Have you been trying to add muscle for some time with no results? It could be that your not eating enough quality nutrients or your programming isn't up to par. Although I'm against counting calories all the time it's not a bad idea to know how many you're consuming during the day. I suggest signing up for a free account on www.fitday.com, www.dailyburn.com or www.calorieking.com and tracking a few days of normal eating to see where you stand. Calorie needs are obviously very individual but most peoples maintenance calories will fall somewhere between 14 -17 kcal per pound of lean body mass. So if you are 200lbs and 15%bf your lean body mass is 170lbs. Your maintenance calories are most likely somewhere in the 2380 to 2890 range. If you want to gain muscle you need to be eating above your maintenance levels. So for our example he would need to be somewhere in the 3000-3500 range. You also need to be eating more than your lean body mass in protein every single day. Preferably spread over 5-8 meals. Make protein the basis of your meals and you'll be heading in the right direction. The rest of this list will all help build a stronger, bigger body.
1. Choose exercises that recruit the most muscle mass. Duh! Squats, deadlifts, chinups, overhead presses = much more effective than leg extensions, bicep curls, chest flys and whatever other dumb isolation exercise you are doing. This does not mean bicep curls are useless but if you can't do 10 chinups with body weight you shouldn't be wasting your time with them.
2. Cycle through 8 weeks of strength programs with 8 weeks of hypertrophy(size) programs. There are a million variations you can do but lifting in the strength range(1-6) reps and then in the hypertrophy range(6-12) will give you a nice switch up and faster gains. Changing rep ranges will allow you to recruit different muscle fiber types. In general you will have longer rest periods(2-3min) during the strength phase and shorter(45-90seconds)in the size phase. After 3-4 weeks you are gonna need to switch the exercises/grip/stance or some other variable because our bodies adapt very quickly to the same thing over and over.
3. Spending no longer than 1 hour on your workout. Just because Arnold spent 3 hours in the gym everyday and supplemented with a bucket of injectables doesn't mean you can. Your CNS(central nervous system) will be burnt out so fast it will make your head spin. Testosterone starts to decrease somewhere around the 45min mark since your first rep so get out and take your post workout shake.
4. Use progression. You need to write down what you are doing. If you bench press 185lbs for 5 reps and in 6 months you are still bench pressing 185 for 5 reps your chest is exactly the same size. Use a 1 to 2% progression for advanced lifters and 5% for beginners. Each week try to add some more weight to the bar or more reps with the same weight.
5. Stop program jumping. Just because you read something cool in Men's Health this month doesn't mean you should stop the program you started last week and do this one. You need to progress using the same exercises and when you plateau you can switch some variables and continue.
6. Take a post workout shake. If you get fat from looking at carbs use a combination of 40-60 grams of whey powder, 10-20 grams of glutamine and 2-15 grams of glycine. If you are fairly lean and handle carbs well take 150-200grams carbs(I use carb powder and grape/apple juice), 40-60grams whey. This should be taken within ten minutes of the end of your lift. Those numbers are dependent on lean body mass.
7. Have a splurge day once a week, if you are really skinny once every 5 days. This means eating 150%-200% of the normal calories you consume. Say you are gaining consistent weight eating 3500 calories a day, you need to jump that up to 5200-7000 once a week, works like a charm. This doesn't mean eat 7000 calories of crap but doing something easy like hitting a buffet for lunch will make up the difference.
8. Get enough sleep. Before I corrected my sleeping problems I was having serious problems making gains in the gym. Sleep is crucial for recovery and one of the most anabolic things you can do.
9. Lift legs twice a week. If you've been lifting legs never or once a week this will do wonders for putting on mass. Easiest way is to break it up into a quad dominant day(most squat and lunge variations) and hip dominant(deadlift variations, hamstring work) day. I also seem to end up back at this split because it makes the most sense with all factors included. Monday-upper body, Tuesday-quad dominant legs, Wednesday-off day, Thursday-upper body, Friday or Saturday-Hip dominant.
10. Work harder. This might seem simple but its amazing how many people cruise through their workouts when they easily could have given a better effort or gotten more reps. No supplement, food or training program can take the place of working harder in the hour you have in the gym. This also applies in the kitchen, just because you are "bulking" it doesn't mean you can eat shit all the time and expect the same results.
11. Get Lean first. If you can get yourself down to 10% body fat for men and 15% for women your insulin sensitivity will be greatly improved and this will be huge for gaining size with minimal fat gain.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
You're Nuts!
Hey Everyone,
I'm on a train to the diamond in the rough vacation spot known as Dewey Beach, Delaware. I am snacking on some Macadamia nuts and thought about how often my clients mention nutrition going to hell when they travel. I also used to have similar issues getting stuck eating processed foods, fast foods or something that you can't even classify that lives in an airport. This was all until I found out how great nuts were for travel. They are easy to pack, take no preparation at all, have little to no carbs, are very good at controlling blood sugar and providing me with protein/good fats. Most importantly they stop me from making poor nutrition choices. Nuts are also a great snack to keep at work to save yourself during the 10am, 3pm snack times that has you reaching for the vending machine. One word of caution, nuts are a common food allergy so it's important to cycle through different kinds of nuts.
Why are nuts so great? Bunch of reasons but most importantly being
1. Studies have shown 30 to 50% decrease in heart disease with eating nuts several times a week.
2. Great source of phytonutrients and anti-oxidants.
3. Chocked full of good for you fats
Different nuts and benefits
Walnuts- Highest omega-3 content of any nut. However the omega 3 found in walnuts is different than that found in fish. Walnuts contain ALA(alpha-linolenic acid) so its important to have both fish oils and walnuts. Walnuts aid in growth reproduction and brain functioning and are a great source of key minerals.
Almonds- Great source of monounsaturated fats. This is the key fat in the Mediterranean diet which has been shown consistently through research to be associated with lower levels of heart disease, cancer and longer life spans. A serving of almonds also contain about 6grams of protein and 3g of fiber. They have little to no carbs so are great for diabetics or those on a low carb diet. Also a great source of magnesium(a common deficiency).
Pistachio Nuts- Studies link pistachios to decreased oxidative stress and improved total cholesterol and HDL(good) cholesterol levels. Unsalted pistachios also have a very high potassium to sodium ratio, helping to normalize blood pressure and maintain water balance in the body.
Pecans- Loaded with nutrients like potassium, vitamin E and beta-sitosterol, a plant compound found to lower cholesterol.
Macadamia- Highest percent of monounsaturated fats of any nut.
Peanuts- As rich in antioxidants as many fruits. About equal to blackberries and strawberries. If you are buying canned peanut butter do not get the sugary kind. These also frequently have trans fats. If it reads "partially hydrogenated oil" it also means "trans fats"
Brazil Nuts- A new favorite of mine. Highest selenium content of any food. Low selenium is linked with many different kinds of cancers and is essential for healthy immune function. Selenium also pulls out heavy metals and other toxins. Thyroid function is also dependent on selenium.
Cashews- Lower in calories than other nuts but slightly higher in carbs. Contain good fats and healthy minerals like other nuts.
Lastly the meat and nuts breakfast has been making headway in the health and fitness community. The meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. The nuts provide a great source of healthy smart fats that allows the blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time. What??? Eat meat for breakfast?? Your crazier than I thought! Yes, cereal will make you fatter, most people aren't insulin sensitive enough to eat oatmeal. If you still eat bagels for breakfast there is zero chance you are lean. If not meat then at least eat some eggs or greek yogurt.
Eat your nuts!
I'm on a train to the diamond in the rough vacation spot known as Dewey Beach, Delaware. I am snacking on some Macadamia nuts and thought about how often my clients mention nutrition going to hell when they travel. I also used to have similar issues getting stuck eating processed foods, fast foods or something that you can't even classify that lives in an airport. This was all until I found out how great nuts were for travel. They are easy to pack, take no preparation at all, have little to no carbs, are very good at controlling blood sugar and providing me with protein/good fats. Most importantly they stop me from making poor nutrition choices. Nuts are also a great snack to keep at work to save yourself during the 10am, 3pm snack times that has you reaching for the vending machine. One word of caution, nuts are a common food allergy so it's important to cycle through different kinds of nuts.
Why are nuts so great? Bunch of reasons but most importantly being
1. Studies have shown 30 to 50% decrease in heart disease with eating nuts several times a week.
2. Great source of phytonutrients and anti-oxidants.
3. Chocked full of good for you fats
Different nuts and benefits
Walnuts- Highest omega-3 content of any nut. However the omega 3 found in walnuts is different than that found in fish. Walnuts contain ALA(alpha-linolenic acid) so its important to have both fish oils and walnuts. Walnuts aid in growth reproduction and brain functioning and are a great source of key minerals.
Almonds- Great source of monounsaturated fats. This is the key fat in the Mediterranean diet which has been shown consistently through research to be associated with lower levels of heart disease, cancer and longer life spans. A serving of almonds also contain about 6grams of protein and 3g of fiber. They have little to no carbs so are great for diabetics or those on a low carb diet. Also a great source of magnesium(a common deficiency).
Pistachio Nuts- Studies link pistachios to decreased oxidative stress and improved total cholesterol and HDL(good) cholesterol levels. Unsalted pistachios also have a very high potassium to sodium ratio, helping to normalize blood pressure and maintain water balance in the body.
Pecans- Loaded with nutrients like potassium, vitamin E and beta-sitosterol, a plant compound found to lower cholesterol.
Macadamia- Highest percent of monounsaturated fats of any nut.
Peanuts- As rich in antioxidants as many fruits. About equal to blackberries and strawberries. If you are buying canned peanut butter do not get the sugary kind. These also frequently have trans fats. If it reads "partially hydrogenated oil" it also means "trans fats"
Brazil Nuts- A new favorite of mine. Highest selenium content of any food. Low selenium is linked with many different kinds of cancers and is essential for healthy immune function. Selenium also pulls out heavy metals and other toxins. Thyroid function is also dependent on selenium.
Cashews- Lower in calories than other nuts but slightly higher in carbs. Contain good fats and healthy minerals like other nuts.
Lastly the meat and nuts breakfast has been making headway in the health and fitness community. The meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. The nuts provide a great source of healthy smart fats that allows the blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time. What??? Eat meat for breakfast?? Your crazier than I thought! Yes, cereal will make you fatter, most people aren't insulin sensitive enough to eat oatmeal. If you still eat bagels for breakfast there is zero chance you are lean. If not meat then at least eat some eggs or greek yogurt.
Eat your nuts!
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tips for Getting Lean: Part 2
If you missed the first 21 Tips check out the May archives on the right.
22. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I have no idea who first said that but it's very true in the health and fitness industry. This applies to both nutrition and training. If you've been eating the same things and not getting leaner it should give you a pretty good indication you need to do something different.
23. Carb cycling works really well for fat loss. I'll go into this more in the future but carb cycling is very well researched via studies and real world practice. At a basic level you take in different amounts of carbs everyday dependent on your training volume/intensity/rest days etc.
24. The food pyramid sucks. It's really good at making people fatter.
25. Don't sit when you go to the gym. Seriously most of you sit all day, then go into the gym and do seated shoulder presses. seated bicep curls and seated lat pulldowns. Not saying there isn't a place for these movements but you need to move more.
26. Speaking of sitting all day, its terrible for your posture and structural balance. As a trainer I see tons of rounded shoulders, tight hips, lack of mobility in the thoracic spine etc. Fixing posture and muscle imbalance helps everything.
27. Pull more than you push. Everyone loves working the "mirror muscles". Why is Monday national bench press and bicep curl day at every gym in America? Strengthening your back and hamstrings/glutes and the rest of the posterior chain is more important. They are bigger muscles, ie. more calorie expenditure, better posture, increased metabolism etc.
28. All about EPOC. EPOC is Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Aka how elevated your metabolism is following a workout. Steady state cardio does not raise EPOC very much, resistance training done properly raises EPOC a lot. Sometimes up to 48+ hours after a workout.
29. Avoid trans fatty acids like the plague.
30. The commercials are lying to you, high fructose corn syrup is complete garbage.
31. Crunches are a waste of your time and potentially dangerous for your lumbar spine. Ab exercises that aren't a waste of time = squats, deadlifts, chinups, any overhead press, plank variations, turkish get ups, medicine ball throws, ab rollouts. Crunches will not spot reduce the fat covering your 6 pack, the only scientifically proven way to spot reduce is through nutrition and manipulation of hormones.
32. Eat more smaller meals(4-8 depending on size) rather than 2-3 bigger meals. This is well researched and it works.
33. Get off the treadmills, ellipticals etc and sprint outside if you have the option. Hill sprints are one of the best fat loss workouts you can do. Not to mention a treadmill essentially "turns off" your hamstrings and glutes because the belt pulls you through. This sets you up for a repetitive quad dominant exercise and a future visit to the knee Dr.
34. Work really hard until it's time to not work hard. This is true for strength athletes, weightlifters, distance athletes etc. You should be working really hard with whatever you do until its time to step back and allow your body some rest. I personally work hard for 3 weeks and then take a week to "deload" or cut back on my training volume or intensity. You can not go balls to the wall all the time without it negatively impacting performance and results. If you workout twice a week it's not a big deal, but if you train 4-5 times a week it's a big deal.
35. Eat breakfast. If you aren't doing this ignore everything else I wrote and start here.
36. Add a tip daily or weekly into your routine, don't overwhelm yourself at the start.
22. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I have no idea who first said that but it's very true in the health and fitness industry. This applies to both nutrition and training. If you've been eating the same things and not getting leaner it should give you a pretty good indication you need to do something different.
23. Carb cycling works really well for fat loss. I'll go into this more in the future but carb cycling is very well researched via studies and real world practice. At a basic level you take in different amounts of carbs everyday dependent on your training volume/intensity/rest days etc.
24. The food pyramid sucks. It's really good at making people fatter.
25. Don't sit when you go to the gym. Seriously most of you sit all day, then go into the gym and do seated shoulder presses. seated bicep curls and seated lat pulldowns. Not saying there isn't a place for these movements but you need to move more.
26. Speaking of sitting all day, its terrible for your posture and structural balance. As a trainer I see tons of rounded shoulders, tight hips, lack of mobility in the thoracic spine etc. Fixing posture and muscle imbalance helps everything.
27. Pull more than you push. Everyone loves working the "mirror muscles". Why is Monday national bench press and bicep curl day at every gym in America? Strengthening your back and hamstrings/glutes and the rest of the posterior chain is more important. They are bigger muscles, ie. more calorie expenditure, better posture, increased metabolism etc.
28. All about EPOC. EPOC is Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Aka how elevated your metabolism is following a workout. Steady state cardio does not raise EPOC very much, resistance training done properly raises EPOC a lot. Sometimes up to 48+ hours after a workout.
29. Avoid trans fatty acids like the plague.
30. The commercials are lying to you, high fructose corn syrup is complete garbage.
31. Crunches are a waste of your time and potentially dangerous for your lumbar spine. Ab exercises that aren't a waste of time = squats, deadlifts, chinups, any overhead press, plank variations, turkish get ups, medicine ball throws, ab rollouts. Crunches will not spot reduce the fat covering your 6 pack, the only scientifically proven way to spot reduce is through nutrition and manipulation of hormones.
32. Eat more smaller meals(4-8 depending on size) rather than 2-3 bigger meals. This is well researched and it works.
33. Get off the treadmills, ellipticals etc and sprint outside if you have the option. Hill sprints are one of the best fat loss workouts you can do. Not to mention a treadmill essentially "turns off" your hamstrings and glutes because the belt pulls you through. This sets you up for a repetitive quad dominant exercise and a future visit to the knee Dr.
34. Work really hard until it's time to not work hard. This is true for strength athletes, weightlifters, distance athletes etc. You should be working really hard with whatever you do until its time to step back and allow your body some rest. I personally work hard for 3 weeks and then take a week to "deload" or cut back on my training volume or intensity. You can not go balls to the wall all the time without it negatively impacting performance and results. If you workout twice a week it's not a big deal, but if you train 4-5 times a week it's a big deal.
35. Eat breakfast. If you aren't doing this ignore everything else I wrote and start here.
36. Add a tip daily or weekly into your routine, don't overwhelm yourself at the start.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Fix your Gut!
In my last post "Tips for Getting Lean" I mentioned gut health being a major player in getting leaner. I'm gonna dive into that a bit more and talk about a test for your HCL(stomach acid) levels that I think everyone can benefit from. First and foremost it may seem like common sense but if you can't properly digest all your food and proteins it can have a negative impact on your health and body composition. I put this number one ahead of taking multi-vitamins, fish oils, vitamin D's and other things I suggest to pretty much everyone. If you don't have the proper stomach acid levels, analyzing macro nutrient percentages and what to eat and when becomes obsolete. A few of the PhD's I saw present mentioned this being one of the major under diagnosed problems in America.
What causes declines in HCL levels?
1. Age, 90% of people over 40 are thought to suffer from hypochlorhydria(low levels of acid)
2. Stress
3. Alcohol
4. Processed foods
Taking digestive enzymes with solid meals will also eliminate gas, belching, bloating, indigestion etc. So if you know anyone that suffers from these having them take the HCL test would be very helpful.
Another reason to keep your gut healthy is the fact that 90% of our serotonin is produced there. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter or "happy hormone" that antidepressant meds like Prozac work on. But since almost all of serotonin is produced in the gut and not the brain it makes sense that the healthier the gut the happier you will be. If you suffer from even a small bit of depression getting your gut healthier is the number one priority. You will never get better without it.
How to perform a HCL test.
http://us.cpoliquin.com/?Click=2682
If you follow that link and search for "Digest Force". Get the 90 capsule bottle, you'll need 28 for the test. The rest you would use after you determine your HCL levels. It's cheap, 24 bucks.
1. Take 1 capsule midway through a solid meal. Wait 10 minutes, if you feel a warm sensation(similar to a hot cup of tea in your stomach) you can stop the test. If not, take 2 in the middle of the following meal, same thing. If you feel nothing, take 3 the following meal, Do this until you reach 7 capsules(Do not exceed 7 capsules).
2. If for example you feel a warm sensation after 4 capsules, go back to 3 and continue with that until you feel the warmth and then drop to two etc. This will help to restore your natural HCL levels.
3. DO NOT DO THIS TEST IF YOU HAVE ULCERS, also only take the digestive help with solid meals. If you have a shake for breakfast do not take the digest force.
4. If you fail at 7 capsules you are hypochloridic. For the sake of keeping this post short, if this happens contact me directly. From my experience with people taking the test, a lot of people who didn't think they would have issues have benefited from digestive help.
5. As always if you are a skeptical or want to learn more, I suggest doing google searches. I want people to be educated on the benefits of digestive help or the potential harm of low HCL levels.
6. For clients I haven't given the test yet, I'm going to provide you with the digest force capsules so don't purchase it.
Gut health is top priority!
What causes declines in HCL levels?
1. Age, 90% of people over 40 are thought to suffer from hypochlorhydria(low levels of acid)
2. Stress
3. Alcohol
4. Processed foods
Taking digestive enzymes with solid meals will also eliminate gas, belching, bloating, indigestion etc. So if you know anyone that suffers from these having them take the HCL test would be very helpful.
Another reason to keep your gut healthy is the fact that 90% of our serotonin is produced there. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter or "happy hormone" that antidepressant meds like Prozac work on. But since almost all of serotonin is produced in the gut and not the brain it makes sense that the healthier the gut the happier you will be. If you suffer from even a small bit of depression getting your gut healthier is the number one priority. You will never get better without it.
How to perform a HCL test.
http://us.cpoliquin.com/?Click=2682
If you follow that link and search for "Digest Force". Get the 90 capsule bottle, you'll need 28 for the test. The rest you would use after you determine your HCL levels. It's cheap, 24 bucks.
1. Take 1 capsule midway through a solid meal. Wait 10 minutes, if you feel a warm sensation(similar to a hot cup of tea in your stomach) you can stop the test. If not, take 2 in the middle of the following meal, same thing. If you feel nothing, take 3 the following meal, Do this until you reach 7 capsules(Do not exceed 7 capsules).
2. If for example you feel a warm sensation after 4 capsules, go back to 3 and continue with that until you feel the warmth and then drop to two etc. This will help to restore your natural HCL levels.
3. DO NOT DO THIS TEST IF YOU HAVE ULCERS, also only take the digestive help with solid meals. If you have a shake for breakfast do not take the digest force.
4. If you fail at 7 capsules you are hypochloridic. For the sake of keeping this post short, if this happens contact me directly. From my experience with people taking the test, a lot of people who didn't think they would have issues have benefited from digestive help.
5. As always if you are a skeptical or want to learn more, I suggest doing google searches. I want people to be educated on the benefits of digestive help or the potential harm of low HCL levels.
6. For clients I haven't given the test yet, I'm going to provide you with the digest force capsules so don't purchase it.
Gut health is top priority!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Part 1: Tips for Getting Lean
I really like lists. They are simple and to the point. This list is not exhaustive but even if you follow half of it you will be leaner in no time. I plan to dive deeper into each point in the future but beach season is right around the corner.
1. Fix your gut. There's a pretty good chance your stomach acid levels aren't up to par. If you can’t break down your muscle-building/fat burning nutrients your gonna have a really hard time getting lean.
2. Work on your joint mobility, because if you can't squat/lunge/deadlift/pull/press properly your programming is not going to be good enough.
3. This follows number two, do compound movements for the majority of your workout. Step away from the machines and single joint exercises.
4. Eat more protein, and no the protein from a hot dog is not the same as from an egg.
5. Repeat this to yourself as much as needed, "I've been brainwashed to think the treadmill and elliptical are the keys to fat loss but I'm wrong, I need to start building muscle instead of losing it by doing steady state cardio"
6. Earn your carbs, if you make yourself insulin sensitive you can have much more fun with carbs. But until then cut out the sugars, starches and other stuff you know is garbage.
7. Speaking of Insulin sensitivity, start taking Fish Oil.
8. Take a quality Multi-vitamin. If it uses Magnesium Oxide, throw it in the trash right now.
9. Eat as many vegetables as possible.
10. You need more good fats. Nuts, olive oil, fish oil etc are all your friends.
11. Drink more water, you do not want to be dehydrated and there's a good chance you might be. Quick test for dehydration. In a seated position put one hand on each thigh and wait 10 seconds. You should be able to see the veins in your hands? Now raise your hands in front of your eyes. The veins should be gone within 1 second. If not, you are dehydrated.
12. Drink more green tea.
13. Don't worry about counting calories. If you try to count calories everyday you are going to drive yourself crazy and drive up cortisol levels. To steal from Charles Poliquin, "Counting calories is for dweebs".
14. Speaking of Cortisol, find some time to relax everyday(preferably before bed). Getting lean has as much to do with the mind as it does the body.
15. Get your body fat measured. Speaking from personal experience, this will give you a swift kick in the ass if you've been slacking.
16. Plan your meals, this is absolutely huge. You have to cook ahead of time. If you go out to eat all the time you will be fat, guaranteed.
17. When you go to the grocery store don't buy stuff you know you shouldn't. If it is your house you will eventually eat it.
18. Detoxify yourself. Much more on this in the future.
19. I know it sucks but boozing really doesn't help the whole getting lean thing. If you are going to be drinking don't binge on garbage food, booze essentially shuts off the fat burning process in the body. Therefore that entire large pizza you just ate is gonna get stored, and not as muscle.
20. Take Vitamin D3, seriously the research is pouring in and most of us are deficient. This poses numerous health risks.
21. Get quality deep sleep.
Part Two coming soon...
1. Fix your gut. There's a pretty good chance your stomach acid levels aren't up to par. If you can’t break down your muscle-building/fat burning nutrients your gonna have a really hard time getting lean.
2. Work on your joint mobility, because if you can't squat/lunge/deadlift/pull/press properly your programming is not going to be good enough.
3. This follows number two, do compound movements for the majority of your workout. Step away from the machines and single joint exercises.
4. Eat more protein, and no the protein from a hot dog is not the same as from an egg.
5. Repeat this to yourself as much as needed, "I've been brainwashed to think the treadmill and elliptical are the keys to fat loss but I'm wrong, I need to start building muscle instead of losing it by doing steady state cardio"
6. Earn your carbs, if you make yourself insulin sensitive you can have much more fun with carbs. But until then cut out the sugars, starches and other stuff you know is garbage.
7. Speaking of Insulin sensitivity, start taking Fish Oil.
8. Take a quality Multi-vitamin. If it uses Magnesium Oxide, throw it in the trash right now.
9. Eat as many vegetables as possible.
10. You need more good fats. Nuts, olive oil, fish oil etc are all your friends.
11. Drink more water, you do not want to be dehydrated and there's a good chance you might be. Quick test for dehydration. In a seated position put one hand on each thigh and wait 10 seconds. You should be able to see the veins in your hands? Now raise your hands in front of your eyes. The veins should be gone within 1 second. If not, you are dehydrated.
12. Drink more green tea.
13. Don't worry about counting calories. If you try to count calories everyday you are going to drive yourself crazy and drive up cortisol levels. To steal from Charles Poliquin, "Counting calories is for dweebs".
14. Speaking of Cortisol, find some time to relax everyday(preferably before bed). Getting lean has as much to do with the mind as it does the body.
15. Get your body fat measured. Speaking from personal experience, this will give you a swift kick in the ass if you've been slacking.
16. Plan your meals, this is absolutely huge. You have to cook ahead of time. If you go out to eat all the time you will be fat, guaranteed.
17. When you go to the grocery store don't buy stuff you know you shouldn't. If it is your house you will eventually eat it.
18. Detoxify yourself. Much more on this in the future.
19. I know it sucks but boozing really doesn't help the whole getting lean thing. If you are going to be drinking don't binge on garbage food, booze essentially shuts off the fat burning process in the body. Therefore that entire large pizza you just ate is gonna get stored, and not as muscle.
20. Take Vitamin D3, seriously the research is pouring in and most of us are deficient. This poses numerous health risks.
21. Get quality deep sleep.
Part Two coming soon...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Biosignature
Hey Everyone,
I just returned from a 5 day conference on nutrition for body composition and health. It was excellent and I changed a lot of my own dietary practices as a result. The conference was based on an individual "Biosignature", which is essentially the result of a 12 skin fold body fat test. BioSignature is a system based on scientific evidence that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile. We then went through all the protocols(Nutrition, lifestyle, supplementation, environmental changes) to help people get leaner and stronger. It seems to be the future of the health and fitness industry as we know now its possible to spot reduce body fat, something long thought to be a myth. Charles Poliquin presented and I hope to pass along some of the great new information that was shared. I'll highlight some of the major things here and then dive into them more specifically in the near future.
3 Major Things that make us fat
1. Stress(Cortisol)
2. Malnutrition
3. Toxins
Most people don't eat enough protein for optimal metabolism/leanness. The first 30 grams of protein in the morning goes towards Phase 2(P2) detox of the liver. Our liver has to detox over 500 chemicals on a daily basis. The next 30 grams supports the immune system. So if your only getting 60 grams a day(Ladies!) very little of it is going towards helping you build/maintain muscle and keeping your basal metabolism high.
The majority of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D3, Zinc, Magnesium and HCL(Acid found in your stomach that helps with digestion). I personally was deficient in Zinc and HCL(I've been supplementing prior to the course with D3 as well as magnesium). HCL is the major one as someone can't digest and absorb all their nutrients, vitamins, proteins etc if they don't have proper HCL levels. A few presenters mentioned this being one of the major under diagnosed problems we face. They talked about the importance of taking vitamins, omega 3's etc but if you can't absorb them properly they become useless. I have a way to test your HCL as well as help fix it that I will write about later.
TAKE FISH OIL. About 6 hours was spent on this and all its benefits. It seems that most Omega 3 experts are recommending cycling through different fish oils every 7-8 days. Also for body composition purposes taking your body fat % in grams of fish oil had a dramatic effect on ones ability to get leaner. Also it was mentioned about not taking a low quality fish oil, as they often aren't tested for heavy metals, plastics and solvents. A recent lawsuit was brought up regarding companies that sell low quality fish oils. http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/18426668. If your skeptical on fish oil, a good thing is to go to google and think of an obscure disease and type in fish oil next to it. 100% guarantee there will be studies and research that show it helping with that disease.
Insulin is the one hormone we have 100% control over. It was basically stated that you need to "earn your carbs". If you are more insulin resistant, which is shown through higher body fat in the Sub scapular(underneath shoulder blade) and Supra-illiac(Love handles), you need to be on a low carb diet to lose body fat. It was estimated this is about 75% of people. The Sub scapular skin fold is based on genetic disposition and Supra-illiac on nutrition.
Take a Multi-vitamin. If your multi uses Magnesium Oxide, its a dead give away its a cheap multi that most likely isn't helping you(more on this in the future).
We also did an entire day on proper cleanse protocols and why most on the market are garbage. Liver detox was huge, I'm sure most in this group could benefit from that.
Aaron Swan
I just returned from a 5 day conference on nutrition for body composition and health. It was excellent and I changed a lot of my own dietary practices as a result. The conference was based on an individual "Biosignature", which is essentially the result of a 12 skin fold body fat test. BioSignature is a system based on scientific evidence that where people store their body fat is an indication of their hormonal profile. We then went through all the protocols(Nutrition, lifestyle, supplementation, environmental changes) to help people get leaner and stronger. It seems to be the future of the health and fitness industry as we know now its possible to spot reduce body fat, something long thought to be a myth. Charles Poliquin presented and I hope to pass along some of the great new information that was shared. I'll highlight some of the major things here and then dive into them more specifically in the near future.
3 Major Things that make us fat
1. Stress(Cortisol)
2. Malnutrition
3. Toxins
Most people don't eat enough protein for optimal metabolism/leanness. The first 30 grams of protein in the morning goes towards Phase 2(P2) detox of the liver. Our liver has to detox over 500 chemicals on a daily basis. The next 30 grams supports the immune system. So if your only getting 60 grams a day(Ladies!) very little of it is going towards helping you build/maintain muscle and keeping your basal metabolism high.
The majority of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D3, Zinc, Magnesium and HCL(Acid found in your stomach that helps with digestion). I personally was deficient in Zinc and HCL(I've been supplementing prior to the course with D3 as well as magnesium). HCL is the major one as someone can't digest and absorb all their nutrients, vitamins, proteins etc if they don't have proper HCL levels. A few presenters mentioned this being one of the major under diagnosed problems we face. They talked about the importance of taking vitamins, omega 3's etc but if you can't absorb them properly they become useless. I have a way to test your HCL as well as help fix it that I will write about later.
TAKE FISH OIL. About 6 hours was spent on this and all its benefits. It seems that most Omega 3 experts are recommending cycling through different fish oils every 7-8 days. Also for body composition purposes taking your body fat % in grams of fish oil had a dramatic effect on ones ability to get leaner. Also it was mentioned about not taking a low quality fish oil, as they often aren't tested for heavy metals, plastics and solvents. A recent lawsuit was brought up regarding companies that sell low quality fish oils. http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/18426668. If your skeptical on fish oil, a good thing is to go to google and think of an obscure disease and type in fish oil next to it. 100% guarantee there will be studies and research that show it helping with that disease.
Insulin is the one hormone we have 100% control over. It was basically stated that you need to "earn your carbs". If you are more insulin resistant, which is shown through higher body fat in the Sub scapular(underneath shoulder blade) and Supra-illiac(Love handles), you need to be on a low carb diet to lose body fat. It was estimated this is about 75% of people. The Sub scapular skin fold is based on genetic disposition and Supra-illiac on nutrition.
Take a Multi-vitamin. If your multi uses Magnesium Oxide, its a dead give away its a cheap multi that most likely isn't helping you(more on this in the future).
We also did an entire day on proper cleanse protocols and why most on the market are garbage. Liver detox was huge, I'm sure most in this group could benefit from that.
Aaron Swan
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