Londoner Jared Wakeford was stuck in what fitness fanatics call a “perma-bulk.”
It’s a dreaded, seemingly endless phase of loading up on protein to build muscle, but gaining fat instead.
The 31-year-old software developer was shoveling down heaps of bland chicken breast, about 250 grams of protein a day, to no avail.
“For a really long time, I wasn’t in the best shape, and I didn’t know how to do anything about that,” he told Business Insider. “I thought I was far too skinny and needed to put on weight, so I would just eat and eat.”
In early 2025, he ditched the advice from fitness influencers and hired a personal trainer and registered dietitian to help him burn fat and build muscle on his schedule.
In 10 months, he cut his body fat from about 20% to 10%, estimated with a smart scale (not as precise as tools like a DEXA scan, but functional for seeing changes over time). He also started feeling more confident both in and out of the gym, acing a major work presentation after years of anxiety about public speaking
Courtesy of Adam Enaz
“I’m pinching myself being on the other side of it and seeing the pictures,” Wakeford said. “It’s a huge deal for me.”
He said simple tweaks like tracking food and exercise, switching to full-body workouts, and eating more carbs made the biggest difference in hitting his goals.
For Wakeford, he realized “it’s just about consistency and accountability, taking it seriously,” he said.
Full-body workouts to build muscle and burn fat
Previously, Wakeford said he was going to the gym consistently, often for hours, without making progress. He was following a workout split focused on chest, shoulders, and arms, but often skipped leg day since he didn’t think it was important.
Now, he works out out five days a week for about an hour each time, and aims to walk around 10,000 steps throughout the day. Each gym session is full-body, often using a time-saving technique called a superset — pairing two exercises back-to-back without resting.
The new routine prioritizes “getting in and out of the gym as quickly as possible and hitting as much as possible,” Wakeford said.
Full-body exercise can have major benefits if you’re trying to get ripped on a tight schedule, his trainer, Adam Enaz, told Business Insider.
“You have more energy to do each exercise, you’re able to do more volume. That leads to not only more muscle gain but burning more calories,” Enaz said.
Wakeford also often ends his workouts with a high-intensity AMRAP. That’s short for “as many reps (or rounds) as possible” in a given time: for example, burning through three straight minutes of presses or chin-ups.
“It’s a killer but really good for getting a pump in at the end of the workout, feeling like you smashed it and leaving the gym feeling good,” he said.
More carbs instead of bland bro meals
Courtesy of Jared Wakeford
When Wakeford started trying to build muscle, he was eating the same boring meals of chicken breast and broccoli every day. Fitness influencers had convinced him that carbs at mealtimes would sabotage his goals. But he says he felt miserable, struggled with low energy and digestive issues, and wasn’t seeing progress in the gym.
At the same time, he wasn’t tracking everything he ate, and afternoon coffee trips were stacking up to a surprising amount of empty carbs and calories.
“I would just passively have a flat white and a pastry and not think anything of it,” he said.
Working with his trainer, Wakeford took a more balanced approach, eating less protein — about 130 grams per day instead of 250, in line with research that the optimal amount of protein to build muscle is about 0.7 grams per pound of body weight daily.
That left him with more room for healthy carb sources to boost his energy, like fruit for breakfast with his Greek yogurt, rice with stir-fried veggies and chicken at lunch, and ramen or pasta for dinner.
Carbs from whole foods — not refined sugars — provide more nutrients and consistent energy, and also help with feeling full for longer, thanks to gut-healthy fiber.
Wakeford still treats himself to pastries, but less often, and appreciates them more when he does.
He said having a flexible diet lets him indulge on occasion so he can go out with friends or enjoy holidays (like his recent trip to Japan) without worry.
“Before I felt like I had to be almost torturing myself and that’s just not the case,” he said. “What’s really worked for me is I don’t feel like I’m beating myself up, it’s just balanced and it works.”
