1) One of the single, most imperative principles I can share is to eat the right amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fats). By manipulating these foods and staying strict with the guidelines your goals will soon be in range. Diet is so important that without adhering to these principles you will surely never reach your goals.
2) Your body doesn’t ‘see’ foods. It sees amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and fiber and that’s it. Your muscle could care less if it got the amino acids from a chicken breast or a steak so long as it gets them in the proper proportion for maximal anabolism.
3) Eat clean all the time! And schedule your cheat meals.
4) As the main source for building muscle, protein is absolutely necessary for your muscle-building strategy. Take in around 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (this equates to 180-270 grams for a 180 pound individual). This will guarantee that your muscles will be getting the correct dose of amino acids for maintaining and building muscle tissue. Some prime sources are chicken, lean steak, fish, turkey, ground meat, eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and protein powders.
5) A sample of a healthy daily meal plan
Meal 1: 10 – 12 egg whites, w/ ½ cup of oats.
Meal 2: 4-6oz chicken or fish, w/ ½ cup oats, 2 – 4 tspn natural peanut butter.
Meal 3: 4-6oz chicken or fish, w/ 1/2-1 cup of brown rice, 2-4 tspn natural peanut butter.
Meal 4: 2 scoops protein, w/ 1–½ cup of oats (pre-wo).
Meal 5: 4-6oz chicken or fish, w/ 10oz yams (post-wo).
Meal 6: 4-6oz chicken, w/ ½ cup of brown rice, 2-4 tspn natural peanut butter.
6) Never count out a healthy fat. Certain fats are essential regarding maintaining hormones such as testosterone, increasing fat burning and aiding energy levels. Healthy fats will be utilized to replace carbohydrate on certain days to keep blood sugar levels steady and help with satiety. Good sources include avocado, walnuts, almonds, olive oil, natural peanut butter, some egg yolks and sunflower seeds.
7) I try to keep things as simple as I can, but there are definitely some outdated ideas that need to die. If I see one more thread where someone’s cutting edge advice is to simply “eat 500 calories less than you need and you’ll cut up”, I’m going to smash my computer –lol. Your body sees nutrients, not calories, and it’s not always a simple matter of numbers to reach your goal, but understanding the hormonal effects that ingesting different macronutrients at different times will have on your body. If I had to sum up the two key concepts that I worry about in regard to my own nutritional approach, as well as those I coach, it would be nutrient timing, and carb cycling.
8) Whether it’s growth, fat loss, a competition or health, define what your goals are. Set dates and backwards plan to that date. Map out your strategy to get there and refer back to it often. Write it down with all of your reasons to achieve your goal so you can remember why it’s important to you. Keep moving towards that goal. We all have roadblocks, set backs and hardships, you can't let those define you. Let what you do to overcome them define you. I have to say, whenever I have something standing in my way, it makes me fight that much harder to beat the odds, even though the easiest thing to do would be to quit.
9) You are the only one who can reach your goals.... sure support is great... But don't rely on it... It may not always be there. Don't rely on a gym partner they might get sick.... Hold yourself accountable to getting it done; you need to be your own support in the gym and at home with your nutrition. This is your responsibility and no one else's, don’t expect others to conform.
10) I believe nutrition is responsible for 80% of the health and look a person wants to acquire.
11) Your food is your fuel. Always consume excellent quality foods to be at your best, both mentally and physically.
12) Nutrition and Training need to be planned and prepared. When you walk into the gym KNOW what you are doing and execute the plan. Know what you are doing for the week, How many cardio sessions your doing, body parts trained Etc... Knowing ahead what must be done will eliminate procrastination.
Prepare your meals in advance... I cook in bulk and reheat... I make 10 lbs of chicken and 5 lbs of lean ground turkey and store those in containers, I make brown Rice ahead of time... and keep those in separate containers, and the only thing I do not prepare ahead of time is my spinach salad and egg white omelets its sooooo simple and keeps me on track!
13) Forget about training light. Switching to high rep sets and a lighter weight when trying to get shredded is a recipe for disaster. Heavy weight encourages your body to maintain its existing muscle mass. On the other hand, if you stop pushing yourself when trying to shed fat, you send a signal to your body that the extra muscle mass you've built isn't needed any longer.
14) Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow the cardio. It's a fact that few realize, but diet is far more important than cardio when it comes to getting ripped. Dial in your diet first. When you have reached a consistent rate of fat loss, slowly add in cardio. Slowly. Remember that your body is under stress from being in a caloric deficit. Adding in endless hours of cardio right out of the gate could result in the loss of hard-earned muscle mass.
Hot Tip! Break away from the treadmill and try HIIT instead - high intensity interval training.
15) This seems like an obvious tip, but for many it's not. A good percentage of athletes, even hardcore lifters, don't drink enough water. Some studies have indicated that proper water consumption alone could boost your metabolism by as much as 30% (this study involved drinking cold water). It goes without saying that under drinking water while trying to get shredded will slow the process. Stop guessing about how much water you are drinking!
16) This is when your body does magic! Make Sure Your Resting up!! This is not torture... If you feel like it is.... Find a new hobby!!