Don’t Be Embarrassed
“I don’t like lifting weights on my own because I’m embarrassed.”
“I won’t do that exercise because it’s embarrassing.”
I’ve literally had clients refuse to do certain exercises because they deem them to be embarrassing.
Really?
For one, why do you care what anyone else thinks?
Two, if a trainer is having you do it, it is a worthwhile exercise! AND probably anyone who is watching you is thinking to themselves, “I should do that exercise. It looks hard!”
Three, do you really think people are more concerned with watching you than doing their own workouts?
AND FOUR, have you seen some of the DUMB things that people do that they think don’t look dumb?
Also…
Do you really think any of us look GOOD while working out?
HA! I most definitely don’t!
I look like a drowned rat. Or like I’m about to puke. Or both.
But aside from all of those reasons listed above…
Who really cares what anyone else thinks? You are there to get in a workout. To drip sweat, get out of breath and work as hard as you can. It isn’t a beauty pageant.
It’s what you do so that you can be healthy and beautiful and DO a beauty pageant. 😉
So next time you think about skipping the weight room floor or that exercise your trainer showed you, DON’T. Remind yourself of everything listed here. Or maybe just think about the fact that you should be more embarrassed by the fact that you were too chicken to do something you knew was good for you.
Up to you…I think I’ll just keep looking ridiculous…like a drowned rat about to puke.
10 Phrases I wish I’d NEVER Hear Again
Sometimes this is how I feel when I rant.
These are 10 phrases I hear all the time that I wish would never be uttered again in my presence. They aren’t in any order…I hate them all equally
- I use the adductor and abductor machine. I need to work on my inner thighs. That is the stupidest machine out there. Why waste your time on that machine working one muscle group when you can do slider side lunges or sumo squats and work numerous muscle groups at once while still targeting your add/abductors? Seriously, if you don’t want to waste your time in the gym and you actually want to burn some calories, you should do a compound movement. Plus why can’t people understand you CAN’T SPOT REDUCE!
- I had a bagel this morning, but it was whole wheat! When people tell me this, I have to resist the urge to slap them. (I promise I’m not a violent person!). I’m always surprised when clients say this to me since they know my stance on nutrition. I THINK WHOLE GRAINS ARE JUST AS BAD! Did you know that shredded wheat is higher on the glycemic index than table sugar? So don’t walk up to me and tell me your breakfast wasn’t bad because you only had a bagel…
- I didn’t have time to workout. HA! If you want to workout, you find the time…30 minutes is more than enough to get in a great workout!
- This weight is too heavy. If your form isn’t breaking down and you can do the exercise, the weight isn’t too much. Muscle burn is a good thing people! I always remind my clients, “Your mind will give up before your body has to!” We have to train our mind to push beyond that initial fatigue because, trust me, your body is stronger than you think!
- I can’t do this. CAN’T…Maybe the worst word on the planet. Ok maybe I hate this one the most. I love when people are doing the exercise and STOP to tell me they can’t do it. I’ve honestly wanted to shout at people, “You were just doing it easily! What do you mean you CAN’T do it!?!”
- I’ve tried everything and nothing works. Really? You’ve tried everything? Sounds to me like you were too lazy to fully commit to anything enough to actually find out if it works!
- Training is too expensive. Probably only trainers will sympathize with me here. Yes training can add up but it is for your HEALTH. You spend money on movies, dinners out and new clothes. You even spend money on medicine. Why wouldn’t you spend money on something that keeps you healthy so you can do all the things you enjoy!?!
- I don’t want to get too bulky. Yes, I hear this more often than I would like to. I’ve even been told by a woman that my workouts were in fact making her too bulky. Of course she wasn’t yet strong enough to lift over 5lbs, but the push ups were doing it to her…I almost rolled up my sleeve and flexed my bicep and asked, “So this is too bulky for you then?”
- I’m hungry all the time and only ate like 1,000 calories so I should be losing weight. I’m not hungry…like ever. Ok maybe at the end of a fast or after a really hard workout. But I never feel like I’m starving myself. If you feel hungry all the time and are barely eating any calories, do you really think that diet is natural? Is that really something you can maintain? No? Maybe you should try a diet full of whole, natural foods and lots of protein and fat. Then you don’t have to count calories because you are only eating healthy foods that make you feel full!
- My body composition hasn’t changed and I only cheated a little. Really? If you aren’t seeing any progress, it is your own fault. You are to blame. “I only cheated a little” isn’t an excuse. If you don’t follow the diet, than you can’t blame the diet for not working. Anytime you “cheat” on a diet program, YOU are changing the way the diet works. My clients who follow my diet, lose the weight that they want/need to. Most even lose about 10-15lbs in the first month. This is no ultimate loser weight loss, but it is a healthy amount to lose in that time period – it SUSTAINABLE. So don’t try to blame the diet by saying you only cheated a little!
Anyway, that is my tired rant for the day. Any phrases that you hear all too often about diet and exercise that you would like to add to this list?
Travel
I have lots of clients that travel often and have used it as an excuse to either not eat well or not exercise.
But traveling is no excuse.
Some of my clients who have long plane rides to different countries claim that the problems all start because of jet lag.
Can I just say…”THAT IS A FREAKING LAME EXCUSE!”
Just because your body is tired and a bit out of whack doesn’t give you the excuse to eat crap and not move. AND your body doesn’t have to feel like crap when you travel if you FAST.
Yep! Studies have proven that fasting may help with cancer, weight loss and even JET LAG!
An article called “A “Fast” Solution to Jet Lag” states:
Dr. Clifford B. Saper and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston now think that food — or, more specifically, the lack of it — may resynchronize body rhythms faster than light and dark. They have studied a second “master clock” in mice, located in a cluster of brain cells called the dorsomedial nucleus, that can take over when food is scarce. Sure, humans aren’t mice, but both have a dorsomedial nucleus that responds to hunger. The researchers reason that because food is as essential for survival as sleep is, hunger can influence circadian rhythms as much as changes in light/dark patterns do.
So maybe if you fast to help reset your “master clock” you won’t suffer from jet lag…aka you have no excuse to eat crappy and not workout!! Here are suggestions from the article about how to make fasting work to prevent jet lag:
So, why not manipulate your feeding clock, rather than your sleep clock, the next time you try to fend off jet lag? Specifically, as Saper has discussed in the press, you can try fasting both before and during your long flight, then eating in a pattern that puts you in sync with local time. For instance, if you’re taking a 14-hour flight from New York to Beijing, it would work like this:
- Avoid all food from the time you get to the airport (i.e., about two hours before departure)
- Don’t eat during the flight — but still drink plenty of water
- Eat soon after you land, as close to a local meal time as possible
Because it is hard to workout when you are staying in a hotel, right?
WRONG!
There are exercises and workouts that you can do anywhere…including a hotel room, office or even outside. I even wrote a post about the 10 Best Exercise to do ANYWHERE!
You can even bring your own resistance equipment with you if you don’t want to miss a strength training workout. Resistance bands are easy to pack in any piece of luggage and weigh next to nothing. And they aren’t expensive. It is about $30 for a set.
Shoot you don’t even have to do strength training when you travel to remain active and healthy. You can even just go out for a walk around the hotel and get in some nice slow cardio!
And if it is too cold outside to walk or run, most hotels either have a pool or a small gym with a treadmill. Why not go for a swim or walk on the treadmill and enjoy a nice light magazine?
Honestly, there is no excuse to be a huge lump when you are traveling. I mean just even walk around and go sight-seeing for goodness sake!
Now…eating when you travel…
This section isn’t for the person planning a family vacation or taking a nice relaxing vacation. If you are going on vacation, of course indulge and enjoy. IT’S A VACATION.
This section is for the person that travels often and uses this as an excuse as to why they can’t be healthy/in shape/lose weight or WHATEVER.
For one, you don’t have to buy a crap snack at the airport. You can bring your own healthy snacks with you. You don’t even have to put your snacks in a separate bag when you go through security.
Second, almost every little snack shop in the airport at least has nuts – you don’t have to grab those Reese’s no matter how tempting.
Third, almost all restaurants have at least ONE thing you can eat.
Take Cheesecake Factory for instance. They have steaks, which aren’t breaded or fried. Yes, some come with french fries, but how hard is it to sub in mashed potatoes, veggies or a side salad?
NOT HARD.
And trust me, most people WON’T realize you are on a diet if you are eating a steak because most of society still follows the low-fat mantra.
And if you’re not feeling a steak? Try a Cobb Salad with Vinaigrette dressing!
There are a ton of different options at most restaurants. Yes, some restaurants, like Italian restaurants, are harder to find things at, but trust me it is possible.
Just take a look at the menu BEFORE you go out. This way you will be prepared for the options and know what you can and cannot eat. You will also be less likely to cheat once you get there and are hungry if you know ahead of time what you can order.
And with all of this I’m not saying you can’t try some “local” cuisine. I’m just saying, you CAN eat well when you travel. You CAN be healthy.
If you want to make something work, you will find a way.
So stop making excuses and try some of this advice. It might make traveling more fun since you’ll be energized from eating well and relaxed from working out!
I Need Food!
So with the warm weather this week, Ryan and I did a ton of grilling. We made some more ribs and some kielbasa and burgers. I LOVE MEAT!
I also love ice cream and a couple of nights this week I did treat myself to a healthy version of that cold treat!
Below are some delicious dinner and dessert recipes to try out this spring and summer! The rib meal was especially great for a Friday night date and some March Madness!
Lamb Merguez Bunless Burgers and Kielbasa with a Bacon-Blue Cheese Ketchup
Ingredients:
1/2 Lamb Merguez from The Meat House
1 lbs 85% lean grass-fed ground beef courtesy of Trader Joe’s
1 Smoked Turkey Kielbasa from Trader Joe’s
3 strips of bacon
2 tbsp of full-fat blue cheese
2 tbsp Sir Kensington’s Ketchup (Latest find at The Meat House…all natural AND AMAZING!)
3 green onions
Bunless Burgers and Kielbasa:
Preheat grill. Combine Lamb Merguez and ground beef. Form into about 4 oz patties. Once patties are formed, place onto grill. Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until desired temperature (aka medium rare, medium) is reached.
Place kielbasa on grill when you flip the burgers. The kielbasa is already cooked so you really just need to heat it and get some nice grill marks on it!
Bacon-Blue Cheese Ketchup:
While the patties and kielbasa are on the grill, cook bacon in a pan. Once bacon is crispy, add in blue cheese, ketchup and chopped green onions. Stir until combined and then transfer to a bowl. This is a great topping for the burgers!
Of course no meal is complete without some veggies! We made a nice little romaine salad with a creamy mustard dressing to go along with the burgers.
P.S. LOVE the Sir Kensington’s ketchup that we found at The Meat House! Not only are the ingredients better BUT it just has such a great taste! Definitely a must try!
Cider Baby Back Ribs and a Southwest Salad
Ingredients for Ribs and Sauce:
Seasonings sprinkled on both sides – Smoked Paprika, Adobo Seasoning, Onion Salt, Cumin, Chipotle Chili Powder, Pepper
1 Newton’s Folly Cider from Trader Joe’s
1 slab of Baby Back Ribs from The Meat House
3 tbsp of Sir Kensington’s Ketchup
1/2 can of Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard
1/2 tbsp Molasses
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ribs in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Rub slab of ribs with seasonings on both sides. Put meaty side up and fill dish with cider. Cover and put into oven for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
While ribs are baking make the sauce. In a pot over medium heat, combine tomato sauce, mustard, vinegar and molasses. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Preheat grill when ribs are almost ready. Remove ribs from oven and coat both sides with the Kensington ketchup. Place meaty side up on grill and cook until both sides have a nice char. Serve with some of the tomato bbq sauce!
Ingredients for Southwest Salad:
Grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheese
Butter
1 head Romain lettuce
4 Jalapeno stuffed olives
2 oz Chorizo from The Meat House
1 tbsp Mitchell’s Chili con Queso from The Meat House (all natural ingredients!)
2 tsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp Salsa Verde
1/2 Tomatillo Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa from Trader Joe’s
1/2 avocado
1 tsp heavy whipping cream
1/2 tbsp Salsa Verde from Trader Joe’s
1 tsp cumin
Garlic to taste
First you must make the parmesan crisp bowls.
On a plate melt a little butter and grease the entire plate. Cover with a 1/4 thick layer of grated cheese. Heat in microwave for about 1 minute 45 seconds until the parmesan is bubbly and golden brown.
Carefully, remove crisp and place into a bowl covered with a paper towel. Press crisp to form to bowl shape. Cool and remove. I made two crisps this way.
Then in a bowl, combine chopped lettuce, chopped olives and diced chorizo.
To make the dressing, combine queso, 2 tsp cream, 1/2 tbsp salsa verde, and roasted yellow chili salsa in a dish. Once combined, toss with lettuce mixture.
I topped the salad with a simple guacamole. I mashed avocado, 1 tsp cream, salsa verde, cumin and garlic together until cream.
A closer look at the salad
We also indulged in a Spring Woodchuck cider. YUM!
For dessert we had my Berry Chocolate Freeze.
Chocolate Coconut Berry Freeze (picture to come..I forgot to take one before chowing down last night)
Ingredients:
2 cups Frozen berry medley (I like ones with cherries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
4 tbsp coconut milk
2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
In a bowl, combine frozen berries and coconut milk. With a fork, mash together berries and coconut milk until only little chunks of fruit remain. I like to mash it till it is very blended. Then stir in cream and chocolate.
We serve it in mugs but bowls work too! 😉 A delicious dessert if you are an ice cream lover!
What are your favorite spring/summer meals?
For recipes, check out the Recipe Box!
P.S. I stole the title from one of The Cave Kids’ songs!
Some Friday Ramblings
So it is almost the end of March, which means you only have 1 more week to get a FREE, CUSTOMIZED 2 month Man Bicep diet plan! In April, I will be launching a new second Man Bicep site for online training. YAY!
Have I mentioned yet how much I love warm weather?!?
This week it’s been warm enough for Ryan and I to BBQ (great recipes to come!). It has also been warm enough to tempt me to eat ice cream, which I’ve only avoided by indulging in one of my favorite healthy treats….Want the recipe? Check back tomorrow!
This past week I started my new workout program, which I’m EXTREMELY sore from. Try this week’s weekly workout and see how you feel afterwards!
And some motivation to get you going…
A 10-year-old girl sets powerlifting world record for all age groups!
AND an awesome bicep from Jill!
Jill's Man Bicep!
Weekly Workout #6
Strength:
Front squat 3×10
Auxiliary lift circuit: 3 sets
50 KB swings
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
50 Sit ups
The Word I HATE THE MOST
Bulky.
I shudder ever time I hear a woman utter that word.
Actually, I shudder and then I want to shake her until she is a limp pile on the floor…or at least scream at her at the top of my lungs.
This is what I feel like doing when I hear a woman utter the word bulky!
But usually I don’t do either. Usually I just internally roll my eyes and then say, “You won’t get bulky if you lift heavy weights.”
Trust me. You won’t.
As I tell all my clients, if anyone has tried to get huge or “bulky”…it’s me. I’ve lifted super heavy without doing any cardio. I’ve eaten more protein than any human should and I’ve taken supplements that I will never ever try again.
And trust me…I’m not big. Although I am the biggest I’ve ever been and I don’t think my photos look “bulky.”
I’m muscled. I’m “toned.” I’m lean…when I avoid pizza 😉
But I’m nowhere near bulky.
Where does this fear of lifting heavy weights, gaining muscle and becoming bulky or manly come from?
I blame the media. I blame all of us women who perpetuate it. I blame all of the men who make us feel like we should act like the weaker sex.
But I think Caitlin at Fit and Feminist narrowed it down to the true root cause of the whole problem – that society promotes a single body ideal.
All of us women grow up being indoctrinated with a single ideal of female beauty, an ideal that really doesn’t promote lifting heavy weights in the least.
As Caitlin states in her article “Body Image: The Danger of a Single Body Ideal”:
[A] slim figure with breasts that aren’t too big and thighs that don’t touch and a butt that isn’t too flat and nothing that jiggles too much — is desired with such single-mindedness that the non-cosmetic benefits of weight training are dismissed without a second thought.
So we can’t even seen how good weight training is for us because of this feminine ideal. We can’t risk becoming BULKY because BULKY means we look manly and unattractive.
BAH! I HATE THAT WORD!
Seriously, how and why did women decide that weight lifting makes them look bulky? I mean how is a lean, toned body not sexy?!? And if you lift weights that is what you will get – a lean, toned body!
I’ve never seen a woman get bulky from lifting weights UNLESS she is a) taking steroids or b) carrying around a ton of extra fat on top of her muscle. In the second scenario, what actually makes the woman look bulky is the extra fat NOT the muscle.
Sorry, but it’s true.
So next time you go to utter the word BULKY, think for a second about whether or not the person you say it to will want to shake you until you fall limp to the ground.
OR just realize that LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS WON’T MAKE YOU BULKY!
How do you feel about the word bulky? Have you ever been guilty of worrying that weights would make you manly and “bulky?”
Keep It Simple, Stupid
We seem to love to make dieting and exercising something super complicated.
But it’s not. And you’ll get the best results if you simply keep it simple!
If you follow the three most basic Man Bicep principles, I guarantee you will be lean, healthy and fit!
- Lift weights.
- Eat whole, natural foods when you’re hungry.
- Don’t waste your time!
Lift Weights:
Let’s just first clear the air…YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY IF YOU LIFT HEAVY WEIGHTS!
That being said you will reap these benefits if you can move past that fear:
- Build strength.
- Gain lean muscle mass.
- Lose more fat.
- Maintain a lean physique.
- Increase your bone density and reduce your risk of osteoporosis.
- Reduce your risk of injury.
- Improve your mood.
Eat Whole, Natural Foods:
Keep it simple! You don’t need to complicate your diet by counting calories or watching your micro-nutrient intake. You don’t need to take a bazillion supplements or eat any special bars. You don’t need to freak out about eating 5-6 small meals a day.
Your metabolism won’t shut off if you skip a meal and the more ingredients something has, no matter if it is low-fat or supposed to “zap fat in 1 week!”, the worse it is for you…period.
Don’t get fooled by stupid diet gimmicks that tell you that you can eat candy and lose weight. It doesn’t work.
Don’t make dieting something complicated! Just eat whole, natural foods like fresh fruit and vegetables and naturally raised, organic animal products. Eat when you are hungry…Heck you can even skip meals if you want and fast. Fasting even has proven health benefits!
If you need some help getting started with a clean eating program, check out these healthy lifestyle tips!
Don’t Waste Your Time:
What do I mean by this? Don’t waste your time half-assing a diet or fitness program. Don’t spend 1 hour in the gym when you could accomplish more in 20 minutes. Don’t work with a trainer to try to lose weight if you aren’t going to eat well outside of the gym.
Don’t waste your time or anyone else’s. Try circuit training. Starting eating a diet of whole, natural foods so that your hard work in the gym pays off.
If you want to live a healthy lifestyle….then DO IT!
Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t half-ass it.
Don’t waste your time! DO IT!
Let’s Make a Bet – 20 minutes vs. 1 hour
What do you want to bet that a 20 minute workout can be better than an hour workout?
I’d bet just about anything.
Circuit training - killing two birds with one stone....Candy also made a good point - this is what we look like when we are working out.
It kills me to see people in the gym who think they need to slave away for hours to get results. It kills me to hear people say that they don’t have enough time to workout.
It kills me that people WASTE THEIR TIME doing long, drawn out workouts when they could get better results in 20 minutes.
And I’m not saying you should never workout for an hour…I’m just saying that you don’t need to!
Why spend 30 minutes on the treadmill and then 30 minutes doing some slow isolated muscle group weight workout when you could accomplish the same thing (and more!) in only 20 minutes?
Don’t waste your time! Try circuit training! It will help you get great results in less time.
When I say circuit training, most people think of quick circuits and light weight…barbie weights actually. But that isn’t what a true circuit is.
A true circuit is one in which you use challenging weights while taking minimal breaks between exercises. A great circuit also alternates the body parts worked so that you can keep moving from exercise to exercise without having to take any rest.
And the other benefits of circuit training besides saving you time:
- You improve your cardiorespiratory system WHILE you build muscle. With traditional weight training workouts, you take super long rests between sets, which allows your heart rate to recover. But with circuit training and less rest, your heart rate remains elevated throughout the entire workout, helping you reap cardiovascular benefits without going on the treadmill for 30 minutes after your weight training circuit.
- You burn more calories AND fat in less time! Now who wouldn’t want to do that!?! More work is performed in less time equaling a greater calorie expenditure. A 185-lb. exerciser performing a 30-minute weight training routine expends 133 calories. To compare to circuit training, the same 185-lb. person performing a 30-minute circuit training session burns 355 calories. These statistics show that circuit training burns more than double the amount of calories than a standard weight training workout.
- You also burn more calories for longer! Circuit training triggers a response in your body that accelerates metabolism for up to 48 hours. You burn more calories after your workout because of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, which is affected by exercise intensity. Since circuit training is more intense compared than the typical weight lifting workout, circuit training will help you burn more fat after you workout!
- You build muscle! Most people think that circuit training equals light weights which equal no strength gains. But the lack of rest actually increases the amount of testosterone released, which helps build muscle. Also, because circuit training workouts are shorter you avoid cortisol releasing, which it does typically during lengthy cardio sessions. Cortisol can actually start to breakdown muscle tissues!
Hopefully, now you are thinking to yourself…Why don’t I do any circuit training? If you are looking for a great circuit, try one of the workouts of the week!
Spring is in the air!
What is it about sunshine and warm weather that just makes you feel so much better?
Studies will tell you it is probably the sunlight that enhances your mood. But whatever it is honestly warm weather and sun make me feel like a bear coming out of hibernation.
All winter, I just want to sit on my couch and be a lump, but suddenly the chill leaves the air and the sun is shining and I just want to be outside playing!
I enjoy being outside. I love walking, bike riding and paddle boarding! There are just so many great ways to exercise play outside!
If you need some inspiration, check out a video that Ryan and I made called “Primal on the Playground!” It will give you some great outdoor workout ideas!
There is also one “inactive” thing that I love about warm weather – the fact that you can BBQ!!! And last night, Ryan and I had our first BBQ of the summer. Below is the recipe for some delicious Baby Back Ribs and yes I do consider ribs to be a HEALTHY meal.
HEALTHY Baby Back Ribs
Ribs from The Meat House! YUM!
Ingredients:
1 Slab baby back ribs from The Meat House
Seasonings (onion salt, Adobo, pepper, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, cumin)
1 can of beer
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp spicy mustard
1 tbsp cream
2 tsp molasses
Ribs:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack of ribs in a baking dish. Rub with seasonings to taste. Place ribs meaty side up and pour in 1 can of beer around ribs. Cover the ribs with foil. Cook for around 2 hours checking tenderness after the first hour.
After baking the ribs, we threw them on the grill for a few minutes to get a nice char on each side.
Sauce:
In a saucepan, heat tomato sauce with mustard, cream and molasses. Bring to a boil then let simmer until it thickens a bit. If you like savory sauce, leave out the molasses. Depending on what I’m craving, sometimes I even make the sauce more mustard-y.
We served the ribs with a salad with a creamy mustard dressing (homemade!) and a Parmesan crisp! YUM!
P.S. I’m starting a lifting team training class at my gym in Boston. If you are interested in learning to lift heavy (or up your max) without spending a ton of dough, email me at manbiceps@gmail.com!
P.P.S. If anyone ever says they can’t get in a killer workout in 20 minutes, give them my email. This will probably be a rant tomorrow.
Gain Muscle AND Lose Fat
Conventional wisdom will tell you that it is almost impossible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.
But we all know that conventional wisdom is wrong 99% of the time.
Conventional wisdom states:
- To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit.
- To gain muscle, you must be in a calorie surplus.
But actually, there is a way that you can!
Through calorie cycling, fasting, eating whole, natural foods, and doing strength training , you will be able to accomplish both goals at once – gaining muscle and losing fat.
Calorie Cycling:
Calorie cycling means eating more calories on the days when you workout (calorie surplus) and eating fewer calories on the days when you don’t workout (calorie deficit). By cycling days of higher and lower calorie intake, you will be able to lose fat without catabolizing your muscle or slowing down your metabolism.
Lean Gains has a great post called “Maintaining Low Body Fat.” In it he states the importance of calorie cycling to be both muscled and lean. He also states that, unlike with calorie restriction, calorie cycling will not only help you accomplish your fitness goals but will also have behavioral benefits as well!
Surplus calories should not be consumed each and every day, but in conjunction with training – when they are likely to be used for repair of damaged muscle tissues and recovery of glycogen stores. Conversely, slight underfeeding on rest days may have benefits mediated via mechanisms that kick in during calorie restriction (on top of the independent and positive effects of intermittent fasting), such as improvement in blood lipids and other health markers.
And then there’s the fact that people simply get more productive with a lessened focus on food on rest days – they get stuff done. But this effect is unique for the short-term. It’s certainly not something that occurs with prolonged dieting, where thoughts of food may become overwhelming and obsessive. I actually prefer to have a few dieting days now and then. I’ve noticed I am at my most productive during those days and I certainly don’t experience “dieting” symptoms such as increases in hunger.
So, cycling between overfeeding (training days) and slight underfeeding (rest days) is another excellent strategy to remain lean regardless of your goal. The benefits are not only physiological, but also behavioral.
So to sum it up – calorie cycling helps you get the calories you need on training days to build muscle while calorie restriction on non-training days helps you create a calorie deficit so that you can lose fat.
Fasting:
Fasting is a great way to create a calorie deficit while also maintaining your lean muscle mass and even increasing it! Mark’s Daily Apple actually had a post about fasting the other day in which Mark states:
[Fasting] increases fat oxidation while sparing lean mass. Since what we’re trying to do is lose fat (rather than just “weight”), the fact that fasting increases hormones that preferentially burn fat and decreases hormones that inhibit fat burning is extremely desirable.
Fasting increases hormones such as the growth hormone, which is not only one of the “premier” fat burning hormones, but is also involved in muscle growth!
How does growth hormone promote both?
Growth hormone promotes lipolysis, which is the breakdown of lipids and involves the hydrolysis of triglycerides into free fatty acids followed by further degradation. This process produces Ketones, which are found in large quantities in ketosis, a metabolic state that occurs when the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies, which can be used by the body for energy. AKA…the body starts using fat for fuel!
So during fasting more growth hormone is released which promotes lipolysis and the body begins to burn fast for fuel so that you lose fat!
The growth hormone increase during fasting also means increases in muscle mass. It stimulates both the differentiation and proliferation of myoblasts, which are a type of embryonic progenitor cell that gives rise to muscle cells. Growth hormone also stimulates amino acid uptake and protein synthesis in muscle and other tissues.
What all this means is that growth hormone helps your muscles absorb what they need to repair and grow while also helping your body use fat for fuel!…AKA fasting helps you gain muscle and lose fat!!!!
Whole, Natural Foods:
So when people tell you it’s all about calories in vs. calories out to lose weight, they are to some extent right. If you just want to lose weight on a scale, yes…you just need to eat fewer calories. BUT if you want to lose fat and retain lean muscle mass, the type of calories you consume DO MATTER.
There have been numerous studies proving that eating more protein helps people looking to lose body fat retain lean muscle mass.
After 12 weeks, our study found that the group of women who followed a reduced-calorie eating plan while consuming a higher level of protein was more effective in maintaining lean body mass during weight loss compared to those who consumed the same amount of calories with less protein.
So if you are in a calorie deficit, eating protein will help you spare your lean muscle mass so that all you are losing is fat.
Protein is also essential for muscle growth. The amino acids that make up protein are needed to help repair muscles after a strength training workout so that they grow.
And guess what more muscle means? More fat burning! When you gain muscle, your body has the ability to burn more fat.
So by consuming protein you aid your body in the preservation and ADDITION of lean muscle mass, which, in turn, will help you burn more fat!
Strength training:
How do you build muscle? Through strength training! What can help you lose fat? Strength training!
So what can intense workouts help you do? Gain muscle and lose fat all at the same time! Don’t believe me? Have you ever seen one of the top Crossfitters? Enough said.
Anyway, lifting heavy weights for fewer than 12 reps will help you gain strength and add muscle. The ideal rep range for muscle growth or muscle hypertrophy is usually considered to be between 8-12 reps. I however believe that if you use challenging weights no matter how many reps, will gain strength and therefore gain muscle.
No matter what rep range you believe to be ideal, stressing the muscles through strength training will cause trama to the muscles which will cause them to repair themselves and grow bigger and stronger in the process (especially if you eat the right type of calories!).
And not only does strength training help you gain muscle but it is better for fat loss than spending hours on a piece of cardio equipment. Even Women’s Health Magazine says so!
When you skip the weight room, you lose out on the ultimate flab melter. Those two sessions a week can reduce overall body fat by about 3 percentage points in just 10 weeks, even if you don’t cut a single calorie. That translates to as much as three inches total off your waist and hips. Even better, all that new muscle pays off in a long-term boost to your metabolism, which helps keep your body lean and sculpted. Suddenly, dumbbells sound like a smart idea.
So start lifting those heavy weights! Strength training will help you build muscle AND burn fat!
See? Conventional wisdom is wrong again. You can gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I know I did!
Man Bicep 