets

Calories determine how much you weigh. Macros determine how you look. Micronutrients determine your energy and appetite.

Here is a simple way to determine your calories for the next 90 days:

Take your body weight and multiply it by...

• 9 if you have > 40# to lose
• 10 if you have 20-40# to lose
• 11-12 if you have < 20# to lose (choose a lower number if you're under 13% body fat)

Example: I'm multiplying my body weight (170 lbs) by 11, equaling 1870 calories.

Next, we want our protein to be at least .8 to 1 gram per pound of body weight.

Example: 0.8 x 170 = 136 grams of protein, meaning I'll eat anywhere between 136 to 170 grams of protein per day.

With Robert, we had to ensure that, as he was in a caloric deficit, we wanted to retain as much muscle as possible.

Thankfully, after hitting our protein and #3, we added close to 3 pounds of lean mass and dropped body fat by 7%!

Step 2 - Set Up Your Meal Framework

Now that we have established how much food we should eat, let's examine how we should eat from a quantity and quality standpoint.

First, let's get into timing.

We want to have our final meal at least three to five hours before sleeping, our second meal three to five hours before that, and our first meal around one to two hours upon waking.

This is called ​eating to your natural circadian rhythms​. This regulates hunger and appetite, especially if you eat the right foods.

With Robert, we went with a meal schedule like this:

• First meal - 7 to 8 am
• Second Meal - 12 to 1 pm
• Dinner - 5 to 6 pm

Next, let's talk about food.

Whole, single-ingredient, nutrient-dense foods are your best friends, but despite that, we want to adopt a 90/10 principle:

This means 90% of your calories come from the abovementioned sources, and 10% can come from fun sources like ice cream.

The coolest thing about getting Robert down to see his abs again was that he could eat ice cream regularly.

Step 3 - Increase Your Metabolic Engine

Muscles are the core driver of metabolism.

Our workouts aim to build muscle while having a calorie deficit.

We centered our workouts around getting stronger in these movements:

• Squat
• Bench press
• Deadlift
• Lunge
• Hip thrusts
• Pull-ups
• Back rows
• Overhead presses
• Carries

Also, metabolic stress is the primary driver of muscle growth, so we ensured we lifted at least one to two reps within failure.

Robert worked out three days a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. This was a great balance when it came to recovery because that will be just as important as the lifts themselves.

Step 4 - Sneaky Movement

This was the hard part because Robert led a very busy lifestyle that required him to use the phone, participate in Zoom calls, and attend meetings. Getting 10K steps a day was one of the most challenging parts of the system to implement.

So we invested in an under-the-desk treadmill that he could use with a standing desk, allowing him to do his meetings while walking. Then something funny happened...

He started feeling more energized and sharper while doing these meetings.

This is what I call a Shadow Habit - where you take something you're already doing (Zoom meetings) and place a health habit on top of it.

So, Robert was getting at least 10,000 to sometimes even 15,000 steps daily without thinking about it.

Step 5 (Optional) - 2 Week Mini Shred Jumpstart

You'll see in the first part of Robert's journey that he lost a ton of fat, which helped jumpstart his transformation.

To start any cut, especially when we have such a limited time before the summer, we would opt for a ​protein-sparing modified fast, which I talked about here​.

This is a fantastic jumpstart to fat loss because it is designed to help you lose a lot of fat quickly. The only caveat is that you can only do it for two weeks.

We found that starting people off with something hard and then evolving into a more moderate diet is one of the best ways to get fast results and maintain motivation throughout the journey.

If you look at the graph above, you'll see that Roberts dropped a ton of weight in the very beginning.

When you see him get down to his lowest weight, the next thing we do is help maintain his weight, or it's to ensure he doesn't bounce back and gain it back.

Final Step - Create The Escape Plan

Finally, you want to have an escape plan. You don't just want to lose weight for the summer and gain it back in two months.

You must have something that allows you to evolve into something more moderate and help keep your results. But I'll also throw in there that you want to use this as a springboard into new goals.

Health transformation comes in three phases:

• Phase 1 - Getting yourself metabolically healthy
• Phase 2 - Optimizing either VO2 max for longevity (lifespan) or increasing muscle mass healthspan)
• Phase 3 - Making sure that your blood work is looking pristine

Your health is like a house. Phase one is building the foundation on which everything stands. Phases two and three are like adding structure to ensure your home looks and feels amazing.

Here's To Your Leanest Summer Body Ever

Whenever we think about any goal, we need a system to attain it.

This is a bird's-eye view of the protocol I would use if I were trying to get myself as lean as possible by summertime.

I would also get expert coaching because that is the quickest way to get you from where you are to the goal you set out for yourself. Accountability and expert advice are massive benefits in the game of getting lean.

So, you have your system and protocol—now, all you need to do is take action.

See you at the pool!

Onward and upward. 🚀

- Dan

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help:

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Disclaimer: This email is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. The information provided should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, and those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician.