ABFITT

Rich/Fit Fit/Tip.....Learn to How to Control your Eating To Achieve Your Fitness Goals...

2012-01-28T08:24:00.002-05:00

One of the single, most imperative principles to reach your weight management/muscle building goals 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. Your nutrition is so important that without adhering to these principles you will surely never reach your physique goals. Summer will soon be here, so lets get started.

Protein: 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.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrate is a great muscle-sparing energy source. This particular macronutrient will be drastically manipulated as the diet plan goes along and will play a major roll in its success so be extremely mindful of your intake on a daily basis. Be sure to have an intake mainly of complex carbohydrates and fiber. Sources include brown rice, wild rice, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, wheat pasta, vegetables, some fruits and Ezekiel products.

Fats: 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.

Light the Furnace!

Now let’s look at how we can implement these macronutrients and manipulate them in such a way as to build more strength and mass while torching our fat stores. Protein levels will stay somewhat the same throughout the plan. You need that steady stream of amino acids to feed to the muscles for recuperation and repair to take place. Try out one gram per pound of bodyweight and assess your progress. If you find yourself stalling, try to up it to 1.25 or 1.5 grams per pound and then reassess. That is about as high as you will want to go with protein – the rest is up to carbohydrate and fat manipulation. Give each change in protein amount about four weeks before reassessing.

Here is the tricky part.

Now you will start to manipulate carbohydrate in such a way as to trick the body into delving into its fat stores for fuel. You will have high, medium and low consumption days.

You will eat low carbs for two to four days followed by medium and high days. On the low days your body will burn fat for fuel and save muscle so as long as your protein intake is high enough. Before you starve your body of energy after so many days of low carbs (which if prolonged could lead to lower testosterone levels and metabolism) you will have a day of moderate carbs and another day of high carbs. This will shuttle in fuel to the muscle, rev back up your metabolism and be burned without storing body fat. Carbohydrate intake will be approximately .5 grams per pound of bodyweight for low days (90 grams for a 180 pounder), 1.5 grams per pound on medium days (270 grams) and 2.25 grams per pound on high days (405 grams).

Fat intake should hover around .25 grams per pound of bodyweight or 20-30% of total calories. However, on low carbohydrate days it would be wise to increase your healthy fat intake slightly.

This will ensure your hormone levels will stay steady and will supply you with ample energy for your grueling workouts.

On the low carb days simply increase your fat intake by 50%. Remember that one gram of fat has over twice the amount of calories of carbs, so a little goes a long way. For example, if you had half of an avocado on a salad, now on low carb days you will eat ¾ of an avocado.
The Muscle-Building Fat-Torching Sample Diet
Low Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1.5 ounces of almonds

Meal 3
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Green salad with 3 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (preworkout)
½ of an apple or banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ½ avocado
Medium Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1 ounce of almonds
1 apple

Meal 3

6-8 ounces of turkey with two slices of wheat bread and 1 tablespoon of light mayonase
Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (preworkout)
1 banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
12 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
1 cup of wild rice cooked
High Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
1 ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
½ tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1 ounce of almonds
1 apple

Meal 3
6-8 ounces of fish
Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing
1 ½ cup of wild rice cooked

Meal 4 (preworkout)
1 banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
12 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
1 medium sweet potato

BB-

Chest Impress....

2012-01-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Try this chest workout for a balanced pectoral region.

4 sets DB flat bench press 10-12 reps superset with light barbell bench press to failure

4 sets DB Incline press 10-12 reps superset with DB incline flys( to failure)

4 drop sets of cable flys 12, 10, 8, 6(reps of 4 sets)

4 sets Body weight dips to failure superset with pushups(failure)

BCAAs could help you reach your goals

2012-01-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

If you doubted whether BCAAs could help you reach your goals, here are five reasons you should place an order today.

#1 Get Hormonal

Of all the ways we give you each month to get big, boosting the levels of hormones in your body that lead to muscle growth while minimizing those that chew it up might seem overly complicated. After all, it’s hard to measure such things on your own. Fortunately, Sharp and Ball State University (Muncie, Indiana) researchers did the beaker work for you in a recent study. “We found that when combined with resistance training, BCAA supplementation increased testosterone and reduced Cortisol to create a favorable anabolic environment,” he says.

“We also know from previous studies that leucine stimulates insulin release, which further increases the capacity for growth.”

#2 Muscle Energy

Getting ripped involves a tightrope act between losing fat and maintaining muscle. Complicating matters is the calorie-restricted diet that a shredded physique requires. This forced starvation means you’re often in an energy deficit, which can induce an alarming amount of muscle shrinkage because catabolic enzymes will break down muscle protein just to get to the BCAAs. This self-destructive effect is like tearing down an entire building to get to a few specific bricks.

By supplying a healthy dose of BCAAs to your muscles when you cut calories, however, you have a better chance of stopping the wrecking ball before it gets warmed up. “If there’s an energy shortage, supplemental BCAAs rapidly fill the void and help you avoid the impact of reduced muscle growth,” Sharp says.

#3 Burn Fat, Grow Muscle

The benefits to your get-ripped phase don’t stop at preserving muscle. Branched-chain aminos have also been associated with the simultaneous reduction of fat and growth of muscle in a phenomenon known as nutrient partitioning, which may be the most promising of all the recent findings on BCAAs. In this scenario, BCAAs are a nutritional Robin Hood stealing energy from rich fat cells and giving it to undernourished muscle tissue.

In rodent research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, researchers attributed nutrient partitioning to the leucine content of the diet.

#4 Pain Killers

You’ve no doubt experienced soreness after training that grew worse as the days progressed. Known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), this pain is the result of inflammation. Although you can’t avoid it completely, it can be reduced. “Along with the changes in hormones, we found that BCAAs decreased the muscle damage induced by high-intensity training,” Sharp says. “This could help explain the decrease in soreness observed in some studies, which is critical for keeping people in the gym.”

If stimulating growth is the sword, then preventing its breakdown or catabolism is the shield of BCAA supplementation. Even though DOMS can’t be completely abolished, decreasing its impact is just one more reason to keep these supps in your gym bag.

#5 Recovery

Let’s point out the obvious: The faster you recover from a workout, the more quickly you can get back in the gym. Sharp says he recommends BCAAs to his athletes before and after training because they enhance the repair and growth of muscle. “This applies to everyone, regardless of whether your goal is size, power or endurance,” he says.

Think of it this way: “With optimal recovery, you can train with more volume and intensity, which equates to greater adaptations,” he adds. In short, that means more muscle growth.

Good To Know

Whey protein has the highest level of BCAAs compared to all other available types of protein powder.
How To Use Them

Fortunately, BCAAs are one of the less-expensive supplements on the market. Take 5-10 grams with breakfast; immediately before, during and immediately after training; and before bed.

The Leucine Conundrum

All superstars have a supporting cast, even when all the heavy lifting seems to come from one source. Case in point: Research increasingly points to leucine as the key driver behind the muscle-building effect of BCAAs. But don’t be tempted to discard isoleucine and valine; it’s not that simple. Although they may not be as potent, isoleucine and valine do play a vital role as building blocks. In fact, the hypertrophy induced by leucine drops to zero as soon as its two brothers are in short supply.

In other words, no matter how much leucine you throw at your muscles, growth won’t occur if the other two BCAAs fall below a certain level.

My theory on weight management is not based on that scale number you are staring at, it's your overall body composition. Achieving a tone and lean body consists of proper nutrition and hard work in the gym.

2012-01-17T20:25:00.001-05:00

Proper nutrition is critical to achieve desired changes to your physique. Food is fuel and is necessary to provide optimal energy throughout the day and night. Resistance training is a catalyst for muscle growth. Foods are the building blocks of your physique. They determine how you look, feel, and perform on a daily basis. Both resistance training and food are equally important as utilizing only one will not produced the desired results alone.

Understanding the macronutrient components of food is a key factor. Macronutrients consist of fat, carbohydrates, and protein. In simple form, each of these macronutrients serve a purpose independent from each other. The amount of each macronutrient, meal timing, and synergistic affects of each are imperative to making changes and achieving your desired fitness goals.

Determining the amount of nutrients required for each person is based upon their body type (ectomorph, mesomorph or endomorph) and tolerance for specific foods. Since each person’s body is different from another, there is no single nutrition plan that will work for the masses. The one common factor in all individuals is maintaining a consistent nutrition program.

Macronutrients

Protein

Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of muscle tissue. As we resistance train we tear down our muscle fibers which need to be repaired. Consuming the proper amount of protein plays a vital role in the repair of this damaged muscle tissue. Protein is the one macronutrient that should be consumed at each meal. Total daily protein consumption can range from 1-2 grams per pound of body weight but the exact amount is dependent upon body size, muscular composition, and goals.

Example sources of protein include: egg whites, lean meats, protein powders and white fish.
Essential Fat

Essential fats should not be overlooked. Fat is a fuel source for the body and is necessary for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and proper hormone production. Consuming proper amounts of essential fats will help aide in burning additional body fat.

Example sources of essential fats include: oils, nuts, nut butter, fish and avocadoes.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for resistance training. Too often people eliminate carbohydrates or highly restrict them from their diet due to recent hype in the media and fad diets. Instead, it is important to find the proper portion of carbohydrates for your body as well as proper timing to consume carbohydrates in order to best utilize the energy they provide. Finding the perfect amount of carbohydrates can be somewhat difficult as there are many factors that come into play when finding the right amount. First you must consider your body type (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph), you must also consider meal timing and learn how to read your bodies reaction to carbohydrates. Some individuals are carb sensitive while others can consume mass amounts of carbohydrates; other people react well to certain carbohydrate sources and not well with others.

Example sources of carbohydrate include: rolled oats, sweet potatoes and brown rice.

Macronutrient Timing

In order to stabilize blood sugar and retain a high metabolism it is important to eat 5-7 small meals throughout the day. The first meal should be eaten within an hour upon waking then every 2-3 hours following.

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and should be consumed within an hour of waking. Throughout the night your body has gone into a catabolic state therefore it needs a proper wake up to start your metabolism for the day. Eating a well balanced breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day! Skipping breakfast leads to unstable blood sugar levels, which in turn causes fat storage and over consumption of food the remainder of the day.

Following breakfast each meal should coincide with your activity level. Pre and post workout meals are highly important. Pre workout meals should consist of a slow digesting carbohydrate paired with a high quality lean protein source. This should be consumed approximately 2 hours prior to your workout in order to allow time for digestion and to fuel your workout. After a resistance training session your muscles have been broken down and need to recover. A proper post workout meal should be consumed within 30 minutes of resistance training and consist of a quality complex carbohydrate paired with a lean protein source. The combination will enable maximum protein synthesis to allow your muscles to rebuild, repair and recover.

Another important meal of the day that is highly overlooked is a pre bedtime meal. While at rest your body is still burning calories and needs a slow digesting protein source to allow steady supply of amino acids throughout the night. I recommend consuming a slow digesting protein source along with essential fatty acids approximately 1 hour before bedtime to assist in muscle growth and recovery.

My theory on weight management is not based on the scale number, it is overall body composition. Achieving a tone and lean body consists of proper nutrition and hard work in the gym. It requires several small meals throughout the day, the first meal within an hour of waking, every three hours there after and a meal approximately an hour before bed that consists of protein and fat. All other meals should be well balanced consisting of a lean protein, healthy fat and carbohydrate.

Some tips to get on track:

Calculate your daily caloric need
Learn how to read nutritional labels and portion sizes
Prepare meals ahead of time to avoid snacking
Learn how to make your favorite meals healthy
Keep your body hydrated with sufficient amounts of water
Keep a food journal
Track your results from week to week to see your progress

Add in a workout regimen that fits in with your work schedule and lifestyle.

Join a fitness class at your local gym
Switch up your workouts every month to avoid monotony
Upload music to your ipod that gets you motivated
Research new workouts and push yourself everyday in the gym
Make each workout count

Lean Muscle-Building Fat-Torching SAMPLE Diet

2012-01-17T14:46:00.002-05:00

Low Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1.5 ounces of almonds

Meal 3
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Green salad with 3 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (preworkout)
½ of an apple or banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ½ avocado

Medium Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
1 cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1 ounce of almonds
1 apple

Meal 3
6-8 ounces of turkey with two slices of wheat bread and 1 tablespoon of light mayonase
Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing

Meal 4 (preworkout)
1 banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
12 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
1 cup of wild rice cooked

High Carbohydrate Days

Meal 1
3 eggs and 4 egg whites
1 ½ cup oatmeal (dry measure)
Cinnamon for taste
½ tablespoon of natural peanut butter

Meal 2
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water or 1 cup Greek yogurt
1 ounce of almonds
1 apple

Meal 3
6-8 ounces of fish
Green salad with 2 tablespoons of olive oil dressing
1 ½ cup of wild rice cooked

Meal 4 (preworkout)
1 banana
1 scoop of whey protein powder mixed in water

Meal 5 (postworkout)
2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed in water
12 ounces of Gatorade

Meal 6
6-8 ounces of meat, fish or chicken
Broccoli, green beans or peas or green salad with ¼ avocado
1 medium sweet potato

Here are seven helpful tips to gain muscle while minimizing fat gain

2012-01-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

Rich/Fit Fit Tips

1. Eat starches, grains and fruit ONLY when you need them: breakfast after a night’s fast, before your workouts and in the hour after your workout. At other times eat veggies as your source of carbs.

2. Make sure you train hard and keep a workout tracker/diary. This way you know if you are just going to the gym doing the same old or you are actually pushing harder each time. Your goal should be to outperform yourself every time.

3. Stay consistent. Don’t try to find a perfect diet that you start out on after another binge of junk food. When you over eat crap and don't exercise you get fat, simply put. It also wreaks havoc on your blood sugar which is NOT good for your muscle growth.

4. Eat real food, real food has a higher metabolic value than engineered foods. Compliment your eating plan with protein shakes. Protein bars are not good snacks. They have energy but not many real nutrients. It’s actually better IMO to eat a hamburger than a protein bar. In case of the hamburger it’s real food. Something that can be on the shelves for years cannot be good for you, exception POWDERS (protein powder). Just don't rely on these, remember they are just a supplement.

5. Eat moderate amounts of nuts and oils. Yes they are “healthy” but they don’t really fuel your workouts. They are good for hormonal health, joints etc, but don’t eat a fat and protein diet and believe it’s gonna make you train like an animal and get lean & muscular.

6. Think about your digestive system. You need alkaline foods like veggies daily in order to keep your body healthy. When you build muscle you need a lot of protein, but protein makes your body acidic. You can fix that bad state by eating tons of greens.You want carbs, get them from veggies. Remember the bloat you may get is simply temporary.

7. Consistency. Stop being impatient. Impatient people don’t get results. Why? they just don't last long enough to reap results. You need patience and planning, look truth is all your fitness goals can be accomplished with keeping these principles in mind: eat lots of good foods;when you train with weights, train heavy (heavy being relative to your body); consistently be consistent; mix up your exercises- cardio/workout schedule every three weeks to keep your body guessing and challenged; supplement with simple yet proven products such as whey protein, creatine, glutamine, BCAA, and a good multivitamin.

In closing, STAY OFF THE SCALE, use the mirror- it doesn't lie, and enjoy the journey. Enjoy the challenge, and have fun while achieving your goal. It'll make the process both educating and rewarding.

What you put into your body determines just how healthy you are.

2012-01-08T08:14:00.001-05:00

The most important information when it comes to eating and living healthy is to always remember that “you are what you eat”. If you make unhealthy eating selections you can be sure that you are not living a healthy lifestyle. If you eat foods that contain more than one ingredient you are not eating healthy and are not making smart decisions about your diet.

You want to avoid foods that contain a large number of ingredients and avoid foods that are high in additives. Another thing to keep yourself on track when you are shopping is to remember to look at the expiration date of the item you are considering for purchase. If the item you have selected has a long expiration date, it is not a healthy choice for you to make. The higher the expiration date is, the less healthy it is for you! You need to always be aware of the ingredients, the additives, and the expiration date of the items of food you are purchasing. If you do all of these things and pay attention you will most certainly make healthier food selections and you will, most importantly, live a healthier lifestyle!

Rich / Fit Supplement Tip....CLA

2012-01-03T13:51:00.001-05:00

CLA: Conjugated Linoleic Acid

- What it is

Conjugated linoleic acid is a collective term used to describe one or more positional and geometric forms of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid. Linoleic acid may help your body increase muscle and decrease fat deposits.

- Natural Sources

CLA is naturally present in cow’s milk and beef and other ruminant meats. Milkfat, in particular, is the richest natural dietary source of CLA in the cis-9, trans-11 (c9, t11) configuration. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is found in cold-pressed oils such as flaxseed, hempseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, and olive oil. Other foods contain this omega-6 acid as well, such as dairy, beef, and chicken.

- How it works

Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an enzyme that breaks down fat you eat and stores it in your body. CLA hinders LPL, so your body stores less fat. CLA also helps destroy fat cells before your body stores them, and it helps turn fat into energy.

- How to consume

Many people take up to six capsules a day to get the recommended 1000 mg.

- Different kinds

N/A

- Which ingredients should one combine with for better results

Due to it’s fat burning properties, CLA may stack well with other fat-burning supplements such as L-Carnitine, and EFA’s.

- Positive Effects

CLA has been studied for various effects on health including: effects on the immune

system, cancer prevention, blood lipid and glucose levels, and body composition

weight loss.

- Negative or side-effects

It is natural, and the only side effect is an upset stomach for some people. Taking your CLA with food helps this.

Rich Fit / Fit Tip, 10 fat-burning foods

2012-01-02T19:35:00.000-05:00

80 percent of obtaining your fitness goals comes from your diet, so pay close attention to what you put into your body. We've all heard the saying, "You are what you eat." Eat these awesome fat-burning foods and become a fat-burner yourself!

One of the best ways to begin reaching your goals is to learn which foods do good things to your body. These 10 fat-burning foods should be included in the diet plan that will help make 2012 your best year.

1 Oatmeal

Aside from being easy to cook, oatmeal is a great fat burner because it is rich in insoluble and soluble fiber. Read the label on those pre-measured packets though, most of them have lots of sugar.
Oatmeal Macros
1 cup (cooked):

Calories: 111
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 19g
Protein: 5g

2 Chicken Breast

Nope, it's not your momma's fried chicken, although I'm sure that was delicious. I'm talking about lean chicken breast without skin or bone. It's one of the best fat-burning foods you can eat.
Chicken Breast Macros
In 1 breast (3 oz):

Calories: 142
Fat: 3.1g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 26.7g

3 Egg Whites

Egg whites are low in calories and high in protein. This equation equals energy for fat burning and building muscles.
Egg Whites Macros
In 3 egg whites:

Calories: 34
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 7g

4 Brown Rice

Packed with fiber and essential nutrients, brown rice slowly absorbs in the bloodstream. You can't go wrong with this fat-burning carbohydrate.
Brown Rice Macros
In 1/2 cup:

Calories: 109
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 23g
Protein: 2g

5 Fish Oils

Omega 3 and Omega 6 fish oils have some incredible qualities. They increase your thermogenesis, making you burn more calories; they have an anti-catabolic effect, which prevents muscle breakdown; and they are anti-lipogenics, which means they reduce fat-storage. What more reason do you need to include them in your diet plan?
Fish Oil Macros
In 1 tablespoon:

Calories: 113
Fat: 12g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 0g

6 Asparagus

Asparagus contains the plant chemical asparagine, an alkaloid that directly affects cells and breaks down fat. It also contains a chemical that helps remove waste from the body, which in turn helps reduce fat.
Asparagus Macros
In 4 spears (cooked):

Calories: 13
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 1g

7 Almonds

Loaded with Omega-3 fats, Almonds have been proven to increase fat-burning properties in the human body.
Asparagus Macros
In 4 spears (cooked):

Calories: 216
Fat: 19g
Carbs: 8g
Protein: 8g

8 Garlic

One of the best components of garlic, besides its flavor, is Allicin. Allicin is a compound that helps flush fat from the body. Garlic has also been known to help maintain healthy blood-pressure levels.
Garlic Macros
In 1 clove:

Calories: 4
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 0g
Protein: 0g

9 Tomatoes

Tomatoes are soldiers in the war to stay healthy! Not only are they great oxidizers and metabolizers of body-fat, but they might also help lower blood pressure and fight certain types of cancers.
Tomato Macros
In 1 tomato:

Calories: 15
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 3g
Protein: 0g

10 Apples

Apples are a great fat-burning fruit, in part because they are high in fiber. Moreover, the pectin in apples restricts fat absorption and encourages water absorption in your body's cells. Other great fat-burning fruits are oranges, peaches, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits.
Apple Macros
In 1 apple:

Calories: 91
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 24g
Protein: 0g

OO-

PROTEIN & SUPPLEMENT STRATEGIES FOR OPTIMUM TRAINING RESULTS

2011-12-30T20:24:00.002-05:00

This formula incorporates all the latest sports supplement research, and we reveal the reasons behind these recommendations. However, if you’re the type who hedges bets, you may be more inclined to take in only one protein shake before or after your workout. Doing so will give you a big advantage over those who forgo their workout nutrition altogether, but may provide slightly less growth than our comprehensive formulation. We recommend that you go for the full monty.

Whether you want to take a protein supplement before or after your workouts, or at both times, AbFitt gives you the perfect formula for your schedule and needs. You’ll find that your time in the gym will be better spent.

THE PERFECT WORKOUT PRESCRIPTION
To get the best results possible from your nutrition plan, you need to take in a protein shake both before and after your workout.

PREWORKOUT
Take in a preworkout meal with the following ingredients in the 30 minutes before you train. Consume all the carbs and drink about half to two-thirds of this protein shake before a workout.

40 g whey protein
40 g slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal, fruit, whole-wheat bread or sweet potatoes
3–5 g of creatine
3–5 g arginine
5 g BCAAs
5 g glutamine
Mix with about 20–30 oz water.

DURING WORKOUT
Add 20-30 ounces of water to the remains of your protein shake, and continue to sip it between sets. Finish this drink about two-thirds of the way through your workout.

AFTER WORKOUT

Drink a protein shake with the following ingredients immediately following your workout.

40 g protein
60–80 g fast-digesting carbs (sugar)
3–5 g creatine
5 g BCAAs
5 g glutamine

SINGLE-SHAKE SUCCESS
You may not always have the time or willingness to drink protein shakes before, during and after your workouts. While you will see optimal results from doing so, you can still get impressive results from drinking one shake before or after your workout. Here are the formulas for the best preworkout and post-workout shakes when you don’t plan to drink both.

PREWORKOUT SHAKE
Take in a preworkout meal with the following ingredients in the 30 minutes before you begin your workout.

50–60 g protein
80 g slow-digesting carbs, such as oatmeal, fruit, whole-wheat bread or sweet potatoes
5 g creatine
5 g arginine
10 g BCAAs
10 g glutamine

POST-WORKOUT
If you skipped your preworkout shake, then follow these guidelines for your post-workout shake:

50–60 g protein
80 g fast-digesting carbs (sugar)
5 g creatine
10 g BCAAs
10 g glutamine

What's Shakin'?
Here’s the scoop behind what’s in your scoop of protein powder.

WHEY Whey protein (about 20% of the protein in milk) is the fastest-digesting protein, making it an excellent pre- and post-workout choice. Its amino acids hit your bloodstream quickly, helping to stop muscle breakdown during workouts and jump-start the muscle-building process that comes with recovery. Whey also has a high concentration of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) — leucine, isoleucine and valine. These aminos, especially leucine, help to stimulate physiological processes that result in muscle growth. BCAAs also spike insulin levels, and insulin is an anabolic hormone that drives amino acids and glucose to your muscles to stimulate growth and recovery.

CASEIN Casein makes up the remaining fraction of milk protein (about 80%). Casein, however, is slow-digesting, meaning that it provides a slower, steadier release of amino acids. Recent research shows that casein increases muscle protein synthesis after workouts and may be as good as, or even a better than, whey. For best results, choose a protein product that contains both whey and casein.

SLOW-DIGESTING CARBS These carbs include yams, brown rice, oatmeal, fruit and whole-grain products such as whole-grain breads and pasta. These foods are digested slowly, meaning that the carbs they contain are released into the bloodstream as glucose at a slow rate. The advantage of this is that insulin levels are kept low, helping you to maintain energy levels for a longer period of time and reduce the likelihood of storing these carbs as body fat. Slow-digesting carbs are a good choice before workouts to enhance energy and promote fat burning.

FAST-DIGESTING CARBS These carbs include sugar, sports drinks, white-flour products such as plain bagels and white bread, and white potatoes. Fast-digesting carbs enter your bloodstream quickly as glucose, spiking insulin levels. While this is an undesirable effect at most times of day, it’s important to consume fast-digesting carbs after workouts because the insulin that is released in response to them helps drive muscle growth and recovery.

GLUTAMINE This is one of the most important amino acids for supporting health, muscle growth and recovery. The digestive system has a high demand for glutamine, and if you don’t have enough available, your body will break down muscle mass to get it. Supplementing with this amino helps spare the glutamine in your muscles. Glutamine also buffers the effects of intense exercise that tear down muscles, and it boosts growth-hormone levels to support muscle growth.

BCAAs These amino acids are critical for the manufacture, maintenance and repair of muscle tissue. Research on leucine, one of the three BCAAs, demonstrates that it stimulates protein synthesis, enhancing muscle growth. The BCAAs also help boost insulin release. After your workouts, this anabolic hormone stimulates muscle growth and drives nutrients, including amino acids, glucose and creatine to your muscle cells. BCAAs also help blunt cortisol levels, the catabolic hormone that leads to muscle breakdown. While you’ll get BCAAs in your protein (especially whey), it’s a good idea to add more to shakes for the specific advantages that BCAAs provide.

CREATINE Creatine is made from three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine. Supplementing with creatine before your workouts helps to keep your muscles saturated with creatine, producing the rapid energy your muscles need to enhance workouts. Creatine also helps to make your muscles stronger by pulling more water into muscle cells. For best results, take a dose of creatine before and after you work out to help keep creatine levels high and to replenish them after training.

ARGININE This amino acid is readily converted to nitric oxide (NO) in your body. NO is involved in numerous bodily functions that support muscle growth. The most important of these is vasodilation. Arginine supplementation helps to increase the diameter of blood vessels, resulting in an increase in blood flow to your muscles. This allows for a greater delivery of nutrients, oxygen and anabolic hormones to the muscle you’re working. It also creates a bigger pump during the workout. Finally, arginine also boosts growth-hormone levels. All of these effects are critical for muscle growth.

A Bigger, Better, Leaner, Stronger you in 2012

2011-12-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

There are many great vitamins and supplements but it is important to understand first that there are NO MAGIC PILLS. There is not a pill or a drink that will make you bigger, leaner, stronger, etc., without good nutrition and a healthy dose of exercise. This is fact, so please eat good foods daily!

Don't misunderstand supplements do have their place, but not when it comes to quick fixes. Supplements in addition to a healthy diet and exercise program will go along way to helping you reach your fitness goals.

PROTEIN POWDERS- These are critical in my diet plan for 3 reasons. They are convenient, they are inexpensive and they help me grow and maintain lean muscle. It can be confusing though! Do you buy whey, soy, casein, egg, or a blend of protein? They each have their benefits and I include all of them in my diet.
Whey- is one of the highest bio-available forms of protein. It is a fast absorbing protein that makes it ideal for pre and post workout, as well as anytime during the day. Another huge benefit of whey is that it comes in many flavors.

Casein- is a slow digesting protein. You can take it anytime, but the slow breakdown of the protein makes it a perfect choice for a before bedtime meal to aid in recovery and muscle development while you sleep. I do not recommend Casein if you are lactose intolerant, and I do not recommend taking extra protein before bed unless you are doing lots of high-intensity strength training.

Multi vitamin- A good multi vitamin is like an insurance plan. I advise getting most of your nutrition through proper nutrition, but a vitamin supplement can be good insurance. If your body does not use the vitamins, the excess will merely be excreted. Vitamins do not need to be expensive. A good multi-vitamin will be good insurance if you are eating well. J

Caffeine- YES, caffeine has a place in my diet. I love it. It speeds up my metabolism and it keeps me energized and allows me to push harder during my workouts. . Green tea or coffee can be ideal for most mornings, but I like something that gives me a bit more focus pre-workout. I am a fan of powders and stay away from pills. regardless make sure you read the label. If I don’t know what the ingredients are, I will do research and find out. This is not a place to mess with your health. Research ingredients. Listen to your body and recognize that jitters, racing heartbeat, and dizziness are not healthy ways to feel, and surely won’t benefit your workout.

Green Tea Extract- There are many benefits to green tea. Green tea has been shown to slow down the effects of aging and even cancer growth. It is not a magic potion by any means but the health benefits have been thoroughly researched are a large reason I take the extract and drink a lot of green tea.

GLUTAMINE and Amino Acids- I take these AFTER my workouts for muscle recovery and I DO NOT recommend these supplements UNLESS you are working out intensely.

So what are the key nutrients to build your best body ever? How much do you need and when is the best time to take them?

2011-12-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

Supplements are very effective for promoting muscle gains. The most critical would be:

Whey Protein- Since it is so fast-digesting it aids muscle growth around workouts.
Multivitamin- To help cover all your micronutrient bases.

Creatine- Which is fairly cheap and very effective.

Branched-Chain Amino Acids- They may help promote muscle growth.

Q: What is the proper intake of proteins per meal? Is it true that the body can absorb 30 grams per meal? Is there such a thing as too much protein? I see some people eating 80g of protein per meal.

A: You should shoot for about 30-40g of protein per meal. How much protein a body can absorb depends on the individual and what they have eaten prior to that meal.

Q: I've heard a lot about carb cycling - what is it? Why should I do it? What is an example of carb-cycling?

A: Carb cycling refers to alternating periods of low- and high-carb intake, maximizing both fat loss and muscle growth. For fat loss, your default diet would be somewhat under 1g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. You would cycle in a high-carb day (greater than 2g per pound) every five to seven days.

Since carb-restricted diets can lower your metabolic rate by decreasing leptin levels, the high-carb day helps to reset your leptin levels and keep your metabolic rate up.

To add size, your default diet would be 2-3g per pound. You can go lower, either to about 1g per pound on non-training days, or you can have two low-carb days after every three or four high-carb days to minimize fat gain.

Q: Do you have any tips for getting rid of that last inch around the belly? HIIT cardio and weightlifting have left me with just a little bit more to lose.

A: That last inch is the toughest. The only way to get rid of it is to burn even more calories than you consume. So to consume even fewer calories, consider dropping some extra carbs from your diet, such as at your pre-workout meal and/or lunch.

To burn more calories, consider turning up your high-intensity interval training by going for a few more intervals each time.

Q: I do cardio right after weights. Should I have my postworkout shake and carbs before cardio or after? If I wait until after cardio, will I miss my postworkout window to stimulate muscle growth?

You should wait until immediately after the cardio is over to consume your protein and fast carbs. This is especially true for the carbs, which would blunt fat burning during the cardio workout. Don't be worried about missing your post-workout window . . . as long as you prepared properly with a pre-workout protein shake.

The pre-workout protein shake provides energy during the workout and also serves as a post-workout protein source to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

Q: If I'm taking creatine, do I need to do the loading phase first? What is a typical loading phase?

A: You only need a loading phase if you want to see immediate results. A good loading phase should last five to seven days. Take 5g of creatine four or five times per day. Definitely take creatine with protein and carbs, and on workout days make one of those doses with your pre-workout shake and carbs, and another one immediately post-workout with your shake and carbs.

Q: I take 40-45g of protein and 5g of creatine in my post-workout shake. What is the best source of carbs to take at that time: a supplement powder I could combine with my shake or a food source?

A: Post-workout, it doesn't matter, as long as they are fast-digesting or high-glycemic carbs. For supplements, nothing beats Vitargo in my opinion, a powdered complex carb supplement that actually digests about twice as fast as most sugars.

Another option is simply dextrose powder. For foods, fat-free sugary candies are best. One company that stands out is Wonka. Many of their candies, such as Pixy Stix, Sweet Tarts and Bottle Caps are made with either dextrose or maltodextrin, which are both basically pure glucose and will spike insulin and drive amino acids, carbs and creatine into your muscles, and turn on muscle protein synthesis to stimulate growth.

Slow-digesting carbs, such as most fruit, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, etc., are not the best choice, as they keep insulin levels low and steady.

You Are A Fat Burning Machine!

2011-12-11T17:45:00.001-05:00

Many different forms of cardio can help you get lean and ripped. Unfortunately, many people don't like doing cardio because it can be boring and monotonous. Cardio doldrums violate the first rule of fitness: The best workout is the one that makes you come back for another workout.

That's why it's so important to implement fast, effective and fun cardio. So instead of giving you one pick, I offer two: jumping rope and sprinting. Each can turn you into a fat-burning pyromaniac.

Let's start with jumping rope, which has to be one of best fat-burning cardio workouts in existence. Not only does it work your lungs, but it also tones your legs and lower body. Your brain will feel better. Jumping rope can produce a major endorphin buzz.

The benefits don't end there, because jumping rope is...

Convenient: You can pack your jump rope in your suitcase or backpack and take it anywhere in the world.
Efficient: Jumping rope can burn up to 1,000 calories per hour, making it one of the best aerobic athletic workouts around.
Inexpensive: A jump rope shouldn't cost you more than $10 at a local sporting goods store.

My second choice, sprinting, is even cheaper. I incorporate sprinting into my weekly training routine. Why? It increases my metabolic rate for days, keeping my metabolism firing on all cylinders throughout the week.

Not only is sprinting great for fat loss, but it can sculpt your legs tremendously. When you sprint, your accelerators are your quadriceps and your decelerators are your hamstrings. For that reason, sprinting is arguably the best legs exercise you can apply without touching a single weight in the gym.

Sprinting and the resulting metabolic bursts also better retain lean muscle mass than longer, slower cardio sessions. The latter can actually be catabolic. Notice how scrawny most marathon runners appear, versus lean and muscular sprinters.

A good sprinting workout doesn't end with lungs and legs. Sprinting also taxes abdominals and the

contract? Imagine sprinting for a 100 meters ... your abs work like crazy lifting your legs off the ground while accelerating. I argue that a solid sprinting routine can serve as a stand-alone ab routine. If you think that's bunk, just look at my abs. Pow!

science hase my back on this one. Many studies have shown that sprinting is more effective for fat loss than low-intensity cardio. Australian researchers had 15 females perform 45-minute cardio sessions and compared their results with 15 females doing high-intensity intervals. The HIIT cyclists lost six times more body fat in just 15 weeks! That's crazy!

Bear in mind, you can do high-intensity intervals by sprinting or jumping rope. Add these dynamic workouts to your routine a couple times per week. Assuming your diet is tight, the fat will head for the hills even faster than you sprint up them.

Building Muscle And Muscle Recovery

2011-12-05T21:29:00.000-05:00

For many athletes, especially fighters, building muscle and muscle recovery is a crucial component in preparing for a fight. Appropriate recovery not only leads to more productive workouts, but also ensures a much smoother road in the weeks of training before a big fight.

Most athletes understand the importance of protein, but when it comes to knowing what particular variety to choose, the recommended dosage or why it is even needed in the first place, that’s where the waters get murky for some.

Protein is often referred to as the “building blocks of our bodies.” It is an integral part of growth, development and the repair of tissue in the body. Contrary to popular belief, protein is not just for your muscles. It helps athletes by boosting the nervous system, keeps hormones levels properly balanced and assists in fighting disease by enriching the immune system. Protein is made up of chains of amino acids and studies have shown that these amino acids are broken down for energy while exercising your muscles. When your glycogen stores start to dwindle during intense training, your body will break down fat and a little muscle. This is why rebuilding is so crucial during post recovery.

Some of these amino acids cannot be created by the body so it is important to obtain them from high quality sources elsewhere. Beef, chicken, and fish are all high in protein and will help provide your body with what it needs to rebuild. Looking for varieties that are organic or free range will also greatly improve protein absorption by reducing the toxic load on your body. Other great options are bison/buffalo, elk and emu. Although not as common or readily available, these types of meats are very high in protein and low in fat. For the average person, consumption of protein can be obtained through eating the right kind of diet and taking-in the right types of food. Because of the unique demands of the sport, boxers require more protein than what they can easily consume through whole foods.

Protein shakes and meal replacements can also be a good substitute, but is a broader topic that will be discussed more in depth in a later article.

While sedentary people only require about 0.8 grams (per kilogram of body weight) of protein each day, athletes are a different story. Duration and intensity are two factors that help determine the amount of protein needed for fighters who train at higher levels of intensity. If you train hard, you’re absolutely going to need more protein than the average person. For people who regularly engage in high intense aerobic sports, like boxing, 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is necessary. (To find your weight in kilograms, take your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.2.) The total goal is to get your protein intake to about 12 to 20 percent of your total caloric intake. It is not even uncommon for some athletes in heavy training to need as much as 25 to 50 percent more than the RDA in order to maintain peak performance and best health practices, based on their individual physical demand.

Throwing out all these numbers can get a little confusing, but don’t stress. Simply use this as a model, a rough guide to help you better understand your basic protein needs. Nobody has the same biochemistry. We are all very unique individuals with different needs and will have a variety of physical responses to supplementation. As long as you use this as a base, you will likely see or feel noticeable gains. You can always add or take away depending on how you feel and how your body responds. In some instances, fighters (and athletes of any sport) seem somewhat nonchalant about what they eat on a daily basis. But those are typically the athletes who are more prone to injuries, fatigue, and poor recovery. By being a bit more attentive to your diet and, in this case, protein supplementation, you will get results.

As an athlete, it’s important to understand what a healthy diet entails, how you can use food and basic supplements to maximize your efforts in the gym. With all the work that boxing demands, the last thing you want is to be held back from reaching your potential due to a poor diet and an inability to perform at your very best every time you step into the ring. When your path to optimal physical health could start with something as simple as adding a protein shake, it would be a shame to not stir up your diet a little. It could have you toasting victory instead of tasting defeat, so knock one back…with a double scoop of protein.

Rich Fit /Fit Tips...eat to lose weight not muscle. Here's how....

2011-11-27T16:22:00.002-05:00

You get all of your daily calories from either fats, proteins, or carbs. The body needs all of these to function properly and when one of them is absent you’re going to crave it like there’s no tomorrow! In the ideal diet, you can incorporate all 3 three of the macros while shredding fat and hanging onto muscle mass.

Protein should be the constant. Get about 40 grams (25 for women) every 2- 3 hours that your awake. For fats and carbs, don't mix them in the same meal. You need both but when having them together you increase the chance of storing body fat. Eat all carbs in 3 meals, breakfast, pre workout, and post workout. Guys take about 50 grams in each meal and ladies get 30. In all other meals add good fats. I use flax seed. Take spoonful of flax down with the 40 grams of protein.

The number one reason why people stray from their diet plan is that the good food they know they should be eating isn’t immediately available and when they find themselves starving in the middle of the afternoon they turn to a quick fix and shove down the first thing they can get their hands on. Often you’ll find that you may be craving a cheeseburger and ice cream but once you’ve eaten that healthy, scheduled meal that craving goes away.

You must have meals planned and prepared before leaving the house for the day. Know exactly what you’re going to eat and when you’re going to eat it and stick to the plan. This means making a habit of cooking all food, getting them into individual containers and taking them with you.
Whatever you do, if you screw up and have an unplanned cheat meal or miss meal, get right back on track with the next meal.

Low-Carb Depletion Day:

7 a.m.: 2 scoops whey

10 a.m.: 6 egg whites with lean beef or chicken

12 noon: 8 ounces chicken breast, handful almonds

3 p.m.: (preworkout) 2 scoops whey

4:30 p.m.: 2 scoops whey

5 p.m.: 1 can low-oil tuna, lettuce

8 p.m.: 6 ounces lean steak, 6 stalks asparagus

10 p.m.: 5 hardboiled egg whites

Higher-Carb Day:

7 a.m.: 1 cup oatmeal with 2 scoops whey

10 a.m.: 2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 piece wheat toast

12 noon: 6 ounces chicken breast, 1 piece fruit

2 p.m.: (preworkout) 1 scoop whey, 1 medium sweet potato

4 p.m.: (postworkout) 2 scoops whey, 12 ounces Gatorade

6 p.m.: 1 can tuna, 2 stalks celery

9 p.m.: 6 ounces lean steak, lettuce, green beans or other green vegetable

AbFitt@mail.com

A New Year, A New You! Preparation & Planning Begins Today....

2011-11-25T07:57:00.002-05:00

Weekly training routine to start your next phase of "Your Best Body Ever"

Note: 60-90 seconds rest period in between all sets/exercises

Day 1: Back/Chest/Biceps/Calves

Seated Reverse Close Grip Lat Pulldown 4×13-15
Flat Bench DB Press 4×13-15
Single Arm Cable Curls 4×13-15
Seated Calf Raises 4×13-15

Day 2: Shoulders/Legs/Abs

Smith Machine Shoulder Press 4×13-15
Reverse Single Arm Pulldowns (from across the body) 4×13-15
Single Leg Press 4×13-15
Hanging Straight Leg Lifts 4×13-15

Day 3: Chest/Back/Biceps/Calves

Weighted Pushups (45lb weight on back) 4×10-12
Single Arm Cable Rows 4×10-12
Reverse Grip Bar Curls 4×10-12
Single Leg Standing Calf Raises 4×10-12

Day 4: Legs/Shoulders/Abs/Triceps

Quad Extensions 4×10-12
Arnold Presses 4×10-12
Decline Bench Sit-ups 4×10-12
Cable Tricep Pushdowns 4×10-12

Day 5: Back/Chest/Biceps/Calves

Bent Over Single Arm Dumbbell Rows 4×8-10
Incline Dumbbell Press 4×8-10
Straight Bar Curls 4×8-10
Calf Raises 4×8-10

Day 6: Back/Core/Abs

Deadlifts 4×8-10
Single Arm Cable Raises (from side to in front) 4×8-10
Leaned Over Cable Rope Extensions 4×8-10
Wipers (to failure) 4×8-10

Sample of daily nutrition- Be creative this is just a guideline, see the choices for each macronutrient below. Live Fit, Be Fit, Live Shredded in 2012. Good Luck!

Meal 1: Whole Wheat Toast, 6 Eggs 1 whole egg ,5 egg whites with 1 low fat string cheese melted.
Meal 2: Whey protein/casein shake
Meal 3: Chicken Breast, greek Yogurt, Apple or Banana, String Cheese
Meal 4: Protein Shake
Meal 5: Pasta, 10 oz. of Meat (e.g. Chicken, Fish, Turkey, etc.) and Vegetables (Broccoli, Asparagus, etc.)
Meal 6: Protein Bar, Chicken and 4-5 Eggs (scrambled or fried)
Meal 7: Casein Protein Shake

What are the best sources for each nutrient group?

Protein – chicken breast, lean beef, oily fish, egg whites, protein powders.

Complex carbohydrates – wholegrain pasta, wholegrain rice, oats, sweet potato.

Healthy fats – nuts, natural nut butter, egg yolks, sees, flaxseed oil.

From Fat To Fabulous! From Fit to Shredded!

2011-11-21T19:16:00.001-05:00

Lets Begin

Most think of altering the metabolism as “boosting it,” but there are things you can do that also change the way the body handles food. For example, simply by taking a fiber supplement, you can alter the way your body handles carbohydrates. Fiber stimulates carbs to bypass fat storing pathways, which in turn means they ultimately head down other pathways for muscle fueling or building. There you go – a simple nutrition step to modify your metabolism. Here are a few steps you can take to cut up and lower your bodyfat. Coupled with controlling your calories, they can transform your metabolism and help you get shredded.

1 Increase Your Protein

If you struggle with bodyfat, you should stress protein–more chicken, eggs, fish, beef, low-fat dairy and protein powders. Why? Not all calories–carbs, protein and fat–are equal in their efficiency to be stored as bodyfat. Protein exerts a greater metabolic-boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle, which helps keep the metabolism (calorie burning) elevated. Protein also helps to keep hunger down, which assists you in holding down your calories without losing your mind. Aim for 1 1/2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily spread over five, six or even seven smaller meals.

2 Manipulate Your Carbs

Carbohydrates help retain muscle (and muscle is a metabolic booster), yet they can also stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low-carb diet–three consecutive days of consuming 100-125 g a day, followed by a single day of taking in 300-400 g, offers muscle support minus the fat storage. How so? When you eat fewer carbs and replace those carbs with protein, in general, the body ramps up fat-mobilizing enzymes and hormones resulting in accelerated fat loss. However, a prolonged period of lower carbs can leave your muscle looking flat, since glycogen (the storage form of carbs in muscle) pulls water into the muscle. When you go low carb, the muscles get depleted of their glycogen and lose some water and therefore their fullness. Therefore, load back up on carbs every fourth or fifth day.

3 Stack Carnitine, BCAA’s & Caffeine

Cardio is a good way to trigger fat loss. The ideal time is after workouts, as research shows that you burn more fat when you do cardio after a weight workout. However, another good time, to do cardio is in the morning before eating. Why? That’s when sugar levels in the blood are eat their lowest. If you perform cardio when your blood sugar and insulin are low, fat burning is maximized. One drawback: cardio can burn muscle. Using 5 g of branched chain amino acids, 1-3 g of carnitine and 200-400 milligrams of caffeine 30 minutes prior to cardio helps block muscle breakdown, preserves metabolic-driving muscle tissue and boost hormones that break down bodyfat. The supplement combo can even preserve testosterone, the muscle-building hormone that often declines with cardio activity.

4 Eat More Fish

When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed that dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week. One possible reason–omega-3s are thought to make the receptors on fat cells more sensitive to the fat-liberating effects of norepinephrine (also known as NE), a main fat-burning hormone. In other words, fish fat makes NE work better. The other possible reason is that omega-3s tend to promote the storage of carbohydrates into muscle as muscle glycogen. If carbs are kept busy producing glycogen, they cannot stimulate or participate in the fat-storing process.

5 Take Creatine For Cuts

Creatine–the muscle-building supplement–can also aid fat loss. Creatine exerts an increase in metabolism when combined with weight training, to the tune of 100 calories a day. So, make sure you get in 3-5 g with your pre-and postworkout meals.

TO MINIMIZE FAT STORAGE FOLLOW THESE 7 TIPS

2011-11-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

1) Eat complex carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates are found in whole foods like brown rice, potatoes, whole grain cereal and oatmeal. Complex carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your daily calorie intake because they form muscle glycogen, the long lasting fuel that your body needs to train hard. Complex carbohydrates are slow burning which means you get longer lasting energy. They also help keep your blood sugar levels constant, this reduces fat storage and fatigue and promotes the release of insulin. Insulin is the body’s natural anabolic hormone and is essential for muscle development.

2) Eat carbohydrates directly after training

When you train hard you reduce your blood sugar level considerably. Eating carbohydrates straight after a training session provides your body with an insulin spike. This insulin spike puts your body into an anabolic (muscle building) state. If you do not get the right nutrients after training it’s possible that your body could enter a catabolic (muscle breakdown) state. This is why post workout nutrition is so important.

3) Eat small amounts of carbohydrates more often

Eating smaller servings of carbohydrates more often helps keep a steady flow of insulin into the body. If you eat large amounts of carbohydrates in one sitting your body is much more likely to store them as fat. Eating to much is one sitting is unnecessary; your body doesn’t need that much nutrients at one time.

4) Eat high fiber carbohydrates

This goes hand-in-hand with point number 1 because most sources of complex carbohydrates are rich sources of fiber. Fiber helps to build muscle by making muscle tissue absorb amino acids faster and more efficiently.

5) Avoid fruits

This may sound insane because we all know that fruit is high in vitamins, low in calories and very good for general health and wellbeing. But, fruit contains fructose which is a very simple sugar. The body converts fructose into glycogen which is used as a building block for fat tissue.

6) Have carbohydrates and protein in the same meal

When you mix protein and carbohydrates together in the same meal you minimize the chance of the carbohydrates being stored as fat. Protein is harder for the body to process, so it increases your metabolism. Also, carbohydrates help transport the nutrients from protein to the muscle cells which aids in muscle growth.

Follow these rules, and you can use carbohydrates to your advantage to build more muscle faster. If you find you’re gaining too much fat then you should cut out carbs after 7pm. Unless you have a fast metabolism, eating carbs late at night is generally not a good idea. Your body does not need the energy while you’re sleeping so it’s likely to store the carbs as fat.

Another point worth mentioning here is meal sizes. Like I stated in point 3, you should eat small meals more often. Have you ever felt really tired after eating? Then you’ve eaten too much. Your body has to use a lot of energy to process the food which leaves you feeling tired and energy-less. This style of eating will also decrease your metabolic rate. To keep your metabolism high you need to constantly stimulate it with small meals every 3 hours or so.

So the main points you need to remember here are; eat good complex carbohydrates, eat small amounts more often, always have a good serving of complex carbohydrates about 1 hour before your workout (for energy) and straight after your meal (for insulin spike) and if you are gaining excess fat stop eating carbohydrates after 7pm.

Delayed Onset Muscle soreness....What you need to know.

2011-11-17T22:45:00.001-05:00

Dealing with DOMS

Whether you've changed your program, introduced new moves, or are concentrating on the eccentric muscle contraction, DOMS is going to happen. That's a given! DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is commonly thought to be caused by microscopic tears in the muscles and the swelling associated with those tears. The pain kicks in 1-2 days following a workout (it can be sooner though), and rarely lasts more than 5 days. If it lasts over 7 days, go and see your doc.

The best methods I’ve found to deal with them are as follows:

Warm up:

Make sure you perform a thorough warm up, which will also reduce your chance of injury! Increasing blood flow to muscles makes them more elastic, so they are more resistant to micro-tearing.

Stretching:

Although studies show that stretching does not relieve the pain associated with DOMS, stretching the muscles when sore will help to build more elasticity in the new muscle fibers. Thorough yet gentle stretching of the muscle groups you've worked after each session is always a good idea, and make use of foam rollers if you access to them. Stretching will improve circulation to the given area, bringing nutrients to your cells and removing waste byproducts.

Supplementation/nutrition:

Vitamin C and E are well known for their anti-oxidant properties and their ability to reduce the proliferation of free radicals. These are thought to be generated during the inflammatory response, which could potentially cause more damage to the affected muscle. Protein, EAA + BCAA and L-Glutamine will get to work repairing damaged muscle tissue – so consume your post workout shake as soon as your workout is over. It will assist the recovery process, but not necessarily reduce the recovery time.

Massages and Ibuprofen:

If they are really bad, then a gentle massage and ibuprofen can help relieve the pain, but will not speed up your recovery time.

A Tasty Night Time Muscle Treat

2011-11-16T19:11:00.003-05:00

OK check this out courtesy of Rob Riches, this pre bedtime muscle meal satisfies that sweet tooth and provides the nutrients needed during sleep to combat catabolism. Enjoy!

Casein Souffle. Many people will ask me what I eat at night before bed, so here it is!

5 egg whites

Grind up 10-12 almonds in a blender into powder

Put the egg whites and almond powder in a mixing bowl together and add 1 scoop of chocolate Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Casein a long with a teaspoon of Stevia

Mix all of these ingredients with a fork and place in the microwave for 60 seconds

Remove from the microwave and add 1 teaspoon of natural almond butter, stir again with a fork and then place back in the microwave for another 60-90 seconds (depending on the power of your microwave)

Remove from the microwave and slice into small squares, poor into a bowl and place them in the fridge for 10 minutes to set

Nutritional profile – 40g protein, 5g complex carbohydrates, 12g healthy fats

This is the perfect bed time meal and it tastes like chocolate cake! This feeds your muscles for around 7 hours through the night which helps combat catabolism. The healthy fats from the nuts also prolong this effect which is great!

Right Now You Have The Power To Change Your Life.....Live Fit, Be Fit. Live Shredded!

2011-11-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

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!!

Absolute Abs!! What You Need To Know To Show.

2011-11-15T19:19:00.000-05:00

The old adage of “abs are made in the kitchen” truly needs to be stressed! What you eat and how you eat are fundamental to the aesthetic results of your midsection; if your diet is not dialed in, shredded abs are not going to be visable. Even the fittest of people will noticeably bloat and soften when they consume something full of sugar, fat or sodium – and this shows most in the midsection.

It must be emphasized that a diet full of processed, sugary foods will be a serious detriment to the fat burning process that will uncover your strong, toned abs. If you want to have a great six-pack, your focus needs to be on eating clean, eating at proper intervals, and most importantly, eating enough! If you’re not getting enough calories to support your caloric burn and exercise activity, your body will begin to cling to fat as a survival instinct.

Eating smaller, more frequent meals that comprise of lean proteins, whole wheat or whole grain complex carbohydrates and bountiful portions of veggies are the best way to ensure that you are left feeling satisfied and energized with every meal, while still shedding fat from your midsection to reveal your abdominal foundation. So never forget to think about what you are eating, and how that one thing will reflect on your body, especially when you want to see firm, taut abs.

Overall, this one single component your diet is so crucial for developing a shredded mid section. For men your body fat needs to be in the single digits and for woman around 14%.

Carbohydrates Role In Muscle Building

2011-11-13T14:55:00.007-05:00

carbohydrates.

When you need carbohydrates:

As mentioned earlier on this page, you need simple carbohydrates straight after your workout to increase insulin levels. But what about your energy levels throughout the day? You should kick off the day with a good serve of protein and carbohydrates.

When you wake up your body has just had eight hours without any nutritional intake and is crying out for food. Another time when complex carbohydrates are very important is pre-workout for energy. Try and have a good meal filled with complex carbohydrates and protein about 1 hours to 45 mins before your workout.

The thing you must remember with carbohydrates is that your body only uses what it needs and stores the rest as fat. This is why you need to spread your carbohydrate intake out over the day for optimum energy levels and minimal fat storage. Most bodybuilders eat between 5-8 meals per day consisting of a high amount of protein and moderate complex carbohydrates. The "3 meal a day" trend is starting to shift as people realize it's much better to eat less, more often, for both weight loss and weight gains.

Types of carbohydrate supplements:

Carbohydrate supplements come in powdered form. There are two basic types that are used by bodybuilders; blends and pure. Blends are your typical "weight gainers". They consist of mostly pure carbohydrates with proteins, fats and sometimes other supplements added. Pure carbohydrate supplements are exactly that, pure. 100% pure carbohydrates. Bodybuilder often mix these supplements in with post-workout shakes for insulin spike. Pure carbohydrate supplements are much better because the bodybuilder can control the amounts he/she wishes to consume at any one time.

Supplements vs real carbohydrates:

At the end of the day, nothing beats real food. Because good complex carbohydrates are readily available, cheap and easy to consume in large amounts, carbohydrate supplements are not as common as protein and creatine which are much harder to consume in high amounts. The best (and only) time you can really benefit from carbohydrate supplements are post-workout. Pure carbohydrate supplements are formulated to give you a maximum insulin spike.

Basically, carbohydrates come in two forms; simple and complex.

Simple carbs are found in natural and processed sugars and are quickly absorbed into the body for use as energy. This energy is not long lasting and can often be followed by a dip in energy levels resulting in the person feeling tired and lethargic. Simple carbohydrates are generally not recommended for muscle building or keeping healthy.

Complex carbohydrates make up the bulk of the bodies energy source. Complex carbohydrates come in foods such as wheat, brown rice, potatoes, bread and oatmeal. Complex carbohydrates take much longer for the body to turn into energy but this energy is long lasting. Regular servings of food high in complex carbohydrates is recommended for all athletes. Complex carbohydrates are known as "good carbs" because they give you long lasting energy to work harder and feel better throughout the day.

Womans Fit Facts...Every Woman needs To Know These 7 Rules.

2011-11-09T21:24:00.002-05:00

Female Bodybuilding And Fitness Motivation | http://vimeo.com/user8201282">Gym Motivation on Vimeo.

Women's Weight Training Myth's

#1 -Weight training makes you bulky and masculine.
Due to the fact that women do not, and cannot, naturally produce as much testosterone (one of the main hormones responsible for increasing muscle size) as males do, it is impossible for a woman to gain huge amounts of muscle mass by merely touching some weights. Unfortunately, the image that may come to your mind is that of professional female bodybuilders. Most of these women, unfortunately, use anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) along with other drugs in order to achieve that lean muscular look. In addition, most also have good genetics coupled with an unbelievable work ethic that enable them to gain muscle quickly when they spend hours in the gym lifting very heavy weights. Believe me when I say that they do not look like that by accident. Women who conduct weight training without the use of steroids get the firm and fit cellulite-free looking body that you see in most fitness/figure shows these days.

#2 - Exercise increases your chest size.
Sorry girls. Women’s breasts are composed mostly of fatty tissue. Therefore, it is impossible to increase breast size through weight training. As a matter of fact, if you go below 12 percent body fat, your breast size will decrease. Weight training does increase the size of the back, so this misconception probably comes from confusing an increase in back size with an increase in cup size. The only way to increase your breast size is by gaining fat or getting breast implants.

#3 - Weight training makes you stiff and musclebound.
If you perform all exercises through their full range of motion, flexibility will increase. Exercises like flyes, stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell presses, and chin-ups stretch the muscle in the bottom range of the movement. Therefore, by performing these exercises correctly, your stretching capabilities will increase.

Myth #4 - If you stop weight training your muscles turn into fat.
This is like saying that gold can turn into brass. Muscle and fat are two totally different types of tissue. What happens many times is that when people decide to go off their weight training programs they start losing muscle due to inactivity (use it or lose it) and they also usually drop the clean eating habit as well. Therefore bad eating habits combined with the fact that their metabolism is lower due to inactivity, and lower amounts of muscle mass, give the impression that the subject’s muscle is being turned into fat while in reality what is happening is that muscle is being lost and fat is being accumulated.

Myth #5 - Weight training turns fat into muscle.
More alchemy. This is the equivalent of saying that you can turn any metal into gold; don't we wish! The way a body transformation occurs is by gaining muscle through weight training and losing fat through aerobics and diet simultaneously. Again, muscle and fat are very different types of tissue. We cannot turn one into the other.

Women's Weight Training Myth #6 - As long as you exercise you can eat anything that you want.
How I wish this were true also! However, this could not be further from the truth. Our individual metabolism determines how many calories we burn at rest and while we exercise. If we eat more calories than we burn on a consistent basis, our bodies will accumulate these extra calories as fat regardless of the amount of exercise that we do. This myth may have been created by people with such high metabolic rates (hardgainers) that no matter how much they eat or what they eat, they rarely meet or exceed the amount of calories that they burn in one day unless they put their mind to doing so. Therefore, their weight either remains stable or goes down. If you are confused about nutrition, please read Nutrition Basics.

Myth #7 - Women only need to do cardio and if they decide to lift weights, they should be very light.
First of all, if you only did cardio then muscle and fat would be burned for fuel. One needs to do weights in order to get the muscle building machine going and thus prevent any loss of muscle tissue. Women that only concentrate on cardio will have a very hard time achieving the look that they want. As far as the lifting of very light weights, this is just more nonsense. Muscle responds to resistance and if the resistance is too light, then there will be no reason for the body to change.

Women Should Train Hard
If you want to look great, don't be afraid to pick up the weights and lift heavy, fast & train hard ladies!!

Rich Fit / Tip Of The Day... Almond Milk

2011-11-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

Here are 6 benefits of almond milk:

Benefit #1: Weight Management

Plain almond milk without added sugars or flavoring contains 60 calories per each 8 oz serving size. This option works well for people looking to lose or maintain weight.

The low caloric content of almond milk causes less of an impact on our totally daily consumption of food calories. Some milk varieties contain more sugars than the cereal that they get combined with.

Benefit #2: Heart Health

Almond milk contains no cholesterol and only 5 mg of sodium per serving. Consuming foods low in sodium and cholesterol help us to maintain better heart health and normal blood pressure.

Without cholesterol, almond milk also decreases our chances of gaining bad cholesterol levels, all while increasing the good cholesterol levels. Almond milk also contains 150 mg of potassium in every serving. This mineral works to promote healthy blood pressure.

Benefit #3: Blood Sugar Friendly

Unlike other milk alternatives, the plain almond option contains only 8 grams of carbohydrates per serving. The 7 grams of sugars that make up the carbohydrate content have a limited affect on our blood sugar levels. When we consume simple sugars, our metabolic functions tend to miss the nutrients, storing much of the carbs as fat.

Instead, the low amount of sugars in almond milk have a low glycemic nature, meaning our bodies fully digest them and use them as energy. Diabetics benefit from this characteristic as well.

Benefit #4: Bone Health

Almond milk contains 30% of our recommended daily value of calcium and 25% of Vitamin D. These nutrients work together to build strong bones in men, women, children and infants.

Vitamin D also helps improve immunity and cell function. Some studies have shown that Vitamin D helps decrease osteoporosis and even Alzheimer’s disease. The magnesium in found in almond milk helps absorb more of the calcium provided by the nutritious beverage.

Benefit #5: Skin Care

Every serving of pure almond milk contains 50% of our recommended daily value of Vitamin E. This powerful nutrient has antioxidant abilities in that it helps regulate Vitamin A use and availability.

More importantly, Vitamin E acts the primary regulatory nutrient that improves skin health.

Benefit #5: Eye Health

The moderate levels of Vitamin A found in almond milk helps keep our eyes functioning properly. Vitamin A directly influences the eye’s ability to adjust to differences in light.

Benefit #6: More Muscle Power

Even though almond milk only contains 1 gram of protein per serving, it does contain B Vitamins in the form of riboflavin, plus other muscle regulating nutrients like iron. Each serving of almond milk contains about 4% of our recommended daily intake of iron, which helps muscles absorb and use protein for energy, growth and repair.

Iron also regulates certain cell functions like oxygen absorption.

Slice And Dice Abdominal Training. Today's Ab Routine.

2011-11-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

Regular readers of AbFitt know I complete each workout with a fifteen minute ab circuit focusing on either the lower, upper or sides of the abdominal area. I train abs like every other body part-with weight and from many different angles. Here is a detailed break down of your abdominal's. Educating yourself will allow you to develop your own routine.

What Are the Core Muscles?

Different experts include different muscles in this list, but in general the muscles of the core run the length of the trunk and torso. The following list includes the most commonly identified core muscles as well as the lesser known groups.

Rectus Abdominis - located along the front of the abdomen, this is the most well-known abdominal muscle and is often referred to as the "six-pack" due to it's appearance in fit and thin individuals.
Erector Spinae- This group of three muscles runs along your neck to your lower back.
Multifidus - located under the erector spinae along the vertebral column, these muscles extend and rotate the spine.

External Obliques - located on the side and front of the abdomen.
Internal Obliques - located under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction.
Transverse Abdominis (TVA) - located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles (muscles of your waist) and wraps around your spine for protection and stability.
Hip Flexors - located in front of the pelvis and upper thigh. The muscles that make up the hip flexors include: psoas major, illiacus, rectus femoris, pectineus, sartorius
Gluteus medius and minimus - located at the side of the hip
Gluteus maximus, hamstring group, piriformis - located in the back of the hip and upper thigh leg.
Hip adductors - located at medial thigh.

What makes green tea so special?

2011-11-04T10:28:00.001-04:00

The secret of green tea lies in the fact it is rich in catechin polyphenols, particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). EGCG is a powerful anti-oxidant: besides inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, it kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue. It has also been effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, and inhibiting the abnormal formation of blood clots. The latter takes on added importance when you consider that thrombosis (the formation of abnormal blood clots) is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

Links are being made between the effects of drinking green tea and the "French Paradox." For years, researchers were puzzled by the fact that, despite consuming a diet rich in fat, the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. The answer was found to lie in red wine, which contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet. In a 1997 study, researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as powerful as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese men is quite low, even though approximately seventy-five percent are smokers.

Why don't other Chinese teas have similar health-giving properties? Green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. What sets green tea apart is the way it is processed. Green tea leaves are steamed, which prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. By contrast, black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which results in the EGCG being converted into other compounds that are not nearly as effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

Other Benefits

New evidence is emerging that green tea can even help dieters. In November, 1999, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the results of a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay! Just as its bacteria-destroying abilities can help prevent food poisoning, it can also kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque. Meanwhile, skin preparations containing green tea - from deodorants to creams - are starting to appear on the market.

Harmful Effects?

To date, the only negative side effect reported from drinking green tea is insomnia due to the fact that it contains caffeine. However, green tea contains less caffeine than coffee: there are approximately thirty to sixty mg. of caffeine in six - eight ounces of tea, compared to over one-hundred mg. in eight ounces of coffee.

New Science Of Preparing Fighters.

2011-11-04T10:06:00.001-04:00

Boxing is a sport that is intermittent in nature, characterized by intervals of explosive bursts of power mixed with scaled down survival movements; therefore, training intensity should be similar to a competitive fight sequence. After all, you will not be constantly throwing explosive punches throughout a three-minute round--no human can sustain that intensity level--nor will you be in a survival mode for the duration.

Some Science-

In an Olympic boxing match, boxers must fight for a total of 11 minutes. The fight is structured for three three-minute rounds with a one-minute rest between each round. Therefore, it makes logical sense for a boxing athlete to have a high anaerobic threshold level and aerobic power level to meet the demands of this sport. In 2002, Laura Guidetti conducted a boxing study for the relationship between ranking in boxing competition performance and some physiological factors. The data suggest there were two basic factors related to boxing performance: physical fitness as indicated by individual anaerobic threshold and maximal oxygen consumption and upper-body muscular strength.

Time Frame

According to Tudor Bompa, author of "Theory of Methodology of Training," "32-36 weeks or 200 days of training are needed to reach a peak for advanced athletes." A form of periodization training is needed to peak at the right time for a fight. There are two basic stages of training: general preparation--containing a strength endurance phase and a basic strength phase, and the competition phase--emphasis placed on power and speed.

Getting My fighter stronger-

Early in the training cycle, structural--multijoint--exercises should be integrated into your workout twice a week. Squats, dead-lifts and power/hang cleans utilized to strengthen the hips and legs; after all, your punching power comes from the ground up. T-bar rows and wide/close grip pull-ups included to build back strength--large muscle area that aids in delivering a blow. High incline benches and shoulder presses to develop the deltoids for extending the crisp snap of a jab or straight right/left. Allow two minutes of rest between sets for maximum strength development.

Build Power-

High speed, sport specific power exercises should be performed three times a week, including: heavy bag, speed bag, double-end bag and jump rope with high/moderate interval intensity of 40/20 seconds per minute. These should be sustained throughout three three-minute rounds. As a changeup, similar interval training in shadow boxing with light weights, medicine ball exercise, and hitting mitts with trainer. Light-sparring and two-mile interval sprints performed once every four days. Allow one day off a week to avoid overtraining.

Fight Prep-

Intensity and speed pick up significantly. Combination lifts--clean and jerk, replace strength lifts--squat, dead-lift. Push up variations--clap, medicine ball--replace incline press. Amp up intensity during bag intervals with high/moderate intensity at 45/15 seconds per minute. More boxing specific exercises, including longer and harder sparring sessions. Plyometrics--depth jumps, multiple box jumps, bounding and medicine ball ballistic training--should be done early in this phase once every three days. Interval sprints and agility drills every three days.

10 Super Foods You Should Be Eating

2011-10-26T14:47:00.002-04:00

When it comes to the infinite number of foods that you can put in your body, there are good foods and there are bad foods. Clearly, you know to avoid the bad foods whenever possible, but when it comes to choosing the very best foods for your physique goals, that's an even harder decision. AbFitt is here to make it easier for you to separate the contenders from the pretenders.--I call them Power Foods.

1. EGGS

WHEN: Any regular meal

WHY: The perfect protein, eggs are loaded with cholesterol, typically thought of as an evil food ingredient, but in reality, full of positive benefits, such as maintaining testosterone levels and the integrity of muscle cell membranes.

* In one study, subjects who ate three whole eggs per day while following a strength-training program produced twice the gains in muscle mass and strength than those who consumed just one egg or no eggs each day.

* In studies, 640 milligrams per day of additional cholesterol from eggs decreased the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol particles associated with atherosclerosis.

AMOUNTS: 3 extra-large eggs: 255 calories, 21 g protein, 1 g carbs, 18 g fat

2. ORGANIC BEEF

WHEN: Lunch or dinner

WHY: This meat is important due to its protein content, cholesterol and saturated fat, all of which maintain high testosterone levels.

* Organic beef has much higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids than conventionally raised cattle, because organically raised cattle are primarily grass fed as opposed to grain fed.

* CLA, a healthy fat, has been proven in numerous clinical trials to help shed bodyfat while helping to boost muscle mass and strength at the same time.

AMOUNTS: 8 oz of 90% lean ground organic beef: 392 calories, 48 g protein, 0 g carbs, 22 g fat

3. SALMON

WHEN: Lunch or dinner

WHY: It's rich in the essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids).

* Subjects consuming higher levels of omega-3 fats reported greater muscle strength than those taking in lower levels of them, according to a study.

* Omega-3 fatty acids enhance insulin sensitivity, which boosts muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth) and increases glucose and amino acid uptake.

* Omega-3s are readily burned for fuel, sparing muscle glycogen to keep muscles bigger. Additionally, omega-3s have been found to blunt muscle and joint breakdown, as well as enhance their recovery.

* Omega-3s convert into beneficial prostaglandins, hormonelike substances that promote numerous processes in the body.

AMOUNTS: 8 oz of Atlantic salmon: 416 calories, 45 g protein, 0 g carbs, 24 g fat

4. HERRING

WHEN: Between-meal snacks

WHY: Rich in omega-3s, it also has one of the highest contents of creatine--which can help boost muscle strength and growth--of any food source from the land or sea.

AMOUNTS: 3 oz of kippered herring: 185 calories, 21 g protein, 0 g carbs, 11 g fat (about 2 g of those are omega-3s)

5. WHEAT GERM

WHEN: 30 minutes before workouts and any time of day you want slow-digesting carbs (use it as breading on chicken or fish)

WHY: It is rich in zinc, iron, selenium, potassium and B vitamins, and high in protein with a good amount of branched-chain amino acids, arginine and glutamine.

* It's high in fiber, making it a great source of slow-digesting carbohydrates.

* It's great before workouts because it provides a good source of octacosanol, an alcohol that can increase muscle strength and endurance, as well as enhance reaction time in athletes by increasing the efficiency of the central nervous system.

AMOUNTS: 1/2 cup of wheat germ: 207 calories, 13 g protein, 30 g carbs (almost 8 g of those come from fiber), 6 g fat

6. BROWN RICE

WHEN: Lunch or dinner

WHY: Brown rice is a whole grain that provides fiber to help slow down digestion and keep insulin levels steady, supplying you with energy to last throughout the day.

* It's high in gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is an amino acid that works as a neurotransmitter in the body and which boosts growth hormone levels by up to 400%.

* You can prepare brown rice in a way that will boost GABA levels: soak it in hot water for two hours before cooking to induce slight germination or use a Zojirushi Induction Heating System Rice Cooker & Warmer (zojirushi.com), which has a special setting that gives brown rice a two-hour hot bath before cooking.

AMOUNTS: 1 cup of cooked brown rice: 218 calories, 5 g protein, 46 g carbs, 2 g fat

7. WATERMELON

WHEN: Immediately after workouts

WHY: Although we typically suggest that you eat fruit as a preworkout carb, since most fruits are slow digesting, watermelon is one of the few fruits that are fast digesting. That means it spikes insulin levels, making it a good postworkout carb.

* The red flesh and especially the white rind of watermelon are high in the amino acid citrulline, which is readily converted to arginine inside the body and boosts arginine inside the body and boosts arginine levels even better than taking arginine itself.

* Higher levels of arginine lead to higher nitric oxide levels and higher GH levels after training, both of which are critical for enhancing muscle strength and growth. Boosting NO levels after workouts means there's more blood flow to the muscles, which will enhance recovery and aid muscle growth.

AMOUNTS: Two wedges of watermelon: 172 calories, about 4 g protein, 44 g carbs, 1 g fat, approximately 3 g citrulline

8. SPINACH

WHEN: As a side salad with lunch and dinner

WHY: Spinach not only promotes health through its rich supply of antioxidants, but it has ingredients that increase muscle strength and size.

* It's a great source of glutamine, the amino acid that is highly important for muscle growth, immune function and gastrointestinal health, as well as for boosting GH levels and even metabolic rate.

* In addition to glutamine, spinach provides octacosanol (see wheat germ) and beta-ecdysterone, a phytochemical that stimulates protein synthesis.

AMOUNTS: 10 oz raw spinach: 65 calories, 8 g protein, 10 g carbs (6 g of those being fiber), 1 g fat

9. EZEKIEL 4:9 BREAD

WHEN: Any time of day when you would eat slow-digesting carbs

WHY: Made from organic sprouted whole grains such as wheat, millet, spelt and barley, and from legumes such as lentils and soybeans, this bread is a complete protein, which means it contains all nine of the amino acids your body needs for muscle growth.

* These whole grains and legumes also digest slowly, promoting superior fat burning throughout the day and more energy during exercise.

AMOUNTS: Two slices of Ezekiel 4:9 bread: 160 calories, 8 g protein, 30 g carbs (with 6 g of fiber), 1 g fat

10. BROCCOLI

WHEN: As a side with any meal

WHY: Broccoli contains a phytochemical that gets converted to another naturally occurring chemical called diindolylmethane, which reduces the strength of estrogens by converting them to weaker varieties in the liver.

* This helps to diminish estrogenic effects (fat gain and water retention) and strengthens testosterone's anabolic effects (muscle strength and growth).

* It also contains the antioxidant sulforaphane--a compound that forms from the inactive compound glucoraphanin when you chew it. Sulforaphane works in synergy with DIM to provide antiinflammatory properties, which enhance joint and muscle recovery, as well as fight cancer.

AMOUNTS: 1 cup of chopped broccoli: 31 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g carbs, 0 g fat

Rich Fit / Lean For Life Series.... The simple yet effective jump rope.

2011-10-26T10:18:00.001-04:00

A great way to burn additional calories after your ( "the key is after" ) your weight workout is with the rope. That's right, like I have explained in the past skipping rope for ten straight minutes at about 80% mhr will burn just as many calories as running for 30 min.

Skipping rope builds strenght and stamina, sculpts your legs and develops strong shoulders. Helps shape a well defined core. However many people use the rope skipping workout for a warm up. That is all wrong. See the body needs about twenty minutes of intense training just to burn stored calories as fuel. It's shortly after your stored calories are burned that the body begins to use body fat as a source of fuel. Now if your nutrition is not in check, your body turns to the more metabolic muscle for energy.

Making A practice of skipping rope after your weight training does a number of things. First you insure all stored carbohydrates have been burned off because they fueled your weight training, when you needed them the most. Second you now tap into your fat stores when doing the cardio ( skipping rope ) that is when you want to be toasting additional fat.

Combine my high intensity training principles along with my nutritional and supplementing rules, as well as adding rope work. This is a huge step to achieving the body you deserve. Go get it!

Rich

The Curvy Truth...One woman's Quest For Balance, As She Reaches Her Fitness Goals.

2011-10-25T19:44:00.001-04:00

Note from the editor: Guest writer and friend of AbFitt Latina Wanda shares her story of struggle and success with her personal fitness. All photo's courtesy of Miss Wanda.

The Curvy Truth-

I gave up everything to move to a foreign country and follow my heart. Cultural integration was proving to be a challenge due to the need to quickly learn a language that could possibly open the gateway to social acceptance and a chance to work. In spite of my high qualifications and many job interviews, I never found a job in my area of expertise. It was frustrating because I was very young, full of ideas and the energy to boot…

I had always been active, but with my move to Germany came complacency. I didn’t make much of it since a high metabolism compensated for my overindulgence. But then it came… That dreaded moment that most of us women know all too well and to which I refer to as “the shift”… It basically translated to “I gotta start cutting down my intake”, and I knew I ate way too much because 1) I love food and b) I could. Well that wasn’t happening anymore. I also knew that I had to start exercising.

There was a pivotal point in my life where I just got tired of living for others, and it was pretty much exactly at the same time where as a young family we were struggling with money. I had my first child, a workaholic husband, a demanding household and absolutely no time for myself. A gym membership was out of the question and forget a babysitter because there was no money for that either. I had no support system, because I left that behind when I moved and his family was far away. What did I do to overcome so many obstacles? I decided to put myself as a priority – no excuses! I started doing all sorts of floor exercises at home while my child took his naps and even found a YMCA that offered aerobic classes at a reasonable fee with childcare. It was a start towards getting my body back after the initial shock of pregnancy and childbirth but more importantly, towards liking myself again.

By the time I had my second child, I was better prepared, but goodness do these kids suck the life out of you! My energy levels were alarmingly low and soon after the birth of my second child I fell ill. I had very little support at home and was stressed beyond belief… I do think it was the closest I have ever come to being depressed. I needed surgery and knew that once I recovered, I would be pain-free and could get back on that horse. I got through that and continued to keep my focus. Through my home efforts I at least manage to keep my weight under control and felt very proud about that.

The biggest change, however that I experienced as a woman came when I moved to Asia. Expatriate life offers many perks, and one of them was the luxury of time… Now we all know that you cannot buy time, but you can hire a housekeeper/babysitter to clear your day so that time magically appears… All the things that were not possible before, could now be done. I wasted no time! The gym membership was the very first thing I got. I attended classes feverishly, trying out everything, and my body transformed before my eyes. With my new body came overwhelming confidence. My energy levels were through the roof, and to be completely honest, not much has changed today…. I am the oldest in my current boxing/mix fight class, and I leave that class nearly every time with the biggest smile on my face because when we are doing those drills, it would seem that in a room of teens and 20-year olds, I am the only one that can complete them without looking like I’ll be dragged to the next emergency unit! Now that’s something to brag about…!

Returning back to Germany meant a smack of reality and a test to see what I had truly learned about my fitness journey. I no longer had the maid to clean the house nor the babysitter to look after my kids, and the monetary benefits were all slashed. So what changed in my fitness regime now that I had less free time? Absolutely nothing! The moment you make that conscious decision to care for yourself and you begin to reap the benefits, chances are you’ll never go back! It becomes a priority and not an item on your excuse list. Working out should be a habit but never a burden! You do it because you keep remembering how utterly fantastic you feel every time after that. If your attitude is to live a healthy lifestyle, then the fact that you may have little money, have kids to care for, have a house to clean, have a job in a workplace, etc. should never be a reason to NOT do something about it!

Exercising comes in so many shapes and forms. There is something out there for everyone. And today we even have the luxury of attaining a wealth of information online, and get this, for free! One of the great things about exercising besides the obvious fact of staying healthy is the amazing side effect of looking good. People look at you differently, admiringly, with respect and some even with a little bit of envy… ;) How can anyone want that to stop?!?

Being a Hispanic woman has endowed me with steep curves and some serious junk in the trunk! So many believe that I am lucky because they wish they could have it too. Now I’m not going to lie to you, it is great to be curvy IF you can control the fat…. IF you can eat moderately all the time… IF childbirth doesn’t expand you and then deflates parts of you that say “a perky butt once lived here”…

IF the weight you are trying to lose is coming off the excessive saddlebags you’re lugging around and NOT from your already lean forearms… I could go on with the “IF”s, but you get the picture. For me it has always been important to have a body that exudes both strength and femininity. I’m not in this to compete, and I most certainly am not in it to prove that I am stronger than anybody. I am just a normal mom and housewife, who just wants to prove that a positive attitude and an ironclad will is all you will ever need to begin to care for yourself!

Wanda-

Onward Cancer Warrior's.....Cancer Prevention Tips You Must Read

2011-10-18T08:39:00.001-04:00

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY. A fitness lifestyle
.

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins:

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body.. These cancer
cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have
multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients
that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after
treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the
cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable
size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a
person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer
cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and
forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has
nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,
but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing
diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day
and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing
cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells
in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can
cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7.. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars
and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often
reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of
chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor
destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from
chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either
compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb
to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to
mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.
Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other
sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer
cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:

a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made
with Aspartame and it is harmful (a key ingredient in diet sodas). A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in color Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the
gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting
off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer
cells are being starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based
diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,
like chicken. Meat also contains livestock
antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all
harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole
grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into
an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked
food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live
enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to
cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance
growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building
healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most
vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw
vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at
temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high
caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer
fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or
filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap
water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of
digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the
intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic
buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By
refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes
to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the
body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system
(IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,
EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to destroy
cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known
to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's
normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or
unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.
A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior
be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put
the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to
have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy
life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated
environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to
get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen
therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer
cells.

1. No plastic containers in micro.

2. No water bottles in freezer.

3. No plastic wrap in microwave..

Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at CastleHospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body.

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

62 vital rules of nutrition and supplements for your best body ever!

2011-10-13T15:27:00.005-04:00

Ask most athletes and they’ll tell you–training is the easy part. Not that pushing your body to its physical limits day after grueling day isn’t hard work. It’s just that understanding the ins and outs of living a fitness lifestyle and the like isn’t totally difficult to master, especially when you’re hungry to improve.

On the other hand, nutrition can be a complicated subject–what kinds of carbohydrates and proteins should you eat? What vitamins and minerals are critical? Not to mention meal timing, creatine and the full spectrum of supplements as an athlete you need to keep track of.

It can be overwhelming for someone who just wants to build muscle and burn fat. You have learned my training program H.I.G.T now lets add the important stuff to do when you finish training. If you’ve got questions, the answers will more than likely be found right here. Below are 62 vital rules of nutrition to help guide you through the minefield of all things related to food and supplements. This comprehensive overview gives you easy-to-follow basic to advanced rules to live a fitness & simply healthy lifestyle, for life. Feel free to e mail me your questions AbFitt@mail.com

Part One: Your Food Foundation

A healthy diet can be constructed in terms of foods, but it can also be designed around macronutrient composition: protein, carbohydrates and fats. To do this effectively, you need to be aware of how many grams of carbs, protein and fat they’re taking in each day.

The amounts, types and ratios of the macros consumed (and when) help assess the general adequacy of any healthy eating plan. Other nutrients such as water and fiber are crucial for bodybuilders, and they must also be considered.

1 Consume Plenty Of Protein

I recommend you take in at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day and even up to almost 2 g per pound for hardgainers. Protein needs for individual bodybuilders may vary, but this minimum ensures sufficient amounts with which to build muscle. If your bodyweight is low or if your caloric requirements for maintenance are high, then you may need even more protein than bodybuilders of comparable size.

2 Eat Plenty Of Carbs For Energy

Your body can use protein, carbs or fats for energy, but when you’re training hard, it preferentially uses carbs. Taking in ample carbs makes it easy for your body to fuel itself, sparing protein and fats for their more specific nutritional uses.
3 Emphasize Slow-Digesting Carbs

Complex carbs are constructed of long chains of sugars. Most, but not all complex carbs are slow digesting. Stress whole-grain products (whole-wheat bread and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice, etc.) and sweet potatoes, which are all slow digesting, as opposed to white breads and white potatoes, as well as sugars, which are all fast digesting. Slow-digesting carbs provide longer-lasting energy and there’s less chance they’ll be stored as bodyfat. During a mass-building phase, strive to take in a minimum of 2 g and up to about 3 g of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight per day. During cutting phases, reduce total carbohydrate consumption to 1 g per pound of bodyweight.

4 De-Emphasize Simple Carbs
Except after workouts, you should minimize calorie consumption from simple carbohydrates (sugar). Simple carbs can be rapidly absorbed, especially in liquids with little or no fats or solid foods to slow down their passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Significant quantities of simple carbs provide the release of insulin, desirable after a workout, but not at other times, because it can encourage the body to store these sugars as bodyfat. Foods that are high in sugar are among the worst for bodybuilders seeking to keep bodyfat low.
5 Limit Saturated Fat & Avoid Trans Fats

Excesses of these two types of fat increase the risk of heart and other health problems, and they can also undermine bodybuilding efforts. Trans fats are commonly found in processed foods such as crackers, cookies and other baked goods. Saturated fats are prevalent in lower-quality (fattier) cuts of meats.

6 Consume Healthy Fats

Foods containing unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturates, are excellent for bodybuilders. Don’t buy into the notion that a bodybuilding diet should be low fat–it should only be low in saturated and trans fats. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and flaxseed oils, are important for creating a favorable hormonal environment for building muscle tissue and staying lean. Other unsaturated fats, such as those found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive and canola oils, also provide bodybuilders with numerous muscle-building advantages. Except when cutting up, fats should represent 20%-30% of your daily diet.

7 Count Calories

When breaking down a healthy eating plan, macronutrients are often split into percentages. For instance, dietary recommendation might be to get 50% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein and 20% from fats. To do this accurately, you have to have this valuable information: every gram of carbs has approximately four calories, every gram of protein has four calories and every gram of fat has nine calories. This calorie differential explains why bodybuilders, even those who are not on a low-fat diet, need to pay attention to fat calories, as well as to carbs and protein. For gaining mass, shoot for at least 20 calories per pound of bodyweight. When getting lean, cut calories to 15 or less per pound of bodyweight.

8 Drink Atleast A Gallon Of Water Every Day

Water is essential for overall health as well as for muscle growth. Keeping your body well hydrated benefits everything from protein synthesis to digestion. Steady water intake keeps nutrients moving in your bloodstream and into muscle cells. Water is also a critical source of many minerals. But don’t drink that gallon-plus in one sitting–gulp it during the course of the day. This is especially important for bodybuilders on high-protein diets, as well as those using creatine, fat burners or other supplements that affect hydration. Remember, water keeps your muscles full. It can also help you stay lean, as research has shown that simply drinking two cups of water between meals boosts metabolic rate. Water is the essence of life, and its importance to bodybuilders can’t be overstressed. Drink a pint of water with main meals and try to exceed the daily one-gallon recommendation.

9 Fire Up Your Fiber

Most bodybuilding foods are notoriously low in fiber; yet, bodybuilders need plenty of fiber to make ideal gains. Bodybuilders must get most of their dietary fiber from complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Strive to take in 30 g of fiber a day, and even more when you’re on a high-calorie diet. If your diet doesn’t provide this amount, then consider daily supplementation with a fiber product.

10 Meat Makes Muscle

All forms of protein are good for bodybuilders seeking to add muscle mass, but lean forms of meat are among the best. Turkey, chicken, beef and other meats have complete proteins, meaning they contain all the amino acids that your body needs–other forms of protein, especially vegetable sources, are incomplete and thus less-concentrated sources of protein. For best results, We recommend that bodybuilders strive to take in some form of animal protein at almost every meal. Among the best meat choices are chicken and turkey breast, as well as lean cuts of red meat.

11 Eat Both Fatty & Low-Fat Fish

Fish, an excellent source of protein, should be consumed regularly by bodybuilders. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are high in healthy fats, others are low in fat altogether. Unlike other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to bodybuilders. Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits, among them fat loss. Fish that are lower in fat, such as tilapia, also make an excellent source of protein. All bodybuilders, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals, should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least twice a week.

12 Dairy & Eggs Are Good Protein Sources

Eggs are a versatile, easy-to-cook and easy-to-consume protein source. They’re also relatively inexpensive. Eat just the egg whites if you’re seeking a low-calorie protein source. Use the yolks when you want the benefits of healthy fats, lecithin and other nutrients. Eggs can be boiled in bulk, they’re easily transported, and they make fine between-meal fare. As do eggs, dairy products provide many dietary options. First and foremost, milk proteins–casein and whey–have innumerable nutritional benefits. Nonfat milk is an excellent, cheap and readily available source of protein, calcium and other nutrients. Cottage cheese is the casein fraction of milk and an outstanding bodybuilding protein–you can find low- or nonfat varieties that are relatively inexpensive. Unsweetened yogurt is also a good protein source, and it contains beneficial bacteria to help support the immune system and improve digestive efficiency.

13 Use Grains & Starches As Appropriate

Some bodybuilders shy away from grains such as brown rice and whole-wheat products because they are mostly carbohydrates. Others include liberal portions of pasta, cereal and bread in their diets. In general, you should include grains, but pay attention to how they affect your physique. Some bodybuilders can eat them every day with little consequence. Others need to carefully monitor the quantity they take in. Regardless, all bodybuilders should opt for whole-grain varieties over processed grains.

14 Eat Vegetables Every Day

Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of bodybuilding nutrition. Many bodybuilders are rigorous about their protein and complex carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and variety of vegetables. Bodybuilders should strive to take in five or six servings every day. To meet your needs, include more than one serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other bodybuilding foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body more efficiently process a high-protein diet.
15 Fruit Provides Nutrients & Fiber

Many bodybuilders skimp on fruit, just as they do with vegetables. Fruit is an excellent source of fiber, carbs, antioxidants and numerous other nutrients. Most fruits are a slow-digesting carb source. Fruit also supplies nutrients that are hard to come by from other bodybuilding food sources. Eat a range of fruits, taking in two or more pieces or servings a day. Fruit makes a great preworkout carb source.

Part Two: Supplemental Advice

Supplements are a key component of your bodybuilding nutrition strategy, but they’re only one component. If you keep that in mind, you can get a tremendous edge from supplementation.

16 Supplement Intelligently

Supplements are a tool to help you achieve your goals. They are not magic pills and potions that will grant your physique wishes. You must use supplements intelligently, with reasonable expectations of what they can do for you. You still have to train and rigorously follow your diet. If you do the hard work and use supplements as they’re designed, then you’ll get the benefits that you seek from them.

17 Use Protein Supplements

Take a protein supplement at least once a day on rest days and twice a day on workout days. If you choose a product from a good manufacturer, this practice can give you an extra 40-80 g of protein per day, and it will help bring you into compliance with our standard protein recommendation (at least 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily). It’s often enough to cause acceleration in muscle growth, usually noticeable within four months. It’s especially important to follow this formula when dieting. Higher protein needs and restricted caloric intake make a protein supplement essential. Take about 20 g of protein powder, such as whey, within 30 minutes before workouts and about 40 g immediately after workouts. On rest days, consume at least one 40 g protein shake between meals.

18 Take Creatine

Supplementing with creatine can provide bodybuilders with tremendous benefits, including faster recovery from intense weight training, decreased postexercise muscle soreness and increases in muscle mass and strength. Take 3-5 g of creatine immediately before and after workouts.

19 Try Beta-Alanine

This amino acid combines with histidine in the muscle to form carnosine. Muscles with higher carnosine have more strength and endurance. Research shows that bodybuilders taking beta-alanine in addition to creatine gain significantly more muscle than those taking just creatine. Take 1-2 g immediately before and after workouts.

20 Use A Multivitamin Pack

Take a multi with breakfast and dinner each and every day for insurance. Being low in any vitamin can cause breaks in the blueprint of muscle construction. A fast-food world combined with the demands of bodybuilding training can leave you short of a host of micronutrients. That’s bad when you consider that many of them are needed for the things an ironhead is most interested in, such as building muscle and burning bodyfat.

21 Mix Your Antioxidants

Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anticatabolic effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense exercise. In your antioxidant regimen, include our top candidates: 400-800 international units of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 200 micrograms of selenium. Get the rest from your daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

22 Take Glutamine

Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, glutamine is not only one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most important for bodybuilders. If you are overly stressed from dieting or training, supplementing with glutamine allows your body to maintain its storage supply of glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing overall muscular growth and recovery. It is also now known to boost growth hormones and metabolic rate. Take 5-10 g of glutamine with breakfast, before and after workouts and before bed.

23 Add Arginine

Try adding arginine to your supplement mix. Arginine, a conditionally essential amino acid, has long been used by bodybuilders for aiding GH release. Studies suggest it speeds wound healing, which isn’t too far removed from what happens in the body after a workout. Arginine also improves blood flow by converting to nitric oxide in the body and enhances the growth and strength of muscles. Take 3-5 g of arginine before breakfast, 30-60 minutes prior to training and 30-60 minutes before bed.

24 Maximize Your Minerals

Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any once-per-day multivitamin, you’ll notice a “mineral gap”–a place where certain minerals should be listed. Even if they’re included, most multis contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value of calcium, magnesium and potassium. Calcium is important for fat-burning metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn’t cut it. Correct the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium (or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium, and several servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium as well as other micronutrients).

25 Try Tyrosine

Give the amino acid tyrosine a try to prevent burnout caused by lack of sleep, stress and/or the use of thermogenic supplements. Taking 1-4 g of it early in the day is recommended. In studies using military personnel as subjects, tyrosine was shown to increase performance under stress. It is a precursor to fat-burning hormones that stimulate norepinephrine.

26 Don’t Omit Omega-3s

Take a high-potency omega-3 fatty acid supplement such as fish oil. The omega-3s in fish oil capsules (EPA and DHA) are more potent than the one in flaxseed oil at stimulating fat metabolism, reducing muscle catabolism, reducing wear and tear on the joints and improving mood and cognitive performance. Take 1-3 g of fish oil with breakfast and dinner.

27 Take ZMA

ZMA is a specifically formulated combination of zinc and magnesium. The benefits of ZMA supplementation include improved recovery due to enhanced sleep efficiency and increased anabolic hormone levels, as well as greater gains in muscle strength and power. For best results, take ZMA on an empty stomach 30-60 minutes before bedtime. Follow label recommendations for dosage.

28 Repair With Glucosamine & Chondroitin

Glucosamine is the major building block of the solid parts of cartilage. Chondroitin is a major component of connective tissue, especially cartilage. Often, these two ingredients are combined in one supplement. Bodybuilders should use glucosamine and chondroitin for joint injuries, and for prevention. Take 1,500 to 2,000 mg of glucosamine and 800 to 1,200 mg of chondroitin each day. Split that amount into a morning and evening dose.

29 Take Branched-Chain Amino Acids

Branched-chain amino acids, also called BCAAs, include leucine, isoleucine and valine. These three aminos, particularly leucine, are known to literally act like a key that turns on muscle growth processes within muscle fibers. Supplement with 5-10 g at breakfast, before and after training sessions and with a nighttime meal.

30 Vitamin C Can Revitalize You

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps in the synthesis of hormones, amino acids and collagen. It also protects immune-system cells from damage and allows them to work more efficiently. The body cannot store vitamin C, so it must be frequently supplemented. Multivitamins contain C, but additional supplementation will ensure that you don’t have a deficit. Take 1,000-2,000 mg per day.

31 Vitamin E Is Excellent

This antioxidant is especially protective of body tissues. Vitamin E acts as a preservative that prevents many substances from destructive breakdown in the body. Vitamin E also prolongs the life of red blood cells and is necessary for the proper use of oxygen by the muscles. Bodybuilders should supplement with 400-1,200 IU per day. Take 400 IU of E with breakfast and another 400-800 IU with your postworkout shake.

32 Go For Green Tea

You can drink green tea and take it as a supplement for boosting metabolic rate to enhance fat burning and for a plethora of health benefits, such as improved joint recovery. The research shows that the active ingredient in green tea–epigallocatechin gallate–is better absorbed as a supplement than tea. Take about 500 mg of green tea extract before meals two or three times per day and drink green tea as desired.

Part Three: Tricks Of The Trade

These strategies will help you implement programs for your particular goals.

33 Eat A Large Breakfast

Bodybuilding diets always recommend a substantial breakfast loaded with protein and complex carbs. Whether you’re cutting bodyfat or building muscle mass, a large breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, providing you with the calories and nutrients you need to get your day started and keep you going.

34 Eat Several Meals Each Day

All bodybuilders should eat as many meals as possible, striving for a minimum of five a day on rest days and seven on workout days. Eating multiple meals serves many functions. It provides your body with a constant stream of micro- and macronutrients to facilitate the muscle-building process. A continuous supply of calories helps keep your metabolic rate revved up so that you are more likely to use that energy instead of storing it as bodyfat.

35 Take In Protein At Each Meal

In addition to eating several times a day, it’s a good idea to stay focused on your protein consumption at each meal. By making certain that you take in a minimum of 20 g of protein at each meal, it will be easier to get your daily total of at least 1 g per pound of bodyweight. As an additional benefit, the steady flow of aminos this provides will help prevent your body from burning muscle tissue.

36 Add A Small PreWorkout Meal

The word used to be that you should train on an empty stomach. Research has shown that a small meal, preferably 20 g of protein in a shake, such as whey, and about 20-40 g of slow-burning carbs, like fruit, taken right before training (15 to 30 minutes), will enhance energy for the workout and aid postworkout recovery and growth.

37 Take In Simple Carbs & Protein PostTraining

Postworkout is one of the most crucial nutritional windows. At that point, your body needs fast-digesting carbs–50 to 100 g, depending on your size, diet and workout–to replenish glycogen stores depleted by weight training and to increase water uptake and protein synthesis. By adding 40 to 60 g of protein immediately after a workout, you provide your body with the raw building materials for repairing and constructing new muscle mass. A protein shake with simple carbs is ideal at this time because it’s easily digested.

38 Eat A Large Solid-Food Meal Shortly After A PostTraining Meal

We think of the posttraining meal as two-tiered. First comes the liquid protein recovery drink and fast carbs (mentioned previously); second, an hour later, comes a large solid-food meal high in protein. If you’re in a mass-building phase, you can consume a significant quantity of slow-digesting carbs at this meal (60 g or more) from such foods as brown rice, sweet potatoes and whole-wheat pasta. If you’re in a cutting phase, you’re better off sticking to vegetables and smaller portions of slower-burning carbs (25 to 50 g). In addition to breakfast, this is one of the most important meals of the day because it helps recovery and enhances growth.

39 Reduce Carb Consumption At Later Meals

Just as we recommend that you take in most of your carbohydrates early in the day and around your workout, we also recommend that you taper off on carbohydrate consumption as the day progresses. Later in the day, especially after your postworkout meals, you have less need for energy-producing calories and they can easily get stored as fat.

40 Boost Protein Before Bedtime

One of the best ways to prevent your body from tapping into muscle stores for energy is to take in a moderate amount of protein shortly before going to bed at night. Twenty to 50 g of slow-digesting protein, consumed before going to sleep, will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to repair and build muscles. A casein protein shake is ideal before bedtime; a good alternative is cottage cheese.

41 Time Mineral-Supplement Intake

It’s important to consider the timing of some mineral supplements. Calcium can interfere with the absorption of zinc, magnesium and other minerals. To avoid this, take ZMA, preferably on an empty stomach, before going to bed. Take calcium with a solid-food meal earlier in the day–breakfast and dinner are ideal.

42 Force-Feed During Mass-Building Cycles

If you want to add size, you have to eat. You need to emphasize quality bodybuilding foods such as chicken, lean red meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, rice and potatoes, but you can also use foods and supplements that are easier to get down. This is an excellent time to consume mass-gaining beverages such as protein shakes (with or without carbs). You can even add an occasional quart of nonfat milk to your diet. Liquids make it easier for you to take in the calories you need for adding bodyweight. Casein protein shakes between meals are ideal, as research shows they make you feel less full than whey protein.

43 Keep Calories Moderate While Stripping Bodyfat

Often, bodybuilders make the mistake of reducing calories too drastically when they try to cut bodyfat. With too few calories, the body turns to available energy sources, and one of those is muscle mass, which is broken down to use for energy. If you normally eat 3,000 calories for bodyweight maintenance, you should only reduce calories to 2,700 or 2,500 for bodyfat reduction. Going lower will reduce muscle mass in addition to bodyfat.

44 Keep Food Volume Up While Stripping Bodyfat

While maintaining a moderate caloric intake, you should also eat bulky foods. Foods such as vegetables are high in volume but low in calories. (They’re also dense in nutrients.) Bulky foods help keep you full and help your body process the high-protein meals associated with bodyfat cutting phases. Eating plenty of protein and avoiding feelings of hunger are important aspects of maintaining muscle mass while stripping bodyfat.

45 Never Go Hungry

Bodybuilders, even those on bodyfat reduction diets, should learn to use the feeling of hunger as a warning sign of the need for food energy. Hunger means that your body is tapping into your muscle stores and burning them as energy. If you’re in a bodyfat-stripping phase, eat basic bodybuilding foods high in protein and complex carbs when you feel hungry. If you’re in a mass-gaining phase, you have a little more latitude–take in the foods that serve your current needs, keeping your protein requirements in mind.

46 Avoid Junk Foods & Processed Foods

The temptations are everywhere–soft drinks, fast food, chips. You must learn to cut out these obvious sugary and fatty foes (even when you’re hungry). Empty calories of all kinds dominate the American palate, especially in social situations, but successful bodybuilders know how to chew the fat without eating it. White-flour products (doughnuts, white bread, etc.) are particularly weak for your physique. Even lemonade may be more sugar than real lemon. Processed cold cuts, with their nitrates and preservatives, are far from true lean meat. Learn the difference.

47 Use Cheat Foods As Part Of Your Diet Strategy

On the surface, this may seem to contradict the previous point, but when implemented properly, it doesn’t. The mindless consumption of junk and processed foods destroys bodybuilding progress faster than almost anything else does. Judicious selection of a cheat food, however, can help keep you sane and help ensure your adherence to your overall diet strategy. Cut out junk food that you don’t crave. If you have a craving, feed the beast, but keep it moderate. If doughnuts are your thing, allow yourself a Sunday-morning Krispy Kreme. Have a slice of pizza occasionally. Just set limits and adhere to them.

48 Schedule Cheat Days

Cheat days aren’t just for mental health. They’re important for your physiological system, as well. The human body has an internal register that strives for homeostasis, the balance of all internal systems. You need to jack things up and slow things down occasionally to keep the pump primed, and that’s when cheat days come in. Schedule them to suit your needs, whether that means once a week or once a month.

49 Cycle Between High & Low Carb Days

One excellent way to keep your metabolic rate up and your body burning fat is to change the amount of carbohydrates you eat on a daily basis. Eating high carbs all the time allows your body to readily store them as bodyfat. Eating low carbs all the time encourages your body to tear down muscle tissue for energy. To get the best of both worlds–keeping your muscle while avoiding bodyfat–schedule a higher-carb day after every three to five low-carb days.

50 Use Rest Days As Nutrition Days

Often, bodybuilders think of a rest day as time away from bodybuilding. Nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t grow when you train; you grow from your training while you’re recovering. Your body can effectively recover when it’s not under assault by weights. A nontraining day is also an ideal opportunity for you to load up on bodybuilding foods, but be vigilant with your diet. Don’t take in more calories than you need. Focus on lean protein and quality slow-digesting carbs, and give yourself a huge edge in building muscle mass.

51 Plan Ahead

Sometimes work hours, school schedules or travel can disrupt your diet. Eliminate nutritional backsliding by planning ahead. Preparing meals the night before, utilizing Tupperware and carrying meal-replacement powders or protein bars with you are just a few simple tricks to help you fulfill your nutritional requirements no matter what your situation demands. Some experienced bodybuilders cook a week’s worth of meals in one night, so that they’ll be ready to rock ‘n’ roll when time gets tight. Freezers, canned foods, microwaves, plastic storage bags, premixed supplements–these are all tools to keep you stocked with mighty meals when you’re on the go.

52 Focus On Your Diet Even More Then Your Training

In two very distinct bodybuilding populations–competitors and hardgainers–nutrition is more critical than training. Pros understand this, and they devote far more time each day to their nutrition than they do to their training. Hardgainers, unfortunately, have trouble learning this lesson. If you want to add muscle mass, you have to give your body the nutrients and calories it needs for growth. You can stimulate your muscle mass all you want, but it won’t grow if you aren’t giving it the necessary raw materials. Make nutrition priority one if you’re a hardgainer.

53 Don’t Think In Absolutes

Because bodybuilding is an extreme sport, its practitioners tend to be extreme thinkers. When it comes to training and nutrition, many bodybuilders adopt an all-or-nothing philosophy. Often, this can run counter to long-term goals. If you’re on a diet and you’re effectively stripping bodyfat, don’t try to rush the process by cutting calories or carbohydrates down to nothing. When you’re in a mass-building phase, you must force-feed your body to a certain extent, but adding thousands of calories more than you need for maintenance will only encourage bodyfat storage. If life events force you to miss a meal or two, don’t beat yourself up about it. The negative hormone response you generate from stressing out is far more harmful to your overall goals than a lost opportunity to take in 500 calories.

54 Increase Calories Gradually When Entering A Mass-Building Phase

One mistake many bodybuilders make when they enter a mass-building phase is to add too many calories too quickly. If you’re eating 3,000 calories a day for bodyweight maintenance, and you want to increase your calorie consumption to 4,000 to add more muscle mass, the most effective strategy is to do so in increments of 300-500 calories. Allow your body to adapt to this new caloric level for seven to 10 days before bumping up calories a second time. This slow approach to increasing calories allows your body to more effectively use this additional energy rather than storing it as bodyfat.

55 Listen To Your Body

We’re not all alike. Individual bodies handle nutrients differently. For instance, some people are lactose intolerant (can’t digest milk properly), and others could drink a dairy’s worth of milk without discomfort. If a particular food or supplement doesn’t agree with your body, back off and try something similar that’s compatible. Find what works best for your body and stick with it. Learn to trust yourself.

56 Choose Protein Sources That Work Best For You

Learn what protein foods give you the best results. Some bodybuilders swear by red meat, saying they feel stronger when they eat it, perhaps because of the iron, zinc, creatine, etc., it contains. Others prefer fish or chicken, saying they have trouble digesting red meat. Choose the protein sources that work best for you, and use the same logic in making your other nutritional choices, as well.

57 Learn To Read Labels Correctly

Watch for deceptive practices (sometimes “low fat” and “low in sugar” don’t mean what you think they do) by reading the fine print closely. Know the differences between the types of carbohydrates listed on panels, and keep in mind that not every calorie is created equal. Do the math. Pay attention to the number of servings per package, as well as the breakdown of macronutrients, and how the nutritional information adds up. Get the label lingo down.

58 Don’t Use Bodyweight As Your Primary Guide

Unless you’re angling to make a certain weight class for a competition, don’t put too much stock in bodyweight to gauge progress. Goals are important, and sometimes if you aim to lose or gain a specific number of pounds, bodyweight can provide some clear-cut guidance. Ultimately, however, bodybuilders concern themselves with body composition and appearance more than with what the scale tells them. We advise you do the same. Use a mirror or bodyfat measurements (although these can be misleading sometimes, too) to judge your progress. That’s how the big boys do it. Also, ask for help, but only trust the eyes of a friend who will tell you the truth, not one who will tell you what you want to hear.

59 Don’t Avoid Salt

Some bodybuilders follow a low-sodium diet all the time. But that can work against you. Sodium is essential for muscle function. It also is critical for creatine uptake into muscle cells. Don’t overdo it by salting every meal, but don’t go out of your way to keep every meal low in sodium.

60 Reduce Unwanted Fat During Cooking

Besides careful food selection, the best way to control the amount of fat you’re taking in is through careful preparation. Avoid adding unwanted fats to the foods you’re preparing. Also, trim off all visible fat and blot off grease and oil from cooked foods. Grilling is a better option than frying, as the fat drips off.

61 Keep It Clean

Food poisoning is one of the quickest ways to undo weeks of bodybuilding gains. Make certain that the food you’re taking in is the best quality. Check expiration dates on everything that you buy. Thoroughly cook all meats so that harmful bacteria are destroyed. Thoroughly wash surfaces with bleach or other cleaning solutions so that you don’t contaminate cooked or ready-to-eat foods.

62 Remember That Everything Works But Nothing Works Forever!! Change it up guys.

All these fitness tips and strategies are designed to give you an advantage over what you were previously doing. But your body seeks homeostasis, and when you continue to do the same thing for an extended period, your body will eventually acclimate to it. Once you plateau, it’s time to change things. Move on to your next strategy or phase. Live fit, be fit, ABFITT........

How To Use Carbs Wisely, To Build Muscle Burn Fat and Make Weight

2011-10-04T15:21:00.004-04:00

Photo credit: World Middleweight Champion
and top three Pound for pound
Sergio Martinez

Use Carbohydrates Wisely for results:

Carbs are extremely important when trying to build serious size. Your body needs to know you have an energy surplus to grow muscle efficiently. Stocking up with glycogen (the storage form of carbs) signals that your body has an energy surplus, turning on your anabolic switch. Plus, glycogen pulls water into the muscles, making them fuller. Glycogen also supports the stretching of muscle fiber membranes, which results in more complete growth and better long-term results.

On workout days, consume 2-to-3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight. And on rest days, drop your carbs to 1-to-1.5 grams, since you won't be burning up carbs in the gym.

Timing carb consumption relative to your workouts is important as well. Within 30 minutes of the start of your workout, along with your whey shake, consume 20-to-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs such as oatmeal or whole-wheat bread. Slow-digesting carbs provide longer-lasting energy than fast carbs do. Plus, they don't spike your insulin levels. Controlled insulin levels means the ability to control weight.

Within 30 minutes after the workout, along with your protein shake, you'll want to consume another 40-to-100 grams of carbs. This time, however, you want fast-digesting carbs such as white bread, Vitargo S2, sorbet, or fat-free candy. The spike these carbs cause in insulin levels not only helps to quickly replenish muscle glycogen, but it also boosts protein synthesis and blunts cortisol levels.

My favorite form of post-workout carbs is dextrose by Now foods. Dextrose is basically glucose, the form of sugar your body uses. That means when you consume dextrose your body doesn't have to digest it. Instead, it absorbs immediately into your blood stream and heads straight to your muscles. a very good thing.

The Ultimet Guide to Female Fitness.....

2011-09-30T11:11:00.003-04:00

It is clear that women do not have the hormonal support (testosterone) to gain muscle mass like men. Therefore, the fear of becoming big and bulky and looking like those huge guys you stay clear of at your gym is unwarranted. The hormone testosterone is responsible for the large increases in muscle mass seen when men lift weights.
Women’s testosterone levels are a fraction of men’s testosterone levels. Normal testosterone levels in men are 200-1200 ng/dl while 15-70 ng/dl are normal in women. As you can see, men’s testosterone levels are SIGNIFICANTLY higher than women’s. Now you may be saying, “I have seen some female bodybuilders who are very muscular and look similar to men in their build.” The real reason they look like that is they are most-likely using exogenous testosterone injections and/or other anabolic steroids.

Studies have shown that men and women do not need to train differently.

If you are a woman and want to gain muscle and improve your shape and curves, then you are going to have to lift heavy weights. This means that instead doing endless reps with light weights, as the media often prescribes women to do, you need to lift some heavy weights and really challenge yourself! While performing high rep sets (15-20 reps) does have some benefit, it is not optimal to adding muscle mass.
Here is a very vague overview of rep ranges:

1-5 reps = Strength
6-12 = Hypertrophy
12+ = Endurance

That is very superficial overview of rep ranges as there is a lot of crossover of adaptations between rep ranges. For example, many people grow lifting solely in the 1-5 rep range and 12+ rep range. But it gives you an idea of the weight you need to lift to grow; a weight that you can complete for at least 6 reps but not more than 12 reps.
Diet & Nutrition

Men and women do not need to train differently to see results, but what about diet? Should women eat differently than men? Not really. Men’s and women’s metabolisms are very similar except that women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men. This may be one of the reasons women do well on lower carb diets. The main thing that needs to be adjusted is one’s total caloric intake. Women need fewer calories than men because men have more muscle mass and less fat (relative to total bodyweight) than women. The amount of protein, carbs, and fat will be dictated by the amount of calories one eats.

We have shown that women do not need to train or diet much differently than men. Then why do we always see women in gym performing hours of cardio and lifting the lightest dumbbells in the gym for endless reps?

This is most-likely due to not being informed, or even misinformed (by the media), about how women should train. What about diet? One of the most common breakfast meals recommended to women is yogurt and a banana. Now there is nothing wrong with eating a yogurt and banana, but where is the protein and essential fatty acids? If you are a woman trying to gain lean muscle, you will need to eat adequate protein and good fats (essential fatty acids). It is time to stop listening to the media and misinformed individuals and time to become educated and get results. In this article, we will go over some basic diet and training information and then direct you to where YOU can get diet and training help and direction!

Dieting for Women — General Guidelines

Before we get into the recommended diets for women trying to lose fat and gain lean muscle, let’s go over some general diet guidelines.

Calorie Control

The biggest factor in a diet is calories in versus calories out; your total calories will determine if you lose or gain weight. Eating too many calories will lead to fat gain. But if you don’t eat enough calories you will not gain lean muscle. Setting a target calorie intake and counting the amount of calories you eat each day is vital to losing fat and gaining lean muscle.
Macronutrient Manipulation

While your total caloric intake is the most important diet factor, the ratio of protein to carbs to fat can dictate whether the weight you gain/lose is muscle or fat. A diet that contains 80% of calories from carbs, 10% from protein, and 10% from fat will produce different results than a diet containing 40% of calories from carbs, 40% from protein, and 20% from fat.
Stay Hydrated

You should drink plenty of water every day. Try to drink at least eight glasses (or 64 oz.) of water per day. The benefits drinking water provides are optimal hydration as well as a feeling of “fullness” without added calories. Sometimes people will mistake thirst for hunger. Because of this, staying hydrated can also prevent overeating.
Quality Control

Choose fresh, wholesome foods over pre-packaged, processed foods. Packaged foods are loaded with preservatives, especially sodium and saturated fats, and often have high amounts of sugars, such as high fructose corn syrup.

You will be amazed at how fast you can lose fat just by packing meals from home rather than purchasing fast food or packaged foods. You also will save a lot of money!

Insulin Control

Insulin is the “storage” hormone. When it is secreted fat burning is blunted. By controlling insulin secretion by choosing low GI carbs you can decrease fat gain/increase fat loss. Stable blood sugar levels also improve energy levels and ones mood. All of our diets as based around insulin control, leading to leaner muscle gains with little to no fat gain.
Adequate Protein

In order to gain lean muscle you need to eat enough protein to sustain the creation of new muscle proteins. You may not be used to eating the amount of protein our prescribed diet recommends, but once you get into the groove you should not have any problems and will enjoy how full and satisfied you feel.
Essential Fats

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are vital to the proper functioning on your body. Dietary fats got a bad rap due to the diet fads of the 80’s and 90’s, which promoted eating as little fat as possible, but in reality EFAs are needed by the body and are part of a healthy diet. Eating fats does not equate to getting fat. In fact, most EFAs help support the fat burning process and maintaining a lean body. Do not be scared to eat good fats. EFAs are not the enemy. Also, be sure to supplement with a QUALITY EFA product, such as Scivation Essential FA.

Women do not need to diet much differently than men. One metabolic difference between men and women is women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men, which is the reason why women tend to do very well on a low carb diet. Due to this fact we recommend women follow a low-carb (not no carb) diet to lose fat and gain toned, lean muscle.

Curve Appeal—Exercises to Help Add Sexy Curves

What is the most common thing you see women do in the gym? Cardio. And if they do lift weights the pick up a 5 pound dumbbell and do endless reps. As we have discussed, women need to lift heavy, challenging weights just like men in order to gain muscle. While machines do provide sufficient stimulation to gain muscle, nothing can beat free-weight/compound exercises.

Now, we will go over a few free-weight and compound exercises that we will incorporate in the weight training presented.

Deadlifts

Deadlifts are a full body exercise, meaning it stimulates just about every muscle in the body. Deadlifts hit the legs, back, traps, abs, obliques, etc. Deadlifts are a must for building a fully developed body. If you don’t do them, you are selling your results short.
Squats

Squats are perhaps the most effective exercise you can do for overall leg development. Free-weight barbell squats are a compound exercise that hits the entire upper leg, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Like deadlifts, if you don’t squat you are selling yourself short. These are a must for sexy, toned legs.
Lunges

Lunges are great for targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. Lunges will help tighten up your legs and butt and give you the curves you want.
Pull-Ups

Pull-ups work the muscles of the back, biceps, and forearms. Most gyms have an assisted pull-up machine, so if you cannot do pull-ups with your bodyweight, this machine will allow you to do pull-ups with less than your bodyweight.
Dips

Dips work the muscles of the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Dips are a great exercise for overall upper body development, especially the shoulders and triceps.
Most gyms have an assisted dip machine, so if you cannot do dips with your bodyweight, this machine will allow you to do dips with less than your bodyweight.

Exercise Tips: Form Over Ego!

We cannot stress enough how important it is to maintain strict form on all movements. This means stabilizing your body and contracting your abs so you isolate the primary intended muscles. For example, when doing a standing barbell curl, tighten your abs and do not rock or swing the weight. By tightening your abs, you stabilize your body and prevent momentum. This will also help condition your abs and save your lower back from injury.
Warm-Up Properly

You should perform 1-3 warm-ups sets before working a given muscle group. For example, I you are going to bench press 85 lbs for your work sets then do a warm-up set with 45 lbs (just the bar) and then a set with 65 lbs before trying to bench press 85 lbs.
Rest, Don’t Nap, Between Sets

We recommend 60-120 seconds of rest periods between sets. This allows your body to recover some of its expended ATP but is not so long that you lose the flow of the workout. Remember, the goal is to get in and out of the weight room in 30-45 minutes.
What if I Miss a Workout?

If you miss a workout, simply work your schedule so you get back on track. Do not skip a workout! You have three off days per week. If you miss Tuesday’s workout then try to do it on Wednesday and then get back on your normal schedule.

You now have a complete 12-week workout program. Next we are going to discuss a topic that will interest all women, why do trouble areas of fat exist?

Tricep, Thigh & Booty Fat: Why “Trouble Areas” Exist

Most women have “trouble areas” or places on the body where the most fat is stored and it is difficult to get rid of. In most women these areas are primarily the thighs, glutes (butt), and in some women the triceps (back of the arms) and “love handles”. After dieting to lose weight and tone up these trouble areas the last thing you want to do is regain excess fat. If you don’t keep your diet clean and controlled you will gain fat, and it will most likely be in these trouble areas. We will go over why these trouble areas exist and then outline a plan to keep these trouble areas lean and sexy while adding lean mass.

Simply put, some areas in the body have more receptors that block fat breakdown than receptors that increase fat breakdown. In men, these areas are the lower abs and love handles. In women, they are the thighs and butt. We will discuss the physiological factors controlling fat loss and then go over a stubborn-fat cardio protocol and then beneficial supplements for losing stubborn fat.

Stored Triglycerides—Body Fat We Want to LOSE

While all cells contain some fat, it is mainly stored in muscle (intramuscular triglycerides) and in adipose tissue (body fat). Adipose tissue is the body’s main fat storage site and the fat we all want to lose. Adipose tissue is divided into individual cells called adipocytes. These adipocytes hold stored triglyceride (1 glycerol molecule bonded to 3 fatty acids) droplets, which serve as a source of energy for the body. These droplets make up 95% of adipocytes’ volume. In order for this storage of potential energy (60,000-100,000 kcal) to be used and to LOSE BODYFAT (everyone’s goal), it must be mobilized through lipolysis (the breakdown of triglycerides).

Lipolysis involves splitting the triglycerides into a glycerol molecule and 3 separate fatty acids (FFA). Once the fatty acids diffuse (exit) from the adipocytes, they bind to plasma albumin (a protein in the blood) in order to be transported to active tissues where they can be burned. In order to lose body fat, the fatty acids must be burned!

Transport of FFA to be Burned!

Blood flow is of prime importance to the transportation of FFA away from adipocytes and through the circulation to active tissues where they can be burned. This is especially important during exercise where energy requirements are heightened.

Low blood flow could cause the accumulation of FFA within adipose tissue resulting in less available FFA to be oxidized and a greater chance of FFA to be turned back into triglycerides. It has been found that the stubborn fat areas (thighs and butt) have poor blood flow. Therefore in order to get rid of stubborn fat we must increase blood flow. What is the best way to increase blood flow? Exercise! In addition to this certain supplements can also increase blood flow (more on this later). Increasing blood flow throughout the body will assist in losing weight by transporting FFA to where they can be burned.
FFA Oxidation—Burning Body Fat

When the FFAs reach muscle tissue, they are transported into a muscle cell. Once in the muscle cell, the FFAs can re-esterfy (rebind) with glycerol to form triglycerides to be stored in the muscle or bind with intramuscular proteins to be used for energy production in the mitochondria. In the mitochondria, the fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation, meaning they are burned for energy.

We want the FFAs to be burned in the mitochondria. Increasing energy demands through exercise is the best way to accomplish but there are supplements that can help give you an extra boost.

Summary Thus Far

Stubborn fat areas are caused by a high density of Alpah2 receptors and poor blood flow
Lipolysis must be increased in order for FFAs to be burned
Blood flow to adipose tissue and transportation of FFAs away from adipose tissue is vital to fat loss
FFAs must be BURNED to body fat loss to occur
Exercise is the best way to increase blood flow to adipose tissue, transportation of FFAs, and oxidation of FFAs

Knowing these facts allows us to choose supplements that will assist in burning through stubborn fat. The next chapter will go over a cardio protocol that can help burn stubborn fat and then go over some supplements to help burn fat in stubborn areas.

The Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol

We learned that NE/E activate the receptors that stimulate lipolysis (fat breakdown). Research shows that NE/E secretion increases with exercise intensity. In addition, as cardio duration increases fat utilization increases while carbohydrate utilization decreases. So we need to perform high-intensity cardio for a long duration of time to maximize fat burning. The only problem is one cannot maintain high-intensity cardio for a long duration.
So how can we overcome this while maximizing fat loss?

By doing the following: 10-15 minutes HIIT followed by 15-30 minutes of Low-Intensity Cardio.

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is training where you alternate between intervals of high-intensity and low-intensity exercise. An example would be sprinting all-out for 100 meters then walking for 100 meters then repeating. One cannot sprint at full intensity for a prolonged time because sprinting and any other form of high-intensity cardio utilizes the anaerobic energy systems, specifically the Phosphocreatine system, which power short-term activity. After going all out, one must rest and give the Phosphocreatine system time to “recharge”. Additionally after sprinting all-out a couple times you are going to start feeling fatigued. After 10 sprints you are pretty much worn out. While you might not be able to sprint at full speed anymore you can still walk and jog as the intensity is not as high as sprinting and other uses the aerobic energy systems.

Knowing this we can setup a cardio program to maximize fat burning:

15 seconds all out followed by 45 seconds of low-intensity cardio
Repeat 10-15 times.
15-30 minutes of low-intensity cardio

This cardio could be done on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, running track, etc. We usually recommend the elliptical machine as it is low impact and easy to change speeds. We also recommend doing the Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol separate from weight training, either first thing in the morning (if training in the evening) or on off days from the gym. To start, we recommend doing the Stubborn Fat Cardio Protocol 2-4 times per week.

In addition, you can perform low-intensity cardio post-workout or on off days if Stubborn Fat Cardio is done on weight training days. This is optional, but will speed up fat loss. We recommend having at least one day a week completely off from all exercise.

Conclusion and Summary of Main Points

We have gone over a lot of information and hopefully helped you understand the way women need to diet and train in order to gain lean muscle and lose fat. To make things easy, we will now summarize the main points of this Women’s Bible.

Women will not get big and bulky from lifting weights, but instead lose fat and gain lean, toned muscles.
Women should lift weights just like men.
Women do not need to diet differently than men, but need to calculate their needed caloric intake based on their weight.
Women burn a greater ratio of fat to carbs than men and tend to do well on low-carb diets.
Calorie Control, Macronutrient Manipulation, Staying Hydrated, Eating Quality Foods, Insulin Control, Eating Adequate Protein and Essential Fats are all vital to a healthy diet and gaining lean muscle.
Stubborn fat areas are caused by a high density of Alpha2 receptors and poor blood flow.
Lipolysis must be increased in order for FFAs to be burned
Blood flow to adipose tissue and transportation of FFAs away from adipose tissue is vital to fat loss.
FFAs must be BURNED to body fat loss to occur.
Exercise is the best way to increase blood flow to adipose tissue, transportation of FFAs, and oxidation of FFAs.
The Stubborn Fat Cardio and Supplement Protocols are great ways to get rid of stubborn fat.
The Xtend + VasoCharge stack is the Ultimate Workout Nutrition Stack, making sugary sports drinks obsolete.
Consistency is the key to success. Create a workout schedule and diet and stick to it!

There you have it! It is time to put all this information to action and gain the sexy muscle and curves you’ve always wanted. Time to get your hottest body ever!

Rich Fit / Fit Tips

2011-09-29T17:42:00.002-04:00

Fit tips / supplements..

Here are two to add to your list.

GoJi berries

Why do people use goji berries?
Goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China, Tibet and India to:

* protect the liver
* help eyesight
* improve sexual function and fertility
* strengthen the legs
* boost immune function
* improve circulation
* promote longevity

Goji berries are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. One of zeaxanthin's key roles is to protect the retina of the eye by absorbing blue light and acting as an antioxidant. In fact, increased intake of foods containing zeathanthin may decrease the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over the age of 65.

In recent years, goji juice has become popular as a health beverage. Companies marketing goji juice often mention the unsupported claim that a man named Li Qing Yuen consumed goji berries daily and lived to be 252 years old.

Salba seed-

Omega 3s, Fiber, Antioxidants, & Much More...

Salba is the richest whole food source of Omega 3 fatty acids and fiber found in nature. Gram for gram, Salba provides eight times more Omega 3s than salmon, four times more fiber than flax, six times more calcium than whole milk, 30 percent more antioxidants than blueberries, and much more. Salba is all-natural, has no trans-fats, very few carbohydrates, and is certified Non-GMO, Vegan, Kosher, and Gluten-Free for those who suffer from celiac disease.

Ask AbFitt: How Do I Get Ripped?

2011-09-26T20:27:00.002-04:00

Ask AbFitt: How Do I Get Ripped?

Question submitted by Bill Shefferd
Princeton NJ:

I run 10k every other day and I do an hour of BodyPump on the opposite days. I eat well around 85% of the time, sticking to foods like oatmeal, egg whites, chicken breasts, whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, apples, oranges and almonds. I am lean & fit but NOT ripped and have very little muscle. I want to look good in my clothes and ripped when they come off!
What can I do to get ripped, really RIPPED? Naturally?

AbFitt- I've seen trouble like this before. I'm no detective, but this sounds like a case of "Skinny-Fat-itis" caused by excessive cardio and a lack of lifting! If you train religiously & eat good foods, but don't have a (ripped & muscular) body, you might need to pound the pavement less and move iron more. I know it's hard to hear, but there's no way you can maintain a lot of muscle running 10k every other day followed by an hour of BodyPump on opposite days.

Even though BodyPump classes utilize weights, BodyPump includes a significant cardiovascular component. Cardio is important for fat loss, but eventually you have to be careful that you don't do too much.

Listen: performing too much cardio can be counterproductive to your ripped goals!

With excessive cardio every day, you'll start burning muscle as opposed to losing fat, and the end result will be that skinny-fat, long-distance-runner look. It doesn't sound like this is the ripped, lean physique you want. I've seen many people train this way. Most of them get that stringy look and end up with considerable amounts of fat on their bodies.

So, what's the solution?
Less Cardio, More Iron

First, cut your cardio in half and incorporate more weight-training in your weekly routine. You should be weight-training at least 3 to 4 times per week, which will allow you to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. Weight-training is one of the most important components in getting ripped.

The extra muscle tissue you gain will burn fat. Why? Muscle tissue uses almost three times as many calories as fat, even while resting! If you add 2 to 5 pounds of muscle through weight-training, you can expect to burn up to 100 more calories per day. Muscle is the key to getting lean!This goes for the ladies as well. Don't think you can get the body you want without lifting some serious iron. News flash!!! You can't! No pill, no food, no cardio will do what one hr of some weight training will. Case closed!

Timing Is Everything

There are also different theories on when you should do cardio. For fat loss, should it be before you lift or after?

The answer lies in a study conducted at the University of Tsuken (Japan), published in Medicin & Science. The study used ten 23-year old male students. The students had to cycle for 60 minutes at 50 percent of their V02 max. They cycled before they weight-trained and after they weight-trained on two separate days.

The male subjects lost more fat doing cardio after they lifted instead of before! Researchers attributed the increased fat loss to heightened levels of adrenalin and noradrenalin after resistance training. You also have a higher GH (growth hormone) peak after you lift weights, which is another significant advantage to post-workout cardio. Growth hormone typically stimulates fat burning annd muscle recovery.

FAT BURNING

Although weight-training and the right amount of cardio is important to overall fat loss, you still have to eat the right fat-burning foods.

One of my favorite fat-burning foods that can also help you slowly build muscle is oatmeal. Oatmeal is a great fat-burner food, but watch out for heavy sugar in the single-serving packages.

Another fat-burning favorite is chicken breast. Make sure when purchasing a chicken breast that it is lean with minimal fat. I also like egg whites, which are great for dieting and losing weight. Last is asparaguss, a great fat-burning food. It has natural diuretic effects and contains a chemical called asparagine, an amino acidd that directly affects the cells and breaks down fat.

If you can incorporate all of these essentials - nutrition, resistance training and proper cardio timing - you can overcome Skinny-Fat-itis and turn yourself into a ticket stub: ripped, really ripped!

Cardio & Carb Cycling For Fat loss

2011-09-26T14:57:00.001-04:00

We all want to make changes to our bodies, and the single biggest change people say they want is to drop body fat. This may be in preparation for a competition or photo shoot, or simply to look and feel better in the skin they’re in. Once the desire to lose that fat is there, many people make the mistake of making drastic changes to achieve quick results. But quick results usually don’t come, frustration does instead – no matter how hard they train, or the many hours doing cardio, the unwanted fat remains. I always used to tell my clients that ‘you can’t force fat, only coax it’, because the simple truth is that when the body faces drastic changes in either diet or training , it enters a state of alert. This is when the body quickly locks tight its fat stores, which can be thought of as the body’s survival energy tanks, and instead breaks down energy stored in muscle to become its fuel. Not the kind of weight you want to be losing!

Unfortunately, there is no quick-fix that will lose you 10 lbs of fat in as many days – if you did manage to lose that amount of weight in those days, most of it will be water, some will be muscle, and a very small amount may actually be fat. In this situation, you’d be sacrificing muscle solely in order to drop a few pounds – and then in all likelihood put those pounds back on within a few weeks, but not in the shape of muscle, as your body would retain more water due to the water lost, and you’d have a slower metabolism due to loss of muscle.

So what’s the answer? Well, there is a combination of cardio and dieting that will allow you to lose the fat, but keep all your hard-earned muscle. A realistic timescale, depending on how much body fat you want to lose, is anywhere between 10 and 16 weeks. This may seem like a lifetime, but just think how long it took to build up your new muscle. It also took time to put on all that fat, and it’s going to take some time to shed that fat too. But with this approach, the loss will be gradual and manageable, plus you’ll be able to keep it off without having lost much muscle. Now that’s got to be worth something, hasn’t it?

Well, if you’re still reading and ready to commit to losing the fat for good, then read on – this really is going to change your life!

More often than not, most of us when starting a new plan get a little over excited and change too many things at once in the hope that it will speed up fat loss. Remember what I used to tell my clients – you can’t force fat loss. The clients who saw the biggest fat losses were the ones who listened and changed one variable at a time. So I have a couple of steps for you to take, in turn.

The first step is to cut your calories from carbohydrates by no more than 25%. Dropping your carbohydrates from foods such as oats, yams, pasta and potatoes by too much will leave you feeling weak and unable to train with the intensity that the body needs to hold onto muscle tissue. A drop in total calories greater than 15% would also lower testosterone levels in men, which would also add to the muscle loss. So keep the reduction in calories from carbohydrates to no more than that 25%.

It’s important to note that the reduction in calories should only come from calories from carbohydrates, not protein or fats. As a rule of thumb, you should still be eating from 1 to 1.5 grams of complete proteins (those from meats, eggs or whey) per pound of lean body mass every day. The easiest way to do this is just to cut ¼ of your carbohydrates from each meal. Expect to lose between ½ to 1 pound of fat a week.

The next step is to add cardio work, but only when you see the loss of fat each week start to slow. Start with 30 minute sessions at 75-80% of your maximum heart rate. I’ll point out here that while a lower intensity within a 55-60% training heart rate zone would use a greater percentage of fat for fuel, working at a higher intensity can nearly double the total calories burned in the same period, meaning more fat is burned. So I recommend the higher intensity.

Gradually build your cardio up to no more than 45 minutes at that same heart rate figure. You should be doing this 5 or 6 times per week, ideally early in the morning on an empty stomach. As you will have not eaten anything in the night, you will have reduced levels of sugar available in the bloodstream – therefore your body will immediately start to tap into fat stores for fuel by doing the cardio first thing.

Remember to cap the cardio at 45 minutes, as any more time than this will affect your ability to recover from your weight workouts. This is because increased endurance work begins to reduce the main muscle fibers that are associated with growth – type 2b – and start to increase the use of type 2a fibers – the ones with less potential for growth. In short, too much time spent doing cardio will decrease testosterone levels, and leave your muscles looking flat.

The best way to maintain this high level of intensity is to use intervals that require you to work as hard as you can for 3 minutes followed by 2 minutes of recovery at a low intensity. I find this is best achieved on a stationary bike, although you can use any other piece of cardio equipment providing you can perform those intervals of high intensity followed by recovery at a lower intensity. Psychologically, performing 9 intervals of 3 minutes all-out work, each followed by a 2 minute recovery period, is easier than trying to maintain than a steady pace at that intensity for the same 45 minutes. The total number of calories burned from doing intervals rather than at a constant level is also far greater.

Let’s move on to diet rotation. Once you’ve built up to performing up to 5 to 6 cardio sessions a week, as mentioned above, you can begin the next step and bring everything together by rotating your carbohydrate intake, where the calories are low for 3 days and higher on the 4th day. Depending on the amount of body fat that you wanted to lose, you can reduce your daily intake of calories from carbohydrates by a further 25% before starting the rotational cycle, although remember that too fewer carbohydrates will leave you feeling weak and unable to recover from the weight workouts.

The advantage of rotational dieting is that you are able to burn more fat and hold on to more muscle than if you were to just stay on a low calorie diet. This is due to the muscle energy (glycogen) decreasing over the 3 day lower carb period, changing the metabolism to burn more fatty acids for fuel. Also, by eating fewer carbohydrates, you have less of an insulin response. Combining this with your intense workouts, interval training aerobic work, and your reduced caloric intake provides the body with the ideal stimulus for fat loss.

Sounds simple enough right? All you have to do is eat a little less, workout hard, and pedal a few extra minutes a day, and the fat will start to fall off? Well not quite, and this is where so many people (myself included in the past) hit a plateau and are unable to break past it, often becoming so frustrated with the lack of results that they simply give up. The key to being able to continue beyond this plateau is in the diet rotation – the 3 consecutive lower carbohydrate days, during which more body fat will be burned as fuel. It’s important to keep to those 3 days. Staying on a low carbohydrate diet for much more than 3 days will result in glycogen stores becoming too low, resulting in muscle being burned as fuel in addition to fat. A higher carbohydrate day every 4th day will refuel glycogen stored in muscle cells and stop muscle being used as fuel. Adding some additional protein on the 3 low carb days will safeguard the body against muscle loss – however too much protein could reduce the fat burning potential from this rotational strategy, as protein can be converted into glucose in the liver and this used as fuel instead of fat. Therefore on lower carb days, you should add between 40-60g extra protein throughout the day, and drop back to your usual intake on the 4th (high carb) day.

*Post-workout meal.

If you hit a plateau, or fail to see any noticeable decreases in body fat while following the rotational diet and cardio interval approach, or you seem to just be getting smaller in size, then you should try ‘zigzag-ging’ your carbohydrate intake, which means increasing the amount of carbohydrates you eat for an extra day, with as much as half your total calories coming from carbs. The next day, you should consume only half as much as you were in the original 3 days of lower carb intake, then return back to the original 3 low, 1 high rotational diet. The exaggerated carb increase over two days, followed by a much lower amount the following day is nearly always effective in overcoming plateaus by preventing the metabolism from slowing down.

For the best results, I recommend following the rotational diet for 4 consecutive cycles, (about 2 weeks), followed by the modified zig-zag approach as outline above. This should further increase fat burning and ensure you keep hold of lean muscle mass.

If, after trying everything you still struggle to shed the fat, then cut out your fat intake on the lower carb days. This means you consume exclusively fat-free protein sources to eliminate any extra calories that may be preventing you from getting leaner. Such fat-free proteins sources include protein powders, fish, egg whites, and turkey breasts. On the lower carb days, you can include some vegetables with your meals, although only the fiberous kind that have less of an effect on releasing all the available calories to the body, such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, cucumbers, onions and peppers. And on the high carb days, you should stay away from these vegatables (and all greens), and have complex carbs like rice, pasta, yams, oats, and potatoes, as these will help refill the muscle cells with glycogen and help speed up the metabolism halting any muscle loss that results from eating fewer carbs for the previous 3 days.

RR-

My 16 Rules For Supplementing To help You Build Your Best Body Ever

2011-09-24T16:38:00.001-04:00

1. Whey first thing:

Immediately upon wakening, down a small whey protein shake 30 or so minutes before your solid breakfast meal. This will halt the catabolic state you may have undergone while sleeping. 20 to 30 grams should do the trick.

2. Pre workout whey:

It’s also a good idea to get in about 20 to 30 grams of fast-acting whey protein 30 minutes or so prior to training. As said before, this can kick start the rebuilding process during training by saturating the blood with muscle-building amino acids.

3. Post training whey:

To keep the rebuilding process alive, take in 40 to 50 grams of whey within 30 minutes of training. This will ensure the depleted muscle will have ample protein to draw upon for repair.

4. Post training simple carbs:

This would be one of the few times each training day to get away with taking simple carbs. As said in the nutrition section, Gatorade, fruit juice or even specialized supplements such as dextrose are good choices. This quick insulin spike will aid in recovery.

5. Post casein:

If it is in your budget, replacing around 10 to 20 grams of your post-training whey shake with a casein product may be a good idea. More research is justifying the benefits of this slow-digesting form of protein regarding immediate recovery.

6. Casein before bed:

Another great time to ingest casein is before bed. Since you are virtually fasting for eight hours while you sleep casein is a perfect fix due to being a slow-digesting protein.

7. Creatine before training:

Everyone knows the benefits of creatine by now. It saturates the muscle with fluids, therefore aiding in protein synthesis, it can boost recovery between sets and workouts. Consume 3 to 5 grams with your pre-workout protein shake.

8. Creatine post workout:

Again, another great time to shuttle nutrients in starving muscle is within 30 minutes after training if not sooner. Take in another 3 to 5 grams with your post-workout protein shake.

9. Glutamine:

As one of the most abundant amino acids in muscle cells, glutamine aids in recovery by strengthening the immune system. 10 or so grams both pre and post training will help in the recovery process.

10. Carnitine:

As another “supplement behind the curtain,” carnitine helps transport fats to the mitochondria of muscle cells to be burned as fuel. Try one gram morning, pre and post workout and again before bed.

11. ZMA at night:

The combination of zinc, magnesium and additionally vitamin B6 has actually been shown to increase IGF-1 and testosterone levels. 30 to 60 minutes before sleep take 30 mg of zinc, 450 mg of magnesium and around 10 mg of B6.

12. The antioxidant C:

With all of the hype surrounding the latest and greatest in supplement science, you cannot forget your foundation. Vitamin C is a powerful supplement you may never “feel.” It works hard to strengthen the immune system so you can come back stronger every time. Take around 500 mg with your post-training whole food meal.

13. The antioxidant E:

Vitamin E has the ability to reduce muscle cell damage and helps with recovery. This antioxidant is also important for skin, nail and hair health. Go with 200 to 400 IUs with your post-training whole food meal.

14. BCAAs:

BCAAs are made up of leucine, isoleucine and valine which are used for fuel during intense workouts thus preventing your body from scavenging hard-earned muscle for energy. At other times of day BCAAs help stimulate protein synthesis and ward off cortisol, the catabolic hormone that can scavenge hard-earned muscle. Try 5 to 10 grams upon waking and pre and post training.

15. Arginine:

converted to Nitric Oxide (NO) in the body arginine is a powerful supplement with a host of benefits including increased blood flow allowing nutrients and hormones to do there job. Go with 2 to 3 grams upon waking, pre-workout and 30 to 60 minutes prior to sleep.

16. Give green tea often:

Green tea can inhibit the enzyme that breaks down norepinephrine resulting in higher levels of the metabolic hormone and increased fat loss. Combined with caffeine, green tea extract is one powerful and widely used natural supplement chalk full of antioxidants. A cup or so three times per day before meals can aid in recovery and help burn fat.

Five Foods You Should Never Eat

2011-09-21T20:37:00.001-04:00

The perfect diet for six pack abs is simple. Eat fresh, whole, healthy foods with as few ingredients as possible. Translation? A whole, fresh apple contains one major ingredient: apple. On the other hand, apple-cinnamon instant oatmeal contains sugar, preservatives, additives, and a whole laundry list of chemically altered substances in addition to the tiny bit of apple flavoring and oats you may get. Now, which sounds better to you?

1) White, bleached, enriched, or otherwise altered flour-based products. There is a reason diabetics are not supposed to eat white bread. White flour has absolutely zero, zilch, nadda, and zip in the way of nutritional value. Got that? Nothing. However, it is converted by the body to sugar when it hits the blood stream, which means that you are just about as well off eating a cupcake as you are to eat a sandwich on white bread. It is nutritionally bankrupt and makes you fat, period.

2) French fries and potato chips a good diet for six pack abs does not make! Yes, I know, they say that everything’s fine in moderation. Wrong! Not only are these snacks made of nothing but starch and usually have chemical preservatives, but they are also marinated in trans fat oil. Stay away! If you must have fries, make them yourself at home from fresh potatoes and bake them in the oven.

3) High fructose corn syrup. You knew it was coming, right? This little substance that has become so popular wreaks havoc on your abs nutrition, not to mention the rest of the body. It is not processed in the body the same way as table sugar, but rather has to go through the liver first. Manufacturers are beginning to call it “corn sugar” as well, so be very careful to read labels. Hint: no sodas!

4) Frozen “diet” meals. You know, the ones that have the word “lean” in the name? They are nothing but one big chemically altered smorgasbord of terrible. Besides, a fresh grilled chicken breast with scallions tastes 10 times better anyway!

5) Fast Food. Most fast foods contain a lot of Trans Fats. You know the fats that have no essential purpose other than to lower you good cholesterol and increase your bad cholesterol. In other words, the only thing these kinds of foods is good for, is giving you a heart attack! Not to mention it will only take you away further from being ripped as well.

Is Your Nutrition Allowing For Success

2011-09-21T20:08:00.004-04:00

When it comes to building muscle, nutrition is half the battle.I am constantly preaching to the athletes I work with you’ve got to train your heart out to give your body the stimulus to grow new muscle tissue, but without the right building blocks (food), it can’t do a thing! What’s more is that it’s not good enough to just “eat healthy” or “eat a lot” like so many struggling beginners say they do. You’ve got to actually construct a proper muscle building diet!

Don’t worry, though, because that’s actually a lot simpler than it sounds. There are, however, a few crippling mistakes you’ve got to watch out for. Avoid these pitfalls, and you’ll be well on your way to a strong, muscular, and lean physique!
Mistake 1: Eating Low Fat

For the most part, the low-fat diet craze of the eighties and nineties is over. However, there are still a few bodybuilders out there who would recommend a super-low-fat diet to those looking to improve their health and physique. Not only is avoiding all fat NOT healthy, it’s horrible for building muscle!

First of all, dietary fats play a large role in your body’s maintenance of proper hormone levels. The most important hormone for building muscle is testosterone, and yours is going to be miserably low if you avoid things like eggs, beef, and other fat-rich animal foods. Even some of that saturated fat is good for your health and hormone levels as long as you balance it out with other types of fats from oils, vegetables, and other plant sources.

Also, there are plenty of vitamins which are fat-soluble. If you live on a diet nearly devoid of fat, your body will not be able to digest important nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, or K. That’s bad news if you want to get big! Your body has priorities, and if its basic health “concerns” aren’t being met, it’s not going to want to embark on the hard, energy-demanding process of building NEW muscle tissue!

Finally, one of the great things about fats is that they are extremely energy-dense. You can eat tons of breads, grains, and low-fat meats and dairy and never get enough calories to grow. However, just one tablespoon of most oils has well over 100 calories! Of course, those who tend to gain weight easily will have to keep an eye on things, but this energy density is great for hard-gainers!
Mistake 2: Not Getting Enough Protein

Just about everyone knows how important protein is for building muscle, but most lifters still don’t get enough. If you think of building muscle literally as a “building” process, then think of protein as the “bricks” – it’s what the muscles are being made of! Carbs and fats give your body the energy it needs to train hard, but without adequate protein, it’s got nothing to “work with.”

One of the most important things you can do for your protein intake is to think of protein as the “main” part of every meal you eat. Every meal needs some type of meat, fish, poultry, eggs, or in some cases, dairy or protein powder. You can add on to that, but the protein is the main event!

Another thing you should do is get a quality whey protein powder. Whey is cheap, convenient, mixes well, and is almost pure protein. You can drink protein shakes plain when you’re in a pinch, or you can add whey to a blender shake or meal to boost your protein intake. However, don’t rely on powders – whole food sources, especially meat, are best.

Finally, if you’re on a budget, you’ll have to be tactical about which protein sources you consume. It’s surely the most expensive nutrient in your muscle-building diet, but you don’t have to break the bank! Focus on whole eggs, cheap cuts of beef and chicken, and the occasional on-sale fish when money is tight.
Mistake 3: Eating Too Few Calories

There seems to be an endless array of different muscle-building diets out there, and they often seem to be in conflict. However, nothing can change the fact that to build muscle, you have GOT to consume more calories than you burn. This surplus of energy is the only way for your body to build NEW muscle tissue (get bigger)!

So, how should you get all of these extra calories? If you’re eating enough protein, then you’re probably already getting quite a few calories from that, as well as from the fats that naturally occur in protein sources like eggs and meat. To make up the difference, you’ll have to eat quality, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Does this mean you need to eat five, six, even seven times a day like so many bodybuilders do? Not necessarily. A big reason why so many guys trying to gain weight eat so often is that that is simply the only way to get that much food in during the day! However, not everyone needs such a mass of calories, and not everyone has as hard a time getting lots of food down.

You should focus first on getting lots of calories and especially carbs in around your workout time – this is when your body is most primed to take advantage of the extra nutrients. Big pre- and post-workouts meals combined with a few more, protein-focused, smaller meals throughout the day should have you gaining quality mass – that is, muscle without a bunch of extra body fat.

Weight Loss Guide for the Perplexed...

2011-09-19T13:13:00.002-04:00

Nutri-this, diet-that, Atkins, Zone, South Beach, it can all be very confusing - if not overwhelming. Here are some basic principles to start you off in your journey of transformation.

Weight loss or Fat loss?

When we talk about losing weight, we really mean losing fat. Weight loss can be muscle, water (fluid), or fat. Standing on the scales gives you no clue as to your body composition - so don't weigh yourself too much - it can really play mind games. Our weight is always fluctuating (often due to hydration levels). The mirror, clothes-fitting, old photos, etc -- can all provide feedback on our fat loss -- not just the scales. I am being kind here folks. The scale does not tell you what you really are. The mirror tells no lies.

How do you lose fat?
In a nutshell, it's a simple law of energy intake and expenditure. Eating more than you are using means you gain weight. Burning more than your eating means you lose weight... Unfortunately the real outworking of this is not so simple. Losing fat (for most people) is hard -- get used to the idea then you won't struggle so much with disappointment. Stop feeling sorry for your lazy ass and stop looking for fix it quick solutions. They don't exist. Here is what works and I am giving it to you for free.

*My Five Fit principles to keep in mind* -

1) Diet (Nutrition- good foods eaten at the correct times centered around your training schedule. Not your need to feed your face)

2) Cardio (Exercise- Without it your just skinny fat! Yuk!)

3) Dedication (Consistency- if you don't have it you will never reach your goal)

4) Goals - Come on you have them right? Your not just going through life with no purpose are you? Of course not. make your goals clearly defined. Believe in them don't let any one stand in your way. Keep yourself surrounded by like minded positive people who will believe in you and will be inspired by you. You can do this.

5) Weight training ( look I will make this very easy for you. Science has proven and documented the following

Increases muscular strength.
Increases muscular endurance.
Is an outstanding means of body shaping.
Increases bone and ligament strength, cartilage thickness and capillary density in the muscles.
Improves health and physical fitness.
Improves sports performance.
Increases flexibility.
Increases power and speed.
Helps relieve the stresses and tensions of everyday life.
Promotes a positive self-image.
Teaches discipline and motivation that carry over into all other areas of life.
Helps control body weight and reduce body fat.
Strengthens your heart, intensifies metabolism levels and normalizes blood pressure.
Can increase your longevity.
Improves the quality of your life.
Helps prevent many medical problems such as osteoporosis.
Increases both hemoglobin level and red cell count.
Is an appropriate activity for men and women of all ages, can become a valuable couple and/or family activity. "OK I like this one so I added it"
Is an excellent form of rehabilitation for muscle and joint injuries; can be used by handicapped individuals who have at least partial use of their arms and/or legs.
Has been proven to reduce cholesterol levels.

What's weight training got to do with fat loss?

Weight (or strength) training is not essential to lose fat - but it sure helps. A weight training workout boosts metabolism for the whole day and helps build lean muscle. Muscle is metabolically active - it needs fuel - and therefore helps you burn more calories all the time. Muscle is what gives your body shape. Muscle is what allows you to look good in those jeans or a T shirt. If you are thinking about weight training - think on this:

Do I want my body to be strong, lean, sexy and useful, or is my body only for people to look at?

Lifting weights makes your body strong, lean, sexy and useful.

Can't I just eat less and skip meals?

It's naturally what we want to do - but it's not quite right. "I must lose weight so I'm gonna starve myself". This is where things get a bit confusing. Starve the body too much, and it gets the hint and slows down, you actually gain more weight as your body goes into self preservation mode - you'll feel irritable, fatigued, cellulite in woman will begin to make it's presence on your body known and you will begin to lose muscle. After clawing your way through hunger pangs and dreams of food, the chances are you will binge, or start eating back how you used to. Guess what happens? The weight piles on and you become huge or worse yet "skinny fat" because your body is still in "slow" mode. Fat loss is all about calorie reduction, but a calorie intake that is too low will cause problems. The answer is weight training & cardio combined with smart eating habits. No fancy pills or supplements will ever do it. You can not convince me otherwise.

Why bother with exercise?

There are few people that have lost fat (and maintained it), without making exercise a part of their life. Cardiovascular fitness has many health benefits - primarily keeping your heart strong. Including some form of exercise as a natural part of your life will give you an even bigger chance of success. Just remember consistency! Cardio exercise could be something like; brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, treadmill, elliptical trainer. However to really reach your goals and change your life, you need to lift the weights guys/girls.
There's so much to learn - Help !?
There are hundreds of diet books and weight training programs out there. Many of them have terrific claims, but remember:

There is no one-size-fits-all weight loss program, pill, diet
system etc...
There are no magic bullets or miracle instant cures. Well sorry not true. None other than hard ass kicking work!! Your not afraid of work are
you. Of course not.
There is absolutely EVERY chance that you can and will transform yourself.
It is completely possible for you to lose the fat build lean sexy muscle and get healthier. Remember a great body is the product of education and hard work.
Believe in yourself. Educate yourself, Be dedicated and again Believe in yourself.

Do I have to buy something (book, subscription, etc)?

No. If you have enough nutritional knowledge and a whole lot of motivation you can sort out your own lifestyle change. However most of us don't have the time or know-how to go-it-alone -- so we pay someone else to design, explain, or customize a fat loss program.

Do Online Weight Loss Programs Work?

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) decided structured on-line weight loss programs worked better than "just browsing around". (Vol. 285 No. 9, March 7, 2001). "Participants who were given a structured behavioral treatment program with weekly contact and individualized feedback had better weight loss compared with those given links to educational Web sites."

What's with all the different diets?

There are hundreds of diets. Some diets work for some - others don't. There are other diets that are clearly faulty. Here's some simple guidelines. Avoid extremes (e.g. very-low-carb or very-low-fat). Learn about carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Learn about whole foods and learn how to reduce your intake of processed foods.

Where do I start?

It's possible to get started just by taking some of the higher-calorie items (soft drinks,candy, white bread etc) out of your diet, and trying to get out for some exercise. However you will find that without some serious commitment and identified goals - you will soon lose interest. There's nothing like results to keep you motivated.

The chances are you will need some serious help, and this is where some of the man & woman who have the answers can help you and get you started. My site AbFitt (free) http://AbFitt.blogspot.com , http://gregplitt.com/, friend of AbFitt " http://www.issacertifiedtrainer.com/jleesfitness, http://www.bodybuilding.com/ , are some I suggest you try out. Most of these programs have journals, goal-setting tools, and discussion forums with others to help keep you motivated.

Can it work for me?

Here's the deal - we are all unique. Different physical characteristics, different genetics. This is why each of us will have to do slightly different things to get the fat & muscle building dialed in. Be prepared for a life style change, long-term commitment, a belief in change, and a new way of seeing yourself. Living a AbFitt lifestyle will not only help you to feel emotionally and physically better, but it will also save you money by empowering you and allowing you to have complete control of your most valuable possession. You!

You can do it. Say goodbye to being a victim of the supplement company's and media. Small step by small step, you can achieve your goals. You may trip up, you will trip up, you may have setbacks - but remember - failure isn't fatal ! Live Fit, Be Fit for life with AbFitt-

This Is Fitness

2011-09-18T17:09:00.002-04:00

Strength Is The Product Of Struggle...5 Food Myths Uncovered

2011-09-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

Food Myths just make my job a lot harder. That’s because nutrition misinformation fools men & woman into being confused and frustrated in their quest to eat healthily, even if they’re already achieving great results. Thankfully, you’re about to be enlightened by science. Here are five food fallacies you can forget about for good.

Myth #1: “High protein intake is harmful to your kidneys.”

Back in 1983, researchers first discovered that eating more protein increases your “glomerular filtration rate,” or GFR. Think of GFR as the amount of blood your kidneys are filtering per minute. From this finding, many scientists made the leap that a higher GFR places your kidneys under greater stress.
What science really shows:

Nearly 2 decades ago, Dutch researchers found that while a protein-rich meal did boost GFR, it didn’t have an adverse effect on overall kidney function. In fact, there’s zero published research showing that downing hefty amounts of protein—specifically, up to 1.27 grams per pound of body weight a day—damages healthy kidneys.
The bottom line:

As a rule of thumb, shoot to eat your target body weight in grams of protein daily. For example, if you’re a chubby 200 pounds and want to be a lean 180, then have 180 grams of protein a day. Likewise if you’re a skinny 150 pounds but want to be a muscular 180.

Myth #2: “Sweet potatoes are better for you than white potatoes.”

Because most Americans eat the highly processed version of the white potato—for instance, french fries and potato chips—consumption of this root vegetable has been linked to obesity and an increased diabetes risk. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes, which are typically eaten whole, have been celebrated for being rich in nutrients and also having a lower glycemic index than their white brethren.
What science really shows:

White potatoes and sweet potatoes have complementary nutritional differences; one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For instance, sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals, such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. As for the glycemic index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren’t eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter. These toppings all contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.
The bottom line:

The form in which you consume a potato—for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that’s used to make chips—is more important than the type of spud.

Myth #3: “Red meat causes cancer.”

In a 1986 study, Japanese researchers discovered cancer developing in rats that were fed “heterocyclic amines,” compounds that are generated from overcooking meat under high heat. And since then, some studies of large populations have suggested a potential link between meat and cancer.
What science really shows:

No study has ever found a direct cause-and-effect relationship between red-meat consumption and cancer. As for the population studies, they’re far from conclusive. That’s because they rely on broad surveys of people’s eating habits and health afflictions, and those numbers are simply crunched to find trends, not causes.
The bottom line:

Don’t stop grilling. Meat lovers who are worried about the supposed risks of grilled meat don’t need to avoid burgers and steak; rather, they should just trim off the burned or overcooked sections of the meat before eating.

Myth #4: “High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more fattening than regular sugar is.”

In a 1968 study, rats that were fed large amounts of fructose developed high levels of fat in their bloodstreams. Then, in 2002, University of California at Davis researchers published a well-publicized paper noting that Americans’ increasing consumption of fructose, including that in HFCS, paralleled our skyrocketing rates of obesity.
What science really shows:

Both HFCS and sucrose—better known as table sugar—contain similar amounts of fructose. For instance, the two most commonly used types of HFCS are HFCS-42 and HFCS-55, which are 42 and 55 percent fructose, respectively. Sucrose is almost chemically identical, containing 50 percent fructose. This is why the University of California at Davis scientists determined fructose intakes from both HFCS and sucrose. The truth is, there’s no evidence to show any differences in these two types of sugar. Both will cause weight gain when consumed in excess.
The bottom line:

HFCS and regular sugar are empty-calorie carbohydrates that should be consumed in limited amounts. How? By keeping soft drinks, sweetened fruit juices, and prepackaged desserts to a minimum.

Myth #5: “Salt causes high blood pressure and should be avoided.”

In the 1940s, a Duke University researcher named Walter Kempner, M.D., became famous for using salt restriction to treat people with high blood pressure. Later, studies confirmed that reducing salt could help reduce hypertension.

What science really shows:

Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there’s no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be “salt sensitive.” As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.However, it’s been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don’t want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods.
Why?

Because it’s really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day—1,600 mg less than recommended.
The bottom line:

Strive for a potassium-rich diet, which you can achieve by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. For instance, spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes, and most types of beans each contain more than 400 mg potassium per serving.

AA-

Respect the Recovery Process

2011-08-31T14:23:00.000-04:00

Training is only the initial stimulus for your body to undergo physical change. You build muscle, burn fat, and alter your physical appearance via all of the metabolic, hormonal, and physiological processes that take place in between training sessions. If you train too frequently and short circuit the recovery process, you will not see visual improvements no matter how hard you train.

Inadequate recovery equals no adaptive response. This equals no muscle growth, no metabolic boost, no burning off body fat, and no change in physical appearance. In the worst-case scenario, it can actually make you more prone to storing body fat, due to chronically elevated levels of the hormone cortisol. You might as well just sit at home eating (insert your favorite junk food), and watching (insert your favorite junk TV show). At least that is a fun way to get fat; trust me I've done it.

Here are just a few of the physiological processes that happen in the recovery phase from a weight training session:

Satellite cells are activated when muscle fibers receive trauma or damage.
Satellite cells fuse to existing muscle fibers and help to repair/regenerate the damage by increasing the size and number of contractile proteins (called actin & myosin) within those fibers.
The body restores cell fluids, electrolytes, and minerals lost during training.
The body must refill muscle glycogen stores as glycogen is the primary fuel used during high intensity training. Contrary to supplement marketing, this doesn't just happen with a single high-carb post-workout shake. It takes multiple balanced meals to adequately restore glycogen levels.
The immune system responds with a sequence of actions leading to inflammation. This inflammation is what causes muscle soreness. The purpose of this inflammation is to contain the damage within the muscle cells, increase blood flow and nutrient delivery to the damaged area, repair the damage, and clean up the injured area of waste products.
Antioxidants scavenge free radicals and repair oxidative stress caused by the increased rate of oxygen consumption during the training session.
Growth factors (such as IGF-1) regulate insulin metabolism and stimulate protein synthesis.
Testosterone, cortisol, and growth hormone levels rise, fall, and return to baseline levels in their own respective patterns (assuming you are training naturally without performance enhancing drugs).
All of the above processes can take up to 48 hours under normal circumstances but can be delayed by many factors including poor dietary decisions, lack of sleep, and high stress levels just to name a few.
On a side note, all of the above actions require energy (calories). This is why we say that strength training boosts the metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories on a daily basis) and is so crucial to the body composition change process.

Here is the take home message: Recovery is a complex process, and the advanced trainee trying to maximize their results must balance intense training with recovery. Of course if you train like a wimp, you can train every day, because you have nothing to recover from. I'm really just speaking to the athletes who make a sincere effort to bust their butts in the gym in order to change their bodies.

Overtraining Syndrome
The frequency recommendations at the beginning of this article were set for a reason. They were not just blindly pulled out of a hat. And remember, these recommendations are for people training primarily for physique development. I understand that participation in competitive sports may require more frequent and longer training sessions to maximize sport performance and/or adhere to competitive schedules. But that's also why competitive sports have off-seasons.

What happens if you train more often than you can recover from? There is an actual technical term for the physiological state that results from training too long or too frequently on a regular basis: Overtraining Syndrome. According to the NSCA Overtraining Syndrome is "Excessive frequency, volume, or intensity of training that results in extreme fatigue, illness, or injury which is often due to a lack of sufficient rest, recovery, and perhaps nutrient intake."

And what are some of the effects of this overtraining syndrome? Here you go:

Emotional and mood disturbances including increased irritability, anxiety, and even depression-like symptoms.
Sleep disturbances.
Altered immune system functioning including increased rates and duration of illnesses and infections.
Decreased desire to train and decreased joy from training—that is if you even like training to begin with.
Altered hormonal patterns including a reduction in anabolic, muscle building/fat burning hormones (testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1) and an increase in catabolic, muscle destroying/fat storing hormones (cortisol).

This last one is the worst side effect for those concerned with body composition change. Physique development is way more complicated than just the simple calories in vs. calories out theory. It really comes down to properly managing and manipulating natural hormone levels and metabolic rate through diet and exercise. Do this the right way and getting into shape is a smooth process. Do it the wrong way, and dropping body fat will be impossible no matter how many calories you cut or how much you exercise.

Negative hormonal alterations (such as reduced testosterone/growth hormone and increased cortisol production) are the primary reason why many who overtrain struggle with fat around their midsection DESPITE their high levels of exercise. Abdominal-specific body fat often has a lot to do with abnormally high cortisol levels. These people tend to be fine everywhere else on their bodies, but tend to hold a lot of flab around the midsection.

I see this most often with endurance athletes. Research has shown that this group of athletes has the most compromised hormonal profiles—meaning lower than normal amounts of testosterone and higher than normal amounts of cortisol. People who engage in frequent and excessive amounts of aerobic activity are shooting themselves in the foot in terms of physique development. They may be improving performance (as in the ability to run farther or at a faster pace) but they are not optimizing hormones, metabolism, and thus, physique development results.

But it’s important to note that overtraining can happen in any form of exercise, including strength training. So don't think because you stay away from the treadmills and sling the weights around that you are immune to the overtraining syndrome. Every athlete needs to balance training with recovery.

Rich Fit / 10 Fit tips

2011-08-28T16:17:00.000-04:00

I have a very important question I want to ask you. Ready? Why are you working out? Seriously. What is your primary health or fitness-related reason for exercising? Are you being honest with yourself about why you’re at the gym? There are many reasons to engage in a regular exercise program. The most common—though often the least discussed—is to look good naked. Hey what ever it takes to get your ass in the gym. with the summer nearing it's end I have some great training tips to carry you looking better than ever into the fall season.

1) Cut out (or at least limit) long distance endurance training, a.k.a. traditional cardio. Instead, make anaerobic activity—strength training, and to a lesser extent interval-based cardio—the foundation of your exercise program.

2)Strength train three to five days a week. Give yourself two to three days off from training to optimize recovery (although outdoor walking is cool).

3) Keep workouts to about 30-60 minutes. Intensity is more important than duration.

4) Train each body part once every five to seven days. Use body part splits over full body/total body training.

5) Train one to three muscle groups per session.

6) Perform three to five exercises for large muscle groups, two to three exercises for small muscle groups. Perform two to four sets per exercise. Perform six to 15 reps per set. Rest 45 to 120 seconds per set.

7) Focus on basic exercises—squats, deadlifts, various presses and rows. Save the fluff for the weekend warriors. Focus mostly on free weights, using machines to supplement.

8) Keep the rep tempos around two seconds up, two seconds down. Lower weight under control, lift under control, and don’t pause or lockout to rest in between reps. Don’t cheat by swinging or using rebound/momentum. Keep constant tension on the muscle.

9) Focus on stimulating and overloading the muscle, not just how much weight you lift. Think about feeling the muscle work during the set, not just on moving a weight from point A to point B.

10) Switch training variables. Vary—within the confines of the overall parameters—regularly (exercises, order of exercises, reps, etc.) in order to change the training stimulus.

Try to enjoy the process. Results are a by product of consistent training & proper eating.

These principles are based not just on the physical, anecdotal evidence of the fittest “looking” people in the world ( athletes and fitness models), but also on the scientific principles of human physiology, exercise physiology, and kinesiology. It’s not “meathead bodybuilding,” it is scientific-based body composition training. The goal is to combine the best of both worlds, the scientific and the practical. This prevents us from getting caught up in the fitness trends or health club hype that are more geared towards selling the consumer a product, service, or "system" rather than giving them real-world results.

A boxing Tribute: Blood Sweat & Tears

2011-08-27T07:56:00.004-04:00

Hmmm..... What Can I Accomplish Today?

2011-08-24T14:44:00.002-04:00

Part of the beauty of living a fitness lifestyle and challenging yourself to build muscle or lose fat is that quality physiques have been built using all different styles of techniques. There is no “one right way” that everyone should follow.

Things like rep range, rep tempo, frequency of training, machines vs. cables, and volume are just a few of the things that have been argued over, but one thing that no one argues is the fact that progression is the key to growth. I will say it again, In order to grow you need to keep progressing! That can mean increasing weight or increasing the number of reps.

It’s this overload that stresses the muscle and causes the body to repair the micro tears thus making a muscle stronger. Personally I like to train between 6-20 reps with the majority being between 8-12. One thing I always do is keep my body from adapting by manipulating rest time, volume, and exercises.

Through the use of different shocking principals (forced reps, drop sets, supersets, rest pause etc) I keep progressing. After a couple of weeks I change everything up again and shock the body in a new way.

Being able to listen to your body is huge. After training for years you learn to listen to signals that your body is sending. Sometimes it’s as easy as resting or adding calories, so when I plateau the first thing I evaluate is my diet and recovery. Other times I change up the split or throw in a new exercise. bottom line keep the body guessing and force it to adapt to new stresses. Live Fit, be Fit!

Does My Fat Ass Make Me Look Like A Fat Ass?

2011-08-19T21:01:00.002-04:00

Coming from a military background, I’m a firm believer in the creed, “a good leader leads from the front.” In a fitness and conditioning context, that means a good trainer’s physique should always reflect the benefits of what he or she teaches. In my mind, to do otherwise is both disrespectful to the client and a huge knock on the trainer’s credibility. I feel pretty alone in that regard.

The world of professional boxing as well as the fitness industry is overrun with armchair coaches preaching bro science who can’t get their clients, much less themselves, in even fairly decent shape. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but I know an out-of-shape fat dude when I see one. OK enough with the name calling and finger-pointing; this article entails how to drop some serious body fat in less than six weeks. I am not saying it's gonna be easy, just worth it.

Bulking-up will not improve your physique; it will make you bulky. If that’s what you want, great — just don’t delude yourself that you need to do that to add size, and please, don’t try to convince me, either. So what do I consider ideal body fat standards for athletes? Male athletes should maintain less than 8% body-fat and females less than 11%, at least from spring to fall; winter is the only time you have the right to look a little more “normal” and enjoy holiday food and festivities without turning every turkey dinner into an infomercial for Tupperware and OCD medications.

Which brings me back to six weeks: It’s plenty of time for an athlete with 8% or 11% body fat to get under 5% or 9% body fat. For many, 8% and 11% body fat may be their ultimate goal, but for a true physique competitor or trainer, that’s your job. They should never allow their body-fat to rise above 10% and 13%, respectively.

Gimme Five

According to Dr. Mauro DePasquale, the five targets for fat loss are as follows (DePasquale, 2008):

Increase lipolysis (fat breakdown)
Decrease lipogenesis (fat accumulation)
Burn free fatty acids with correct exercise
Maintain muscle tissue
Maintain metabolic rate (T3, thyroid) and optimal hormone function

If you hit all the targets, accelerated fat-loss will occur; if you miss a target your progress will hit a wall.

What to Eat

The following nutrition program is nothing new. It’s my variation of a phase-shift diet that combines the protocols, research, and teachings of Dr. Mauro DePasquale, Gary Taubes, Loren Cordain, PhD, and the late Dan Duchaine; nutritional giants who’s broad shoulders we have the luxury to stand upon.

My diet plan is based on the following principles:

1) Eliminate breads, flour, and gluten grains including wheat, barley, and rye.
2) Eliminate grain and vegetable extracted cooking oils; instead cook with butter, animal fats, and coconut oil.
3) Eat more healthy animal fats, butter, cream, and coconut milk to replace calories that formerly came from carbohydrates.
4) Eat more animal protein (beef, chicken, bison, eggs, fish, etc.).
5) Eat when hungry, don’t graze. Livestock and prey eat constantly; the King of the jungle eats sporadically. Continually stuffing yourself with food is counter productive to hormone function and digestive health. For athletes: eat no more than 4 meals, and 1-2 snacks (post-workout) depending on training schedule.

“Our ancestors consumed food much less frequently and often had to subsist on one large meal per day, and thus from an evolutionary perspective, human beings were adapted to intermittent feeding rather than to grazing.” (Mattson, M.P., PhD, Lancet 2005; 365:1978-80)

5) Build muscle with a structured resistance-training program.
6) Ensure adequate Vitamin D intake through midday sun exposure or supplementing with Vitamin D3.
7) Ensure adequate intake of Omega-3 fats and oils from pharmaceutical grade fish oils.
8) Schedule your menu so there’s a 2-hour fast before bedtime. Don’t consume any food, supplements, calorie containing, alcoholic, or caffeinated beverages 2 hours before bed; water is okay. You want to get blood sugar levels down before going to sleep; this will facilitate GH release.
9) Only consume simple sugars, fruits, and carbohydrates at specific times to enhance muscle hypertrophy and thyroid function.

Sample 3 Days Low/1 Day High Carb Rotation Diet

The following menu is based on my training and work schedule. I followed a low carbohydrate diet for 3 days, followed by a high carbohydrate, high-calorie day.

Days 1-3:

Low Carbohydrate, Moderate Protein, High Fat

5:15 AM: wake up

1 tall glass of water
Acetyl-L-Carnitine 3 grams

8 AM: Breakfast

4-5 Whole eggs scrambled with organic cheddar cheese and bacon
Coffee, black w/cream
Fish Oil 3 grams EPA+DHA
Multi-Vitamin/Mineral
Zinc
Vitamin D3
Vitamin C

10 AM: Pre-Workout (30 minutes prior)

BCAAs 5 grams
Beta-Alanine 2 grams
L-Arginine 3 grams
L-Citrulline 1.5 grams
Caffeine 300mg

12 Noon: Post-Workout

Whey Protein 25 grams
Mixed with 2 Tbsp. organic cream and 6 oz. water
Essential amino acids (free-form) 6 grams
L-Carnitine 2 grams
Vitamin C 1 gram

1 PM: Lunch

8-10 oz. Organic chicken, dark meat, grilled
Large romaine lettuce salad
Extra-virgin olive oil and lemon dressing (homemade)
Cod Liver Oil 1 tbsp.
Multi-Vitamin/mineral

4 PM: Snack (optional)

King Oscar sardines in extra-virgin olive oil
Or Tongol tuna in organic mayo
BCAAs 3 grams
Essential Amino Acids (free form), 6 grams

7 PM: Dinner

10-12 oz. of beef or bison
Cod liver oil, 1 tbsp
Magnesium 300 mg.
Psyllium husk 1 Tbsp powder in 10 oz water

7:30 PM: Low Intensity Cardio

Walk dog at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or walk on the treadmill and watch TV at the gym.

9:30 PM: (30 minutes before bedtime)

Melatonin, 3-6mcg.
L-Arginine 4 grams
L-Citrulline 2 grams
ZMA

Day 4:

High Carbohydrate, Frequent Feedings

6:00 AM: Breakfast #1

1 scoop plain Whey Protein
1 tbsp honey
Creatine 5 grams
Mix in 8 oz. water

8:15 AM: Breakfast #2

Protein pancakes (gluten free) cooked in coconut oil
Knudsen organic apple butter spread over pancakes
Chicken tenderloin, 3-4 oz.
Multi-vitamin/mineral
Digestive enzyme
Vitamin C

10:30 AM: Pre-Workout (15 minutes)

Essential amino acids (free-form), 6 grams
Creatine 5 grams
BCAAs 5 grams

12 Noon: Post-Workout

Whey protein mixed in 8 oz water
Simply fruit juice 16 oz.
Essential amino acids (free-form) 6 grams
Creatine 5 grams
L-Carnitine 2 grams
Vitamin C 1 gram

12:30 PM: Lunch

Chicken breast, baked, 6-8 oz
Sweet potato, baked, w/brown sugar
Tea w/honey and lemon
Multi-vitamin/mineral
Digestive enzyme 1 tablet

3:00 PM: Snack

Trail Mix: 1.25 cups nuts: walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and almonds
2/3-cup dried fruit: cherries, raisins, cranberries, and dark chocolate M&Ms

7:00 PM: Dinner

New York strip, broiled
Large romaine lettuce salad with olive oil dressing
Pineapple
Water
Digestive enzyme 1 tablet
Magnesium 300 mg.

9:00 PM: Snack

Plain, nonfat Icelandic or Greek yogurt mixed with 1 scoop of plain whey protein, 2 tbsp honey, and 1/4 cup blueberries
Cod liver oil 1 tsp
Digestive enzyme

Some people say good things come to those who wait. Truth is, good things come to those who work.

What Nutrition Plan Has Worked Best For Me!

2011-08-13T09:52:00.003-04:00

Regardless of your fitness goals, it's critical to take the time to educate yourself on proper nutrition. Nutrition is a major part of every human beings life. Anything done as frequently as consuming food should be understood on a higher level. Take a bit of time to learn what you are eating; after all, you are what you eat. I would recommend checking out one of the many documentaries on the current food industry and its future. I personally like to stick to natural, non-processed foods. After making the switch to high quality foods, I have yet to find a person who has had regret other than wishing they had made the switch sooner.

Don't get me wrong, creating a quality nutrition plan that works for you is no easy task. However, it's an essential part to any successful exercise program.

I eat 6-8 small meals spaced between 2.5-3.5 hours throughout the day. Each meal contains a protein, carbohydrate and fat source. The ratios of each are determined by body weight and goals at that time. There is plenty of debate on the correct ratios for each. I keep protein between 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight. Carbohydrates are typically between 0.8-1.8 grams per pound of body weight. Fats are roughly between 0.2-0.35 grams per pound of body weight. I like to incorporate carbohydrate cycling in my nutrition plan.

If I'm in a muscle-building phase I lower my protein and fat amounts and increase my carbohydrate amounts. I then do five high carbohydrate days and two reduced carbohydrate days. Ideally keeping reduced carbohydrate days on non-training days. When I am in a dieting or cutting phase, I increase my protein and fat sources and lower my carbohydrate sources. I then do five low carbohydrate days and two high carbohydrate days.

There is one way to determine what ratio works best for you and that is by using trial and error. Determine your goal, track your nutrients and adjust them based upon the results. Yes, it can be mind boggling at first, but like anything the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Carbohydrate sources:

Oatmeal, yams, bananas, fruit juice, fruit, vegetables, whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat breads

Protein sources:

Chicken, venison, fish, turkey, beef, eggs, cottage cheese

Fat sources:

Fish oil, flax oil, olive oil, almonds

I like to eat whole foods as much as possible. I still use supplements when I need to, but I use them as a supplement not a replacement.

Meal 1:

1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
1.5 scoops whey protein
20 oz green tea

Meal 2:

1/2 cup oatmeal
3 oz chicken
Vegetables
20 oz green tea

Meal 3:

6 oz chicken
5 oz yam
Vegetables
20 oz green tea

Meal 4: (Pre-Workout)

1 scoop whey protein
1 cup grape juice

Meal: 5 (Post-Workout)

1.5 scoop whey protein
1 scoop waxy maize

Meal: 6

6 oz chicken
5 oz yam
Vegetables
20 oz green tea

Meal 7:

3 oz chicken
Vegetables
20 oz green tea

Meal 8:

1 scoop casein protein
1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese

For supplementation I stick to the basics and proven supplements. I use the following:

Whey Protein
Casein Protein
Flax Seed (whole)
Fish Oil
GlycoMaize or Dextrose
Multivitamin
Caffeine
Green Tea
HMB ( protects muscle from being used as fuel during training )
Glutamine

Maximize Your Fat Burning Potential With These Nutritional Need To Know's

2011-08-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

Losing fat isn’t rocket science, quantum physics, or brain surgery. In fact, losing fat is really pretty easy…. IF you learn how to control your blood sugar! So let me give you 3 simple strategies that will help you control your blood sugar AND help you lose fat as a result.
Controlling Blood Sugar is as Easy as 1, 2, 3

1. Eat the right TYPE of Carbs

You want to consume carbs that are going to be time-released. This helps prevents high blood sugar spikes followed by low blood sugar crashes. Foods that are going to be more time-released tend to have certain characteristics: they are low in sugar and high in fiber. Consequently it’s natural foods that are the best carbs sources.

2. Eat the right AMOUNT of Carbs

Even if you eat the right type of carbs, you can still raise your blood sugar too much (which blunts fat burning) by eating too many grams of carbs at once. Therefore you must control your carb portion sizes if you want to lose fat.

3. Eat Protein and Fiber with Carbs

As alluded to in step #1, fiber and fat loss are BFF! Eating fiber (i.e. veggies) slows the digestion of other carbs you eat, which is just what you want cause this makes the carbs more time-released. This results in stable, as opposed to erratic, blood sugar levels.

Same goes for eating protein with carbs… it makes the carbs essentially become more time-released. Oh, I forgot to mention that both protein and fiber will keep you feeling fuller longer – HUGE benefit to following step #3!

Fat Loss comes with Right Habits

People that lose the fat they want and then stay lean inevitably follow these three steps, but they have made them HABIT! They don’t even consciously think about it. I always say fitness & your health is a lifestyle, a daily way of living. Not something you do for a few weeks at the start of a new year. Remember your fitness has two points, begin and continue.

Start now by implementing the above three steps for just one month. After that you’ll find you naturally select the right type and amount of carbs and eat them with the right things. Then you’ll one major step closer to having the body you want. Remember nutritional timing is key, know what when and why you are eating & supplementing. Good luck.

Richard-

The Carbohydrates Role In Building Lean Muscle Tissue

2011-07-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

Carbohydrates play two key roles in muscle building. The first is energy. Your body needs maximum energy to perform at maximum level. If you don't get enough energy from complex carbohydrates you will not be working as hard as you can and this will limit your muscle building potential. Simple carbohydrates will not cut it either, you may get 10min of energy from a chocolate bar but after that you're left feeling tired and run down.

Insulin spike post workout. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the human body and drives nutrients from the bloodstream into muscle cells. When you finish your workout your muscles are desperately trying to repair and rebuild and are crying out for energy and nutrients. This is the only time when simple carbohydrates will benefit you for muscle building. A quick dose of simple carbohydrates post workout will raise depleted insulin levels which speeds up the process of protein synthesis (rebuilding of muscle tissue). Complex carbohydrates will not do the job here because they take longer to be absorbed into the body. An excellent source of simple carbohydrates post workout is a banana. Eating a banana will give you 25-30 grams of fast acting simple carbohydrates.

When you need carbohydrates:

As mentioned, you need simple carbohydrates straight after your workout to increase insulin levels. But what about your energy levels throughout the day? You should kick off the day with a good serving of protein and carbohydrates. When you wake up your body has just had eight hours without any nutritional intake and is crying out for food. Another time when complex carbohydrates are very important is pre-workout for energy. Try and have a good meal filled with complex carbohydrates and protein about 1 hours to 45 mins before

your workout.

The thing you must remember with carbohydrates is that your body only uses what it needs and stores the rest as fat. This is why you need to spread your carbohydrate intake out over the day for optimum energy levels and minimal fat storage. Most bodybuilders eat between 5-8 meals per day consisting of a high amount of protein and moderate complex carbohydrates. The "3 meal a day" trend is starting to shift as people realise it's much better to eat less, more often, for both weight loss and weight gains.

Types of carbohydrate supplements:

Carbohydrate supplements come in powdered form. There are two basic types that are used by athletes; blends and pure. Blends are your typical "weight gainers". They consist of mostly pure carbohydrates with proteins, fats and sometimes other supplements added. Pure carbohydrate supplements are exactly that, pure. 100% pure carbohydrates. Athletes often mix these supplements in with post-workout shakes for insulin spike. Pure carbohydrate supplements are much better because the bodybuilder can control the amounts he/she wishes to consume at any one time.

Supplements vs real carbohydrates:

At the end of the day, nothing beats real food. And because good complex carbohydrates are readily available, cheap and easy to consume in large amounts. carbohydrate supplements are not as common as protein and creatine which are much harder to consume in high amounts. The best (and only) time you can really benefit from carbohydrate supplements are post-workout. Pure carbohydrate supplements are formulated to give you a maximum insulin spike.

Ultimate Training Tips For Advanced Athletes.......

2011-07-23T08:26:00.000-04:00

Ultimate Training Tips from guest contributor: Charles Poliquin

1. Be as Strong as You Look

I’ve had the opportunity to train arms with a whole slew of pros, and I can generally handle more weight than they can, using stricter form, even though they’re usually up to 70 or 80 pounds heavier than I am. The secret to my superior relative strength comes from the regular use of maximal weights. Most bodybuilders stick religiously to a 6 to 12 rep range when training arms. On the other hand, there are plenty of strongman contest competitors with massive arms who are every bit as strong as they look.

What’s the difference? Strongman competitors train using few exercises, done for multiple sets of low reps with long rest intervals between sets.

2. Splits Still Beat Full Body Routines

I’m the first one to want to improve on any training system, but I do not know anyone successful in the strength coaching business who uses full body routines exclusively. In bodybuilding, I don’t think Ronnie Coleman trains whole body three days a week. I’ve never known a successful bodybuilder, even the low set guys like Dorian Yates, to do whole body training. Every single Olympian I’ve trained used split routines. I’ve been in this profession for 26 years and no one has ever convinced me, by their results, that full body routines are the only way to go.
3. The Rep Rules

The rep is the mother of all loading parameters. All loading parameters are a function of the number of reps you choose to perform. It dictates the rest intervals and the amount of sets you’re going to do. Once you’ve decided that, it limits which exercises you can do. For example, the power clean should never be done for high reps because that’s a high coordination lift.

4. Variety is the Main Ingredient of Training Success

Unless you’re involved in this business full-time, you tend to adopt certain exercises and do them over and over again, to the exclusion of all others. We tend to adopt the same habits in other aspects of our lives. We tend to eat at the same restaurants, frequent the same stores, and call the same girls at 2:00 in the morning after we’ve had a few too many drinks and ask, “Hey, what are ya’ wearing?” We are creatures of habit. In training, though, it’s imperative that we break out of these ruts. We have to try new movements or try different ways of doing the same old movements. Variety is not only the spice of life; it’s the main ingredient of bodybuilding and strength training success.

5. Dumbbells are a Better Choice

The more you stick to what we were designed for as animals — lifting rocks, carrying carcasses, and generally just fighting against gravity — then the better off you are. What that means is using free weights over machines. One problem with machines is the fixed pattern of movement. For that same reason, I think dumbbells are a better choice for most exercises than barbells, particularly if you’re dealing with an athletic population. I went to the Soviet Union in 1982.

It was astonishing how little variation of equipment they had. They had a lot of barbells and a lot of dumbbells, but there was nothing very sophisticated. It’s what you do with the equipment that matters!

6. Cables Do Not Count as Machines

Cables are basically re-directed dumbbells. In my opinion, cables are the same thing as free weights, plus they allow you to re-direct resistance where dumbbells are limited. For some exercises, cable pulleys are superior. For example, for rotator cuff training you’re very limited in the angles you can train it when using a dumbbell. The options are endless though, when using a pulley. A multi-functional cable unit is the same thing as a dumbbell. I don’t consider it a “machine.”

7. Want Great Abs? Then Do Your Squats!

Abdominal specialization for athletes? It could happen, but the abs actually have very little potential for strength increases when compared to other muscles like calves. Along with the grip, the abdominals are the least likely to improve with training. Some of these guys can claim all these poundages used in ab training, but it’s actually the psoas doing the work. If you truly isolate the abs, after six to eight weeks an athlete will plateau the rest of his life. Research has shown that the most coordinated athletes master the most difficult abdominal exercises in six to eight weeks. The only things that increase abdominal improvement are squatting and deadlifting.

8. Give “Super Squats” a Try

The classic 20-rep squat routines are certainly worth a try. To do this program, one takes 3 deep breaths in between each rep. And, of course you’re only supposed to do one set. What’s really happening is that you’re doing 20 single-rep sets with 10 seconds between each rep. This 10-second pause, while taking the 3 deep breaths, allows you to recruit higher-threshold motor units than if you did the 20 reps in a slam-bam fashion. Hence the greater-than-normal motor unit recruitment. When performed with the right load, you’ll cough up a lung at the end of the set (which is a real badge of honor among hardcore trainers). If you’re underweight and have low-work capacity, I strongly encourage you to try 20-rep breathing squats. But, like any other routine, it will work only until you adapt to it.

9. Best Reps for Hamstrings

For hamstring hypertrophy, do low reps in a leg curl machine and higher reps in stiff leg deadlifts, Romanian dead, reverse hyper, and back extension. The reason why is because when you’re working your hip extensors you’re also working your glutes and erector spinae and those tend to be higher rep muscles.

In other words, if you’re using the leg curl machine you should be using eight reps or less. Someone with a higher training age may only need three reps, but use a higher amount of sets, like 10 sets of 3.

10. Stretch Your Quads, Blast your Hams

Always stretch the quadriceps between hamstrings sets. Increasing the range of motion of your quadriceps prior to a leg curl exercise will increase the amount of motor units used in the hamstrings during the exercise and therefore the effectiveness of the chosen exercise. Since the quadriceps is the antagonist muscle to the hamstrings, and that stretching will allow it to relax, the force of the contraction in the hamstrings will be much greater in the subsequent contraction.

11. Bench Press Overrated?

Some guys grow with the bench and some don’t. But go to the world championships in powerlifting and you’ll see plenty of guys with big pecs, and all they do for their chest is bench. But I’d say that if you’re pressed for time, any type of dumbbell press will be more efficient (all factors being equal). Now, some coaches recommend a very wide grip for barbell bench presses to bring more focus onto the pecs, but this just leads to achy joints. The widest your grip should be is 90 degrees between the upper arm and forearm when in the bottom position of the lift.

12. Better than the Barbell Row

One problem with the barbell row is that it’s really hard for people to just use the lats and elbow flexors. They always unconsciously start to drive with the quads and use their glutes and lower back. The second thing is that the bar either hits your gut or your chest, which restricts your range of motion. The better way to do it is to just use the one-arm dumbbell row.

13. Chins: The Upper Body Squat

The chin-up and its variations should be considered an “upper body squat” because of its mass-building qualities and its ability to quickly increase functional strength. Chin-ups involve the sternal portion of the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, posterior deltoid, the rhomboids, the middle and lower portions of the trapezius, and the elbow flexors. A chin-up specialization program will not only build impressive width and thickness to your back, but will also pack solid inches on your arms by promoting growth on your biceps, brachialis, brachio-radialis, and pronator teres.

14. Close-Grip Chins Get your Biceps Growing Again

Throughout my career, I’ve met a lot of people who’ve packed inches on their elbow flexors simply by doing chinning exercises. Grasp the chin-up bar with a close, supinated grip. The palms of the hands should be facing you, and your pinky fingers should be 4 to 6 inches apart. Hang below the bar and then pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar. This movement should be done very slowly, on the order of about 15 seconds or so. Then, slowly lower yourself to the start position. Don’t short-change yourself by not coming all the way down. Like it is for any exercise, range of motion is critical. If your arms haven’t grown for a while, consider adopting this movement. It’s a sure-fire mass builder.

15. Pressdowns are for fluffers

Pressdowns are the most popular triceps movement. They’re great because they put you in a position that makes it easy to scope out that lingerie model doing cable crossovers. Unfortunately, that’s about all pressdowns are good for. Have you looked at the triceps of powerlifters and strongmen competitors recently? They’re plenty massive, but very few of them will waste their time on pressdowns. Now look at your average gymnasts: most have massive triceps that were built largely by doing dips and pressing motions. Ditch the pressdowns and use these instead:

Parallel dips
Close-grip bench presses
Decline close-grip bench presses
Seated EZ-bar French presses
Decline dumbbell triceps extensions

16. Grow Your Traps or be a Geek

The trapezius normally has a very rapid growth response, so much so that if you can’t grow traps, you’re truly destined for geekhood. I’d rank the power snatch as the top trap builder, then power cleans and the different forms of shrugs. Most people limit their range of motion though by using barbell shrugs. It’s best to do them with a dumbbell one arm at a time so the trap can have a few inches more range. Do three weeks of that, then alternate it with an Olympic-style lift such as power cleans or power snatch.

17. Pack an Inch on your Calves in 30 Days

I’ve found that in order to build calves, you need some frequency of training and some volume, but you can’t have both high volume and high frequency. Therefore, I advise training them twice over a five-day cycle, one workout being very high sets (16) and high total reps (250-510 reps); and the other being low sets (3) for a low amount of total reps (90). I’ve known people to gain in between 5/8 of an inch to a full inch with this routine in as little as 30 days.

18. No-Bull Exercises for Calves

I like the Donkey Calf Raise because it places your gastrocnemius in a superior stretched position. Seated calf raises are fine, but they’re geared to working the soleus. For complete calf development, you need to work both the soleus and the gastrocnemius. If your gym doesn’t have a donkey calf raise, or if you’re reluctant to have someone of the same sex straddle you like a horsey, your best alternative would be the Dumbbell One-Legged Calf Raise. Another problem posed by donkey calf raises is figuring out how much resistance to use. For instance, how many fitness bunnies equal one Roseanne?

19. Break Plateaus with Doublé Training

Doublé is a French term that means to do something twice. I learned it from Pierre Roy, who’s probably Canada’s best weightlifting coach. Basically it involves doing the same exercise twice in the same workout. Whatever lift you want to improve, you do it twice. So for example if your squat is weak, you squat at the beginning of a workout, then you squat again at the end. It’s a great plateau buster that can work for strength specialization or hypertrophy specialization.

Let’s say you have shitty calves. You can do ten sets of calves at the beginning of the workout, then train chest and back, then do ten sets of calves at the end.

Author: Charles Poliquin

Get schredded with these fat burning tips

2011-07-19T21:56:00.002-04:00

8 tips to a leaner you

Getting cut and defined isn’t just about calorie counting. Heck, if that were true, anyone and everyone could get lean easily. While modifying your total calorie intake certainly plays a major role, the key to successful fat loss lies in strategies that actually alter your body’s metabolism.

Lets Begin

Most think of altering the metabolism as “boosting it,” but there are things you can do that also change the way the body handles food. For example, simply by taking a fiber supplement, you can alter the way your body handles carbohydrates. Fiber stimulates carbs to bypass fat storing pathways, which in turn means they ultimately head down other pathways for muscle fueling or building. There you go – a simple nutrition step to modify your metabolism. Here are eight more such steps you can take to cut up and lower your bodyfat. Coupled with controlling your calories, they can transform your metabolism and help you get shredded.

1 Increase Your Protein

If you struggle with bodyfat, you should stress protein–more chicken, eggs, fish, beef, low-fat dairy and protein powders. Why? Not all calories–carbs, protein and fat–are equal in their efficiency to be stored as bodyfat. Protein exerts a greater metabolic-boosting effect than carbs or dietary fat. When calories drop, protein saves muscle, which helps keep the metabolism (calorie burning) elevated. Protein also helps to keep hunger down, which assists you in holding down your calories without losing your mind. Aim for 1 1/2 grams per pound of bodyweight daily spread over five, six or even seven smaller meals.

2 Manipulate Your Carbs

Carbohydrates help retain muscle (and muscle is a metabolic booster), yet they can also stimulate fat storage. Following a modified low-carb diet–three consecutive days of consuming 100-125 g a day, followed by a single day of taking in 300-400 g, offers muscle support minus the fat storage. How so? When you eat fewer carbs and replace those carbs with protein, in general, the body ramps up fat-mobilizing enzymes and hormones resulting in accelerated fat loss. However, a prolonged period of lower carbs can leave your muscle looking flat, since glycogen (the storage form of carbs in muscle) pulls water into the muscle. When you go low carb, the muscles get depleted of their glycogen and lose some water and therefore their fullness. Therefore, load back up on carbs every fourth or fifth day.

3 Stack Carnitine, BCAA’s & Caffeine

Cardio is a good way to trigger fat loss. The ideal time is after workouts, as research shows that you burn more fat when you do cardio after a weight workout. However, another good time, to do cardio is in the morning before eating. Why? That’s when sugar levels in the blood are eat their lowest. If you perform cardio when your blood sugar and insulin are low, fat burning is maximized. One drawback: cardio can burn muscle. Using 5 g of branched chain amino acids, 1-3 g of carnitine and 200-400 milligrams of caffeine 30 minutes prior to cardio helps block muscle breakdown, preserves metabolic-driving muscle tissue and boost hormones that break down bodyfat. The supplement combo can even preserve testosterone, the muscle-building hormone that often declines with cardio activity.

4 Eat More Fish

When calories are controlled, the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, trout and sardines may promote speedier fat loss. One study revealed that dieters who ate fish on a daily basis lost more weight than those who ate fish just once a week. One possible reason–omega-3s are thought to make the receptors on fat cells more sensitive to the fat-liberating effects of norepinephrine (also known as NE), a main fat-burning hormone. In other words, fish fat makes NE work better. The other possible reason is that omega-3s tend to promote the storage of carbohydrates into muscle as muscle glycogen. If carbs are kept busy producing glycogen, they cannot stimulate or participate in the fat-storing process.

5 Take Creatine For Cuts

Creatine–the muscle-building supplement–can also aid fat loss. Creatine exerts an increase in metabolism when combined with weight training, to the tune of 100 calories a day. So, make sure you get in 3-5 g with your pre-and postworkout meals.

6 Cook With Garlic

Mother Earth’s flavor enhancer stimulates adrenaline (epinephrine) and uncoupling proteins (UCPs). Adrenaline triggers fat breakdown; UCPs increase calorie burning. Garlic also controls cortisol levels, which can support muscle retention in a dieting bodybuilder. Use fresh bulbs in cooking or give supplements a try.

7 Support The Thyroid

It’s the fitness world’s most frustrating irony: When you eat less and try to drop bodyfat, a lot of times your metabolism adapts to the change and burns fewer calories. One way to get around the slowdown is with phosphates. In one study, a combo of 537 mg of calcium phosphate, 107 mg of potassium phosphate and 25 mg of sodium phosphate given to strict dieters yielded a metabolic rate that was 12-19% higher compared to that of dieters who did not use phosphates. The amino acid tyrosine is also effective in turning a moderately calorie burning thyroid hormone called T4 into a more potent calorie burning one called T3. Three thousand mg of L-tyrosine taken before training or cardio will do the trick.

8 Try Fenugreek

This is one of those herbs that longevity buffs have been using forever, no pun intended. Used heavily in cooking curry dishes or even in supplemental form, Fenugreek is extremely effective in controlling the rise in blood sugar levels associated with carb consumption thanks to its active ingredient 4-hydroxyisoleucine. Carbs cause the amount of sugar in the blood to rise, which can trigger fat storage. This herb buffers the rise so that sugar levels remain steady. Steady sugar translates into improved sustainable energy minus a rise in fat-storing enzymes or hormones. In short, fenugreek helps fuel your body without making you fatter. Take 300-600 mg of 4-hydroxyisoleucine or 1 1/2 g of fenugreek daily.

Conclusion

As much as we’d like to report otherwise, you won’t achieve the physique you want just by counting calories and training religiously. Your metabolism has to be on board with your efforts. These eight simple strategies should put the twist in your metabolic rate to provide a real return on your training and nutrition investment.-CA

The Math Behind Your Best Body Ever

2011-07-16T17:30:00.000-04:00

If your trying to lose weight, put on muscle, or simply maintain your body the way it is, it’s critical that you know precisely how many calories your body needs. Although body weight isn’t solely controlled by calories in vs. calories out (hormones play a major role), calorie levels are still the main driver of weight fluctuations.

The Formula

The most accurate formula to calculate your maintenance calorie level, or the number of calories you should eat to maintain the same weight, is called the Katch-McArdle Formula. This is the most ideal formula because it takes into account a persons body composition when calculating calorie needs. Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, a person with a higher % of muscle mass will typically need more calories than someone who weighs the same but has more fat mass. A 170 lb male with 10% body fat will burn more calories than a 170 lb male with 20% body fat (more on this in a moment).

Before we do the calculation, you must find your body fat %, or estimate it if you do not have access to a caliper/way of measuring it.

Once you have found your approximate body fat %, calculate your lean mass. Multiply your weight in pounds x (1-body fat %).

I weigh 170 pounds with 8% body fat. My lean mass is 170 x (1-.08 or .92) = 156.4lbs of lean mass

Convert your lean mass in pounds to kilograms. Divide your lean mass by 2.2.
For me, I have 156.4 lb/2.2 = 71.09kg of lean mass.

Next, you must calculate your BMR or Basal Metabolic Rate. This is the number of calories that your body uses to sustain basic life functions such as breathing, regulating temperature, keeping your heart beating, liver and kidney function, etc.

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x lean body weight in kilograms)
My BMR = 370 + (21.6 x 71.09kg) = 1905.56 calories
My body burns 1905.56 calories per day just to keep me alive, thus I should never eat less than this number.

The final step is to multiply your BMR by your TDEE multiplier or Total Daily Energy Expenditure multiplier, which gives you your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
Refer to the chart below and assess which category you fall into. WARNING: Be honest with yourself. If you exaggerate your activity level you’re going to end up with a calorie level that’s above your true maintenance level, thus you would gain weight. So don’t! My advice is to underestimate if you’re unsure. If you feel that you’re in between two categories than you can use a multiplier that lies in between.

I workout 6x/week for at least one hour so my TDEE multiplier is 1.725.
My Total Daily Energy Expenditure is 1.725 x 1905.56 = 3287
The calorie requirement to maintain my current weight is 3287 per day.
Calculating Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Amount of Exercise Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Little or No Exercise, Desk Job, Student TDEE = 1.2 x BMR
Light Exercise, Sports/Workout for ~1 hour, 1-3x/week TDEE = 1.375 x BMR
Moderate Exercise, Sports/Workout for ~1 hour, 3-5x/week TDEE = 1.55 x BMR
Heavy Exercise, Sports/Workout for ~1 hour, 6-7x/week TDEE = 1.725 x BMR
Very heavy exercise, Physical Job/Athlete or Training 2x/day ~1 hour each, 6-7x/week TDEE = 1.9 x BMR

To show you the impact muscle mass can have on daily calorie expenditure, consider my calorie needs if I instead had 18% body fat (I still weigh 170 lbs).
My lean mass in pounds would be 170 x .82 = 139.4
Converted to kilograms = 63.36kg
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x 63.36) = 1738.65
My TDEE = 1738.65 x 1.725 = ~ 3000
My daily caloric allowance to maintain my weight is ~ 3000 calories.
This is ~ 300 calories less than my daily caloric allowance with 8% body fat!

Losing Weight

If I wanted to lose 1 pound/week I would just need to subtract 500 from my TDEE. My daily caloric allowance to lose 1 pound per week is 3287-500 = 2787 calories/day.
If I wanted to lose 2 pounds/week I would subtract 1000 from my TDEE. My daily caloric allowance to lose 2 pounds/week is 3287-1000=2287 calories/day.

Gaining Weight

If you’re trying to put on weight I’m assuming you’re trying to build muscle, not fat. Contrary to popular belief muscle doesn’t have the same amount of calories as fat. Many people trying to gain muscle simply eat as much food as possible. Yeah you’ll gain muscle doing that, but you’ll also put on a boatload of fat.

You should aim to eat 200-300 calories/day above maintenance when trying to build muscle.
If I want to build muscle I should consume 3287 + 200 = ~3500 calories/day

F-

LOSE 6 TIMES MORE BODY FAT & DROP 2% BODY FAT IN 8 WEEKS

2011-07-12T14:41:00.003-04:00

Better results in less time. What's not to love about HIGT training?

The Ultimate 8-Week
HIGT-For-Fat-Burning Program

HIGT+ High Intensity Group Training

This novel form of cardio intersperses intervals of high-intensity exercise (such as sprinting) with intervals of either low-intensity exercise (such as walking at a slow pace) or complete rest. This style is a departure from continuous steady-state (slow and steady) cardio that most people do at a moderate intensity for 30 to 60 minutes.

With HIGT, you'll be running (or jumping rope or whatever) like a bat out of hell for brief stretches, but the net effect when all's said and done is better results in less time.

HIGT

Growing Body of Evidence

HIGT has crossed over to the fitness industry due to beneficial results established through both anecdotal reports and published research studies.

In fact, studies comparing HIGT to continuous steady state exercise have shown that HIGT is far superior for fat loss, despite requiring less time to complete.

One of the first studies to discover that HIGT was more effective for fat loss was done in 1994 study by researchers at Laval University (Ste-Foy, Quebec, Canada). They reported that young men and women who followed a 15-week HIGT program lost significantly more body fat than those following a 20-week continuous steady-state endurance program. This, despite the fact that the steady-state program burned about 15,000 calories more than the HIGT program.

The research has continued along the same lines:

DROP 2% BODY FAT IN 8 WEEKS
A 2001 study from East Tennessee State University demonstrated similar findings with subjects who followed an 8-week HIGT program (subjects dropped 2 percent in percent body fat) as compared to those who followed a continuous steady-state program (subjects had no percentage drop in body fat) on a treadmill.

LOSE 6 TIMES MORE BODY FAT
A study from Australia reported that females following a 20-minute HIGT program, consisting of 8_second sprints followed by 12 seconds of rest, lost six times more body fat than the group who followed a 40-minute cardio program performed at a constant intensity of 60 percent of their maximum heart rate.

The major reason that HIGT works so well to drop body fat to a greater degree than continuous steady-state cardio appears to be due to the greater increase in resting metabolism following HIGT:

NO REST
FOR YOUR
METABOLISM
A 1996 study from Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) reported that subjects who followed a HIGT workout on a stationary cycle burned significantly more calories during the 24 hours following the workout than those who cycled at a moderate steady-state intensity.

LOSE 100 MORE CALORIES
In a study presented at the 2007 annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine by Florida State University (Tallahassee), researchers reported that subjects who performed HIGT burned almost 10 percent more calories during the 24 hours following exercise as compared to those whole performed continuous steady-state exercise, despite the fact that the total calories burned during the workouts were the same.

INCREASE FAT LOSS
BY 10%
The 2001 East Tennessee State University study mentioned above also found that subjects following the HIGT program burned almost 100 more calories per day during the 24 hours after exercise.

In addition to the increase in resting metabolism, research confirms that HIGT is effective at enhancing the metabolic machinery in muscle cells that promote fat burning and blunt fat production:

FAST BURNING MUSCLE
The Laval University study that found a decrease in body fat with HIGT also discovered that the HIGT subjects' muscle fibers had significantly higher markers for fat oxidation (fat burning) than those in the continuous steady-state exercise group.

DECREASE YOUR FAT ENZYMES
A study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim), reported that subjects with metabolic syndrome who followed a 16-week HIGT program had a 100 percent greater decrease in content of the fat-producing enzyme fatty acid synthase as compared to subjects who followed continuous moderate-intensity exercise.

30% INCREASE IN OXIDATION
A 2007 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology reported that young females who performed seven HIGT workouts over a two-week period experienced a 30-percent increase in both fat oxidation and levels of muscle enzymes that enhance fat oxidation.

And yet another way that HIGT appears to work has to do with getting the fat to where it will be burned away for good:

A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology sheds some light on another way that HIGT burns more body fat. Researchers reported that 6 weeks of HIGT increased the amount of special proteins in muscle that are responsible for carrying fat into the mitochondria (where fat is burned away for fuel) by up to 50 percent. Having more of these proteins in muscle means that more fat can be burned up for fuel during workouts and when resting.

Cardio done at a higher intensity for a shorter period of time will not only help you maintain your muscle, but can actually help you build muscle mass. When you train at a slow and steady pace for a longer period of time, you are training your muscle fibers to be more aerobic and have greater endurance.

HIGT

Do you know how muscle fibers adapt to becoming more aerobic and gaining greater endurance? By becoming smaller and weaker! The smaller a muscle fiber is, the less time it takes for nutrients to travel within the muscle fiber. This speeds up the rate that the nutrients can be burned for fuel.

But even if you think of this from a common sense perspective, it makes perfect sense. Stating that slow and steady cardio for longer periods of time is best for maintaining muscle mass is similar to saying that curling 5 pound dumbbells for 30 minutes straight will build more muscle than curling 40 pound dumbbells for sets of 10 reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets. See, the higher-intensity workout clearly builds muscle better. If you think about it, weightlifting is actually a form of HIGT and I have been sharing it's benefits with anyone that would listen!

The research backs this up:

One study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reported that male subjects following a 6-week HIGT program (done for 15 minutes per day at a ratio of 2:1 for exercise-to-rest, 3 days per week) while supplementing with beta-alanine gained over 2 pounds of muscle—despite no weightlifting during the program.

INCREASE YOUR TESTOSTERONE
BY 100% WITH
HIIT TRAINING

In another study, New Zealand researchers had competitive cyclists complete 4 weeks of HIGT training involving 30-second sprints on a stationary cycle separated by 30 seconds of rest. One group sprinted with high resistance on the pedals, making it harder to pedal, while the other group used a lighter resistance, which was easier to peddle. Both groups peddled as fast as they could during the 30-second sprints. They found that the men peddling at the highest resistance increased their testosterone levels by almost 100 percent, while the group peddling at a lighter resistance only increased test levels by about 60 percent. Since testosterone is critical for boosting muscle size and strength, this means that doing HIGT with greater resistance can aid muscle growth and strength.

HIGT also helps you to maintain your sanity by getting you done with cardio quicker. I can't think of anything more monotonous than being stuck on a treadmill, stairmaster, stationary cycle, or elliptical machine for a good 30 minutes straight! With HIGT the intensity bursts may be more grueling, but they are short and challenging. That makes the workout more "fun" and makes it over quicker.

Another benefit of HIGT is that you can do it almost anywhere with any piece of equipment—or without any equipment at all! Although it can be, HIGT does not have to be done on gym cardio equipment. The possibilities are virtually limitless. You can use it with a jump rope, with weights, with strength bands, with your body weight.

HGIT

So consider doing less slow and long workouts in the cardio area and do more HIGT
DROP 2% BODY FAT IN 8 WEEKT. The benefits will be maximal fat loss due to a ramping up your resting metabolism and fat burning enzymes, while building muscle, all in a minimal amount of time.

The Beginner-To-Advanced 8-Week HIGT Program

The following program can take you from HIGT beginner to HGIT stud in 8 short weeks.

It starts with a work:rest ratio of 1:4 in Phase 1 for a total workout time of just under 15 minutes.

Phase 2 bumps up the amount of time in the "work" phase, bringing the ratio up to 1:2 and the total workout time to 17 minutes.

In Phase 3, the rest ratio is cut in half, bringing the ratio up to 1:1. The total workout time increases to 18.5 minutes.

Finally, in Phase 4, the rest ratio is cut in half again, raising the ratio to 2:1 and the total time at 20 minutes. This will put you in the advanced ranks for HIGT.

The suggested time of each phase is just that—suggested. If you need to spend more than two weeks at a particular phase before moving up, go for it. Ditto if a phase seems too easy and you want to jump right up to the next phase.
You can do these workouts using tools, such as a jump rope, or simply doing jumping jacks, or sprinting, or working on a stationary cycle. Use your imagination. Just follow the work-to-rest intervals as indicated.

Phase 1 (1:4): Weeks 1-2

Time Activity
15 seconds High-Intensity Exercise
60 seconds Rest or Low-Intensity Exercise

Repeat another 10 times, followed by a final 15-second high-intensity blast.

Total time: 14 minutes

Get A Printable Log Of Phase 1 (1:4): Weeks 1-2

Phase 2 (1:2): Weeks 3-4

Time Activity
30 seconds High-Intensity Exercise
60 seconds Rest or Low-Intensity Exercise

Repeat another 10 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.

Total time: 17 minutes

Get A Printable Log Of Phase 2 (1:2): Weeks 3-4.

Phase 3 (1:1): Weeks 5-6

Time Activity
30 seconds High-Intensity Exercise
30 seconds Rest or Low-Intensity Exercise

Repeat another 11 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.

Total time: 18.5 minutes

Get A Printable Log Of Phase 3 (1:1): Weeks 5-6.

Phase 4 (2:1): Week 7-8

Time Activity
30 seconds High-Intensity Exercise
15 seconds Rest or Low-Intensity Exercise

Repeat another 25 times, followed by a final 30-second high-intensity blast.

Total time: 20 minutes

Manipulating certain nutrients and their amounts can significantly increase gains in strength and size and burn body fat.

2011-07-09T22:22:00.000-04:00

Your training is on point, your supplement program is sound and you eat all of the right foods including good amounts of protein, complex carbs and healthy fats. But what if you could be better? What if you could tweak your diet to make even more significant gains?

Enter meal timing. Meal timing is the practice of taking in specific macronutrients at specific times regarding training, goals and time of day. Many trainers and nutritionists recommend the standard practice of ingesting a certain amount of proteins, carbs and fats throughout the course of the day. Recent research has shown that manipulating certain nutrients and their amounts can significantly increase gains in strength and size and burn body fat.

Get Your Whey In Early

Immediately upon waking the body has just undergone a six to eight hour fast void of muscle building blocks of protein. Protein should be the first thing on your mind after such a hiatus. Fast digesting whey protein is the perfect fix to set your body into a positive amino balance once again and will hold off catabolism until you can get those eggs cooked! Take around 20-30 grams of whey first thing in the morning.
Another wise move is to take in a good amount of complex carbs in the morning to help refuel your glycogen stores for the day ahead. This will not only give you energy for your training later in the day, but will also stoke your metabolism to switch into high gear helping you to turn on that fat-burning furnace. Anywhere between 40 - 60 grams of a complex carb source such as oatmeal or Ezekiel cereal are great choices.
Mid-Day Slump

Another time to keep a close eye on is the mid/late morning blood-sugar crash. Many of us at jobs tend to forget our important muscle-building meals during hectic times of day that we neglect our guidelines to keep us on track. A great (and quick) solution is to pop a protein shake and some healthy fats. This can easily be accomplished with a quick shake of whey and water and around one ounce of nuts such as almonds. Not only will this feed your muscles with the much needed protein boost (not to mention convenient), but will also provide healthy fats to keep blood-sugar levels steady until your next solid meal.
Pre-Workout Loading

One of the most critical times to actually start the recovery process after a training session is before you even step into the gym. Saturating your muscles with protein prior to training can actually provide not only energy for the grueling session to come but can also provide key amino acids to muscles because they will be readily available for recovery. This will give you an advantage regarding performance and rebuilding for your next intense training bout. Try 30-40 grams of whey protein.

In addition to quality protein you must also consider complex carbs prior to training. Carbs are a must if you want to make any substantial gains at all. Not only will they provide a steady flow of energy, they will also spare protein to be used as energy. 40-60 grams of a quality carb source should be taken with whey protein 30 minutes to an hour prior to lifting. Good sources include oatmeal, 100% whole grain bread, rice or a medium sized apple.
Post-Workout Punch

We all know by now that post-workout nutrition is of utmost importance for muscle/strength gain. This crucial time has a limited window of opportunity, so it behooves the trainer to take full advantage of this important meal. After a brutal training session the body is starving for nutrients. This “window” which only lasts around an hour or less is the perfect time to down a whey protein shake to shuttle in amino acids as fast as possible to ramp up the recovery process. 40 grams of whey will do the trick.

Another key nutrient at this time is simple carbs. Simple carbs taken with your whey protein will raise insulin levels to help shuttle in more nutrients directly into the muscle. Even though higher insulin levels are related to fat gain, you won’t have to worry about that during your post-workout meal. The higher insulin levels are key in regulating hormone levels and nutrient absorption. Take in around 40 - 80 grams of simple carbs such as Gatorade depending on your goals.

Take advantage of these times to maximize gains and minimize muscle breakdown. These are just a few simple guidelines to try on your quest to a more muscular and leaner physique.

Nutritional Need To knows.

2011-07-08T20:43:00.003-04:00

Nutrition is 80%...HERE ARE THE BASICS.

10 Nutrition Rules from AbFitt......Never Ignore The Importance proper eating Plays In Achieving A lean muscular Physique

Remember getting the results & the body you want is all about simplifying things.

With the dedication and effort required to stay muscular and lean, the last thing you need is for the details to be overly confusing (carb cycling, keto diet, high/low carb days). Take your nutrition for example. We could go on and on about fat-soluble vs. water-soluble vitamins, the different types of saccharides and all the intricacies of gluconeogenesis, but what would be the point? It would just complicate the matter and get you no closer to the body you want. So let’s break it down to the nuts and bolts the basics, to just the vital information you really need to build more muscle and become leaner than ever before.

The key is a series of rules, a list I call the 10 Nutrition Rules for Beginners. Follow all 10 and not only will you not be bogged down with scientific jargon but you’ll also be well on your way to a bigger upper body, better abs and a massive set of legs. How’s that for simple?

#1 Have A Meal Every 3 Hours
Getting leaner, building muscle, getting faster & stronger boils down to nutrient delivery, and nothing beats eating every 2-3 hours, which works out to 6-8 meals a day. Frequent feedings ensure a constant influx of protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids required to maintain an anabolic state. Following the three-hour rule, you should eat at least the same amount and up to twice as many carbohydrates as protein at most meals, along with a smaller amount of healthy fats at most meals (more on specific macronutrient intake in later rules). Because you’re eating every three hours, don’t overstuff yourself; keeping each meal relatively small enhances nutrient absorption while simultaneously allowing you to sidestep gains in bodyfat.

“Eating smaller, more frequent meals creates an environment inside the body in which blood sugar levels don’t elevate and drop as drastically as when you eat fewer larger meals. Elevated blood sugar levels cause the body to increase insulin production in an attempt to store that sugar for later.

When insulin is present, fat-burning is blunted. Lowered insulin levels and steady blood amino acid levels (a product of eating relatively small, frequent meals throughout the day) help fight against this situation.”

#2 Load Up On Protein
A meal should never go by without a sufficient amount of protein being consumed. To maximize muscle-building, you’ll need to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. (This means 200 grams of protein daily for a 200-pound person.) In order to provide your muscles with a continuous influx of amino acids–the building blocks of protein–throughout the day, you’ll divide your daily protein by the number of meals you consume. For example, if you eat six meals per day, 200 grams of protein divided by six meals would mean at least 30-40 grams of protein per meal.

Your main protein sources should be lean animal sources, such as chicken, beef, turkey, fish, eggs and dairy (more on red meat and fish in later rules), and, as with your training regimen, variety is crucial.

Sticking to the same one or two protein sources each day may not be as effective as mixing it up and including the widest array of protein sources available. “There’s a phenomenon in the body called the all or nothing principle, in which all amino acids must be available for proper utilization of digested protein. Many proteins can be made by the body; those that cannot are called essential amino acids and must be derived from nutritional sources. You’ll need to mix various sources of protein to ensure that all essential amino acids are consumed.

#3 Hydrate Yourself
The importance of drinking plenty of liquids goes beyond the obvious benefits of staying hydrated; at a much deeper level, it’s all about pushing more water into muscle cells. The more water that’s inside muscles, the better they’ll function and the greater their strength and size capacity. “The consensus in the bodybuilding community is that high water storage within muscles helps act as an anabolic factor. This allows the muscles to maintain a positive nitrogen balance, which directly impacts muscle growth.”

And if you’re supplementing creatine, glutamine and BCAAs, your muscles will have a greater capacity to store water, because when muscle cells are stocked with these nutrients, more water is actually drawn into the muscles. Consume at least 1 gallon of water every day, and drink around 8 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes during training.

#4 Carb Up The Right Way
When it comes to carbs, too few can shortchange your gains in mass and too many can transform you into a bulked-up softie. A good rule of thumb is to consume 2-3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body-weight per day when trying to add mass. And as with protein, you’ll want to divide this between however many meals you eat daily, with the exception of two times during the day: breakfast and your postworkout meal.

“These are two times when the body is somewhat inefficient at manufacturing bodyfat from carbohydrates, so feel free to bump up your carb intake at these times of day".

“Breakfast and the postworkout meal are also vital in aiding muscle growth because the higher carb content boosts one of the anabolic hormones responsible for driving nutrients into muscles, thereby producing a favorable hormonal environment that kick-starts recovery.” At most meals (pre- and postworkout notwithstanding, as you’ll learn in rule No. 7), you should consume slow-digesting carbs such as wholegrain breads and pastas, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, fruits and vegetables, rather than fast-digesting sources such as white breads and sweets. The former help build muscle and provide sustained energy.

#5 Eat Red Meat
Steaks and beef patties often scare people off because of the high fat content found in many cuts. But when you’re looking to build muscle, shunning red meat is the last thing you want to do: It’s high in B vitamins, including [B.sub.12], which supports muscular endurance and growth, and yields, gram for gram, more iron, creatine and zinc than any other source of protein. These nutrients play important roles in muscle recovery and growth, so if you’re sticking with chicken, turkey and protein powder, you’ll likely fall short of your hypertrophy goals. Red meat is a great slow-digesting source of protein that can aid in nitrogen retention and sustained elevation of amino acids in the blood. Red meat can be used for all seasons, not just mass phases.”

When choosing an appropriate type of red meat, select primarily leaner cuts such as ground round and sirloin, looking for meat that’s at least 93% lean.

#6 Eat Fish
people seem to live on fowl and low-fat beef, but salmon, trout, bluefish and tuna offer advantages other sources of protein can’t–namely, they’re sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which can indirectly make you leaner and bigger. Omega-3s help the body make glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates that gets socked away in muscle tissue. Glycogen is the main source of energy for training and, generally speaking, adequate levels are a marker for muscle growth and repair. Omega-3s also fight muscle inflammation in the body and spare the loss of glutamine, a vital amino acid that plays a backup role in the muscle recovery process by boosting the immune system. You don’t have to go overboard, but including fish in your diet a few days a week will go a long way toward promoting lean muscle gains. All in all, don’t be afraid of fat–20%-30% of your daily calories should consist of healthy dietary fat.

“Fish is an excellent source of protein, with an amino acid profile very beneficial to enhancing muscle growth. “Omega-3s can increase the insulin sensitivity of the tissues, creating an environment in which less insulin is necessary to shuttle nutrients around the body, which benefits you getting leaner.”

#7 Protect Muscle Mass With Pre- And Post-Workout Meals
The catch-22 with training is that stress hormones, namely cortisol, can run amok and blunt muscle-building to the point that getting back on track is not as simple as following the basic rules. The solution? Eating and supplementing with the right foods in the pre- and post-training meals. This is where whey protein is essential–it gets into the blood faster than any other source of protein, providing amino acids that muscles harness for growth and interfere with cortisol uptake. A slower-absorbing protein such as casein takes longer to combat cortisol levels.

Throw in some fast-acting carbs–those that digest quickly such as Gatorade, fat-free Pop-Tarts, cream of rice cereal mixed with jam or a toasted bagel–and you benefit further. These carbs, when combined with whey protein, are extremely effective at almost immediately halting muscle breakdown. I have done what I call “sandwiching” your workout with protein and carbs causes greater protein synthesis and inhibits muscle protein breakdown.

Consume at least 20 grams of whey protein before and 40 grams after training, a slow-digesting carbohydrate (refer to rule No. 4 for the best sources) 30 minutes before training and a fast-digesting carb Immediately afterward, along with your whey. As for dietary fat, pre- and postworkout are the two times of day when you want to forgo eating foods high in fat. They’ll slow the absorption of protein and carbs, which will delay the muscle recovery process.

#8 Schedule A “GET BIG” Day
While eating a sound diet by implementing the steps above is the foundation for growth, taking one out of every 7-10 days and eating far above and beyond your typical dally food intake–increasing protein, carbohydrate and overall calorie intake–can trigger new muscle growth by driving up your body’s levels of growth hormones. Some people call this a “cheat day.When you occasionally overeat, the body responds by increasing the release of naturally occurring growth agents, such as growth hormone, insulin like growth factor-1, thyroid hormone and possibly testosterone. Since even a small boost in one or all of these can impact recovery and muscle growth, it makes sense to harness them, and temporarily eating “really big” can do just that.

“Eating relatively clean all the time can lead to boredom and compromised adherence to. Periodic spikes in calorie consumption are a great way to achieve a net caloric surplus that can speed muscular growth and strength. To avoid large gains in bodyfat, make sure ‘once every 7-10 days’ doesn’t turn into cheating on most days.”

#9 Supplement The Big Four
As you become more advanced in your training and nutrition knowledge, try a variety of supplements to help improve strength, size, energy, fat loss and overall health. But for now, just stick to the basics: creatine, beta -alanine, glutamine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), four of the most effective and affordable supplements on the market. Creatine & beta alanine has been shown in numerous studies to boost muscle power, strength and size; glutamine is a key amino acid in preventing muscle breakdown and boosting the immune system; and BCAAs also thwart muscle wasting and delay the onset of fatigue during training.

Take these dosages both before and after working out: 3-5 grams of creatine, 5 grams of beta alanine, 5-10 grams of glutamine and 5-10 grams of BCAAs. Adding these supps to a diet full of protein and complex carbs will ensure that you reap all the benefits from your training.

#10 Don’t Fear Late Night Feeding
In the 7-9 hours you sleep every night, your body is more or less in a fasting state, taking aminos from your muscles to fuel your brain in the absence of food–not an ideal situation if your goal is to pack on muscle. However, you can offset this by eating right before you turn in for the night. The key is eating a slow-digesting protein source along with a moderate amount of fat so amino acids feed your muscles gradually throughout the night. At bedtime, consume approximately 30 grams of casein protein or 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese along with 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter, an ounce of walnuts or mixed nuts, or 2-3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil. Casein is a slow-digesting protein (as is cottage cheese) that comes in powder form, and the healthy fats found in peanut butter, nuts and flaxseed (almost exclusively unsaturated, by the way) will help slow the absorption of protein even further.

I also recommend consuming protein, and even carbs, in the middle of the night if you happen to get up to use the bathroom. “That’s the perfect time to have a shake. If gaining body fat is no issue, have 50 grams of protein mixed with 50 grams of liquid carbs such as a meal replacement shake that contains both protein and carbs, or mix the protein in fruit juice. If you’re struggling to control body fat, though, skip the carbs. This round-the-clock nutrient delivery will keep the body in an anabolic state.

Stick with & master these very basic guidelines and watch as your results change drastically.

Rich-

6 Steps To A Summer 6 Pack

2011-06-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

Take your fitness, your body, your mind to the next level.

6 Steps To A Summer 6 Pack

#1 Differentiate Healthy Eating & Healthy “Fat Loss” Eating.

A common misconception amongst dieters is distinguishing the difference between healthy eating and healthy “fat loss” eating. Agreed, many antioxidant fruits and free radical fighting vegetables are beneficial to the human body but in most case their calorific values spill over the restrictions that should be in place for a fat burning environment. Calorie dense carbohydrate vegetables such as yams and potatoes should be restricted to the earlier portion of the day so you have adequate time to burn off the energy that is stored in these foods. For obvious reasons if these calories aren’t utilized through physical movement you can bet your bottom dollar that the insulation covering those asphyxiated abs will get even thicker than Joe Weider’s wallet.

#2 Keep Clear Of Anything That Ends With “ose”.

“An apple a day keeps the dentist/doctor away” are words that have been echoed for years by health conscious parents trying to educate children that fruit is good for our bodies.

This bears true for the most part but the fructose found in fruits is an insulin spiking ingredients which bear the similar consequences of eating table sugar – you can get fat. Sucrose (table sugar), Lactose (sugar found in milk) and fructose (sugar found in fruit) are all adversary’s that should be eradicated from the fat loss battle field to be victorious of soldier worthy six packs. All foods contaminated with these sugars are shuttled into the blood stream at such a rate that they excessively spill over into the fat stores waiting to be burnt if by its master. If you are such an individual that already has enough fat deposits to mask your hard earned muscle, then why add more ammunition against your cause.

#3 Eat Heartily Whilst Accumulating Less Calories.

A pizza and coke can add up to the whole daily requirement of calories in one sitting, now if you tried to splurge on the equal amount of calories by eating chicken and salad you may feel as sick as a bulimic sufferer after consuming a double Big Mac meal, therefore with these kind of healthy food options you can eat heartedly my friends. Every time the body is stressed with the burden of digesting food the core temperature raises mimicking a thermogenic effect. Much like a kettle element heating up, this requires energy or in our case – calories. In essence, every time we eat we are burning fat so it makes sense for us to eat small, low calorie foods at frequent intervals to provide an environment where the body can burn fat much more efficiently.

Less Calories In + More Calories Burned = Fat Loss

#4 Eat Right For Your Type.

Various foods can affect the body differently for various blood types so I recommend eating right for you type. Some foods can prove as beneficial, neutral or high on the avoid list so I would suggest purchasing the book “eat right for you type” and incorporate some of the beneficial and neutral foods whilst eradicating the “avoid” nutrients. I have trained many clients that are almost in contest condition for a bodybuilding show only they are covered in thin layer of fat and/or water and as soon as I exchanged chicken for fish – e.g. b blood type, the striations that were there all along started to reveal themselves. Try this for several weeks and you may be surprised on your positive mental and physical transformation.

#5 Eat Fat To Lose Fat.

The speed in which the body digests food can result in an insulin spike and an overload of calories to be transported into fat. The correct fats have a role that can prove very beneficial to the dieter if consumed in the right amount at the right time and for this purpose I recommend Flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil taken with carbohydrates can slow down the digestion of these calories entering the blood stream thus minimizing the risk of fat inducing insulin spikes. One teaspoon is recommended for an individual that is under 20% body fat whilst ½ spoon is advised for people who are over this amount. This can be added to meals as a dressing or can be added to your favorite protein shakes. When purchasing Flaxseed oil, be sure to choose one that requires refrigeration and is packaged in a dark bottle to prevent light damage.

#6 Glycemic Index. Know this, understand how this effects your body!!!!

The Glycemic Index is the chart that measures the rate a calorie is released into the body. This should also be adhered to in order to minimize the possibility of an unwanted insulin spike. Carbohydrates are the nutrients that should be chosen carefully from the List below in order to fully benefit from the foods that can assist you with your weight loss potential.
Desirable Foods

Breads:
Coarse European -Style, Whole Grain wheat or Rye Pita Bread, Cracked or Sprouted Whole wheat

Cereals:
Compact noodle-like high bran cereals (All-Bran, Fiber One) Coarse Oatmeal, Porridge, Coarse Whole Grain (Kashi) Cereal mixed with Psyllium (Fiberwise)

Pasta, Grains and Starchy Vegetables:
Pasta (all types) Barley, Bulgur, Buckwheat (kasha) Couscous, Kidney Beans dry, (Lentils, Black-eyed peas, Chick-peas Kidney beans, Lima beans, Peas, Sweet Potato, Yam (soybeans lowest) Most Vegetables.

Milk Products:
Skim, 1%, cottage cheese, (lowfat or regular), Buttermilk, Low-fat plain yogurt, Low-fat fruited yogurt, Low-fat frozen yogurt ( artificial sweetener)

Meats:
Shellfish, “white” fish (cod, flounder, trout, tuna in water), Chicken, turkey, Cornish hen, venison (white meat no skin), Egg substitutes (cholesterol free) cottage cheese
Moderately Desirable

Breads:
100% Stone Ground whole Wheat, Pumpernickel, 100% whole grain Rye Crisp Cracker

Cereals:
Grape-nut cereal, medium-fine grain oatmeal, (5-minute variety)

Pasta, Grains and Starchy Vegetables:
Rice, Boiled Potato, Corn Navy beans, Kidney beans (canned), Baked beans. Beets.

Milk Products:
2% milk, cheese, Regular plain yogurt

Fruit:
Banana, Kiwi, Mango, papaya, orange juice.

Meats:
Higher fat fish, (salmon, herring, lean cuts of Beef, Pork, Veal. Low-fat imitation luncheon meat, low-fat. cheese, Eggs.
Less Desirable Foods

Breads:
White bread, most commercial whole wheat breads, English muffins, bagel, French bread, most commercial matzoh

Cereals:
Corn flakes, puffed rice, puffed wheat, flaked cereals, instant “Quick” or pre-cooked cereals. Oatbran, rolled oats. Shredded wheat, Muesli.

Pasta, Grains and Starc

The Ultimate Pre-Workout Fat-Loss Shake That Also saves You $$$

2011-06-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

Having used every pre workout drink under the sun from the original Ultimate Orange with ephedra, to the less effective drinks of today like NO Explode and White Flood. I have used them all over the years and have wasted hundreds of dollars on crap! Yes I know some of you will swear they are great products and they really work but simply put...without ephedra they don't! This is just my opinion so hold off on the hate mail guys. However my loss is your gain. Here is a low cost yet very effective pre workout shake you can mix at home. Give it a try and see for yourself. You don't need the supplement company's to mix it for you.

Here are the different dosages for each of the ingredients of my homemade workout shake:

15-20 g BCAA
30 g Dextrose/Maltodextrose
5 g Beta Alanine
200-300 mg caffeine "Green tea" (depending on body size)
5 g Creatine monohydrate
5 g Taurine
5 g Arginine
33 oz (1 liter) water

Start drinking this elixir 20 minutes before your workout starts. This lag time will allow for the different compounds to reach your blood stream; when you start your first set, you'll be nutritionally locked and loaded. Continue sipping the shake for the duration of your training session. If you have any left by the end of your workout, finish it off as fast as you can.

You'll notice that I've included creatine in the shake, taking creatine prior to your workout isn't going to enhance that specific workout, but it is always best to take creatine with simple sugars (like dextrose), as you will get increased creatine up take by your muscles. Since you're trying to lean out, the only time that you'll be getting simple sugars should be in this workout shake. That's why I've added it here.

Get Crazy Shredded with these 8 Principles

2011-06-23T22:37:00.002-04:00

Many of you who have spent time in the gym know how to eat to ensure the muscle building process: You have heard these basic guidelines a million times...so here is a million and one!

Meals - Eat smaller meals every 2.5 to 3 hours.

Protein - Consume at least 30 grams of protein with each meal.

Fats - Don't ignore your fat intake! Make sure 20 to 30% of your daily calories come from healthy fats.

Carbs - Focus on quality carbs sources including fruits, veggies, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa and other complex carb foods.

Those rules are old news. You have tried them, and they work. However now you have new goals. It's time to shed the fat and reveal the six pack. Here are 8 principles I teach to help my clients get crazy ripped.

Tip 1 - HEAVY & FAST

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.

Hot Tip! Stick with your existing muscle building workout while cutting.

Tip 2 - There Is No Magic Diet (Book, Food, Pill or program )

One of the most common questions is...which diet is best for getting lean & ripped? The reality is this: you need to make adjustments based on your body's unique feedback. There is no "best diet", but there is a best diet for you. Start with a reasonable calorie intake and protein, carb and fat profile, and make adjustments as needed to fine tune your fat loss.

Hot Tip! When the going gets tough, try carb cycling between high, medium and low carb days

Top 3 - Take it back a notch with the cardio!

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 my 30 min Fat blasting H.I.G.T- high intensity interval training.

Tip 4 - Slow Your Fat Loss Rate

Yes, you read that correctly. The best way to get silly shredded is to lose fat at a rate of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week. While a more rapid weight loss pace can be good if you are carrying around a substantial amount of extra fat, it's not the best approach when trying to dial down your bodyfat levels into the single digits. Rapid fat loss can also cause you to lose muscle.

Hot Tip! Week one weight loss is always higher than normal. Wait until the 2nd or 3rd week of a cut to make changes.

Tip 5 - Abs come from clean eating, not a exercise, sorry guys.

It's ok to chill on the volume of crunches and leg raises you are doing. Overusing direct ab work won't help you strip away belly fat. Keep your direct ab work to 1-3 sessions per week with a moderate amount of volume. This approach will help you maintain your ab size while you get cut.

Hot Tip! Weighted sit ups and cable crunches are an excellent way to add resistance to your workouts, helping you to build thicker abs.

Top 6 - Become A Cheater!

Did you know that a strict diet involves cheating? Yes, involves cheating. Prolong periods of dieting drop your body's leptin levels. Leptin is a hormone that helps your metabolism fire as efficiently as possible. A cheat meal or window (or even day in some cases) once a week will surprise your body, and help it to raise stagnating leptin levels. This metabolic boost will help you to burn more fat.

Hot Tip! Keep it simple by allowing yourself a one hour cheat window. This window can be moved each week to fit your social schedule.

Tip 7 - Get Real About Body Fat Levels

Most individuals underestimate their bodyfat levels - by a lot. Having an unrealistic view of your body composition can lead to frustration as your cutting diet starts to drag on for months without end. The best natural bodybuilders and fitness models in the world have a lean body mass (weight - fat pounds) of no more than 170-180 pounds. It's unrealistic to believe you are currently 240 pounds and 18% bodyfat. The more you "get real" with yourself, the better equipped you will be for the cutting process that lies ahead.

Hot Tip! Forget bodyfat scales and online calculators. Purchase a skin fold caliper, which will provide a more accurate bodyfat reading.

Tip 8 - Drink Your Water

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!

Hot Tip! Use a shaker or empty milk jug to help you monitor daily water intake.

Post Workout Nutrition. Your Success Starts Here.

2011-06-22T17:13:00.001-04:00

The hard work in the gym must be followed up by the most important meal of the day, your post workout shake.

Gaining muscle and losing fat is hard enough without the confusion of trying to ingest the right formula of post-training foods and supplements. The choices you make immediately after training can make or break your quest to reach the next level which can put you on the right track to progress or down a dead end road.
Protein

We all know we need protein to not only help us build muscle, but also increase metabolism which will in-turn help burn body fat. The types of protein are just as crucial as the amounts regarding benefits and effectiveness. Whey protein has the distinct advantage to being absorbed rapidly so it has the opportunity to flush your starving muscles with a healthy and abundant dose of amino acids (the building blocks of new muscle growth). 30-40 grams should do the trick

Another type of protein to consider is casein protein. This is a slower digesting protein which is normally recommended in between meals and late-night intake. Recent studies have shown a small amount of casein combined with your post-training shake can be advantageous to your physique goals. It’s slower pace of digestion will ensure that once the whey protein has been used, casein will still be around to feed the muscle until you are able to get in a solid complex carbohydrate and protein-rich meal. Try 10 -15 grams.success

Sugar

Just as important as protein is carbohydrate intake post-training. Ingesting carbohydrate in the form of simple sugars raise insulin levels in the body which will help shuttle nutrients (namely protein) into muscle cells to start the recovery and growth processes. This is also the best time for your glycogen stores, which were severely depleted during training, to be replenished. The amount of carbohydrate will vary with bodyweight and goals such as muscle gain or fat loss, but this process is crucial not only for recovery from the previous workout, but also sets the stage for the next session. Depending on your goals anywhere from 20 to 80 grams of a sports recovery drink will suffice.

Creatine

Now is the most crucial time to take in the popular supplement: creatine. Creatine will be shuttled into the muscle with protein and carbohydrate and aid in the rapid recovery process and will be stored in the cells for a better workout tomorrow. Creatine has been shown to not only help with strength and mass gains, but also with fat loss and recovery between and during workouts. 3 - 5 grams is all it takes for creatine to be effective.

Whey Protein
30 - 40 grams

Casein Protein
10 -15 grams

Simple sugars
60 - 80 grams for mass
20 - 30 grams for fat loss

Creatine
3 - 5 grams

A Day Of Perfect Eating

2011-06-21T21:38:00.001-04:00

Meal 1: Egg Whites, Steel Cut Oats, Mixed Berries, Coffee

Meal 2: Rice Cakes and either Avocado or Almond Butter

Meal 3: Steamed Basa, Quinoa and Asparagus, Green Tea

Meal 4: Xtreme Lean Vanilla Ice Cream Whey Protein, Banana, Almond Milk and Cinnamon

Meal 5: Chicken Breast, mixed Greens, Roasted Bell Peppers

Meal 6: Omelette – Egg Whites, Asparagus, Spinach, extra Lean Turkey

30 Minute" Fat Burn" Session

2011-06-14T20:30:00.001-04:00

OK when it comes to stripping away that last bit of stubborn fat and etch in some details to your physique, boy do I have a workout for you. Look I prefer to keep a low body fat percentage by eating clean and hitting the weight room with intensity. However for experienced athletes eventually you will hit a wall with your fat loss at some point in your training. Blame evolution for this, when your body fat levels are in the single digits the body will fight to keep that extra fat for survival, so its up to you to outsmart mother nature with your diet and yes your training.

Being a former fighter my preference for cardio training is boxing. when I am not in the weight room you can find me in a boxing gym. I like to mix it up, after 25 years of training combination of boxing, fitness and weight training is directly responsible at 40 for having 7% body fat year round ( Clean eating is 80% ). Give this workout a try on off days from the weights or for the dedicated do this workout in the AM then your weights at night.

1) 3 min free skip
Followed directly by 25 pushups, followed directly by 25 squat jumps.
Rest 30 seconds

2) 30 second skip rope 50% effort, 30 second sprint 100% effort...Repeat for 3 minutes total.
Followed by 25 jump squats, followed by 25 incline push ups
rest 30 seconds

3) 30 second skip rope 50% effort, 30 second sprint 100% effort...Repeat for 3 minutes total.
Followed directly by 25 pushups, followed directly by 25 squat jumps.
Rest 30 seconds

4) 30 second skip rope 50% effort, 30 second sprint 100% effort...Repeat for 3 minutes total.
Followed directly by 25 pushups, followed directly by 25 squat jumps.
Rest 30 seconds

5) 30 second skip rope 50% effort, 30 second sprint 100% effort...Repeat for 3 minutes total.
Followed by 25 jump squats, followed by 25 incline push ups
Rest 30 seconds

6) 30 second skip rope 50% effort, 30 second sprint 100% effort...Repeat for 3 minutes total.
Followed directly by 25 pushups, followed directly by 25 squat jumps.
Rest 30 seconds......Done Total 21 minutes

Take 2 min break & at the same time put on your hand wraps and bag gloves.

Round 1) 3 min heavy bag work
rest 30 seconds repeat for four total rounds.

Total 35 minutes...... over 700 calories burned

Richard-