Random Fitness and Nutrition Thoughts and Basic Recommendations

Important Things to Remember

• Cardio does not fix a bad diet.
• The key to fat loss is an energy deficit that can be created through a caloric deficit or increasing activity levels. However, too large of a deficit will be detrimental.
• Aim for a loss of .5-1.5% of body weight weekly if the goal is fat loss.
• Optimal fat loss is obtained through diet and weight training, not cardio. Weight training builds strength and muscle mass promoting a high rate of fat loss. Cardio can promote fat AND muscle loss when used improperly which is a very common problem. Cardio should be utilized more so to improve cardiovascular performance and endurance and not to achieve fat loss.
• It does not matter when you eat or when you workout.
• The majority of your intake should come from whole food sources for the purpose of getting micronutrients (vitamins/minerals) in your diet as well as your macronutrients (protein/fat/carbs). 
• Follow a general rule of 80/20 for your diet. 80% whole foods and 20% of whatever else you want.
• There are no shortcuts. The road is paved through desire, dedication, and discipline.
• The hierarchy of importance: Diet > Weightifting > Cardio
• Without proper rest and recovery you will have diminishing returns.

Recommendations

• Follow a weight training program with a focus on progressive overloading of the muscle. Whether that comes from increasing weight, reps, or both is up to you based on your goals. I, personally, would recommend focusing on a strength building based program for the majority of beginners that is 3-4 days a week ranging from 3-4 sets of 3-6 reps for each set with a primary focus on compound lifts (bench, squat, deadlift) each day. Barbell complexes are king. The heavier the weight that can be controlled for reps the better.
• Stick to a diet plan for a minimum of 2-4 weeks. This will ensure that you get a good idea of how your body is reacting to the partitioning of nutrients and at the end of 4 weeks you can adjust the intake to reflect a change in body weight.
• Do include cardio in your program but do not make it the primary focus. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) types of cardio are generally the best for fat loss goals. This has been proven through research to be the most beneficial for fat loss and lean body mass retention. A 30min session of cardio is sufficient 2-3 times a week maximum.
• The most important thing to remember when following a dietary program for fat loss is that the caloric deficit is most important followed by your intake of protein. Next should be fats/carbs/fiber. Do not forget that too steep of a deficit will be very detrimental in the ability to maintain weight loss and your health in the long-term.
• One perfect week will not make a great physique. One imperfect week will not make a bad physique.
• Eat things that you love, but just do so in moderation. Follow the 80/20 rule and don’t stress over food.
• When you eat does not matter in the broad scheme of things, but if you find yourself feeling a bit “weighed down” when eating carbohydrates then consume the majority of them in the evening before bed.
• Weighing once a week to once every two weeks should be the absolute most often that you should step on a scale.
• Dependant on how you feel and respond to a particular macronutrient intake (especially carbs) things can be adjusted to incorporate a lower daily intake, weekly or bi-weekly re-feeds, timing, or in rare cases and as my recommended last resort, low-carb dieting. This is a feeling out process which is why I recommend to follow a set dietary intake (macros) for 2-4 weeks before altering.
• Fiber is likely the most important thing that you aren’t paying real attention to.
• Drink more water.

Squat Depth, Pt. 1 - The Difference

What’s the correct depth for squatting? Is it full depth performed ass to grass (ATG) or is it parallel?

It depends.

As with most things fitness related what you do depends completely upon your goals. You need to have a general idea for what direction you want to go in fitness wise before you figure out what kind of squat is best for you. 

Let me get one thing out there straight off the bat though.. partial reps will not suffice. What I mean by partial rep is what you commonly hear as half or quarter squats. Sure, at first you may lack the mobility necessary to have a better range of motion for squatting and that is 100% okay when starting out. The big picture to take away is that you don’t make partial rep squatting a mainstay in your lifting arsenal.

Now, some of you that are a little more versed in fitness and weightlifting have heard a lot of talk about ATG (Ass to Grass) squats and parallel I’m sure. First, I want to come clean and say that I, unfortunately, have been someone that played a bit of an elitist role early in my lifting days of saying that if squats are not performed at full depth (ATG) then they don’t count. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. Today we’re just going to set up the examples of the differences between the two depths, ATG and parallel, so that you may have a visual representation moving forward.

Full Depth/ATG

Notice the full depth hit at the bottom of the squat. This person couldn’t get any deeper without magically contorting their glutes completely under their pelvis. Typically an ATG depth squat is performed with an Olympic style high bar placement on the upper traps, more upright torso, narrower stance and closer grip.

Parallel

Take note of the hip crease in relation to where the quad lies and knee is. Most often a powerlifting style parallel squat is performed with a low bar placement on the rear deltoids, angled torso, moderate to wide stance and a wider grip than that of the Olympic squat. Also, in relation to an ATG squat notice that the glutes are not in contact with the back of the legs.

How can you tell when you’ve hit parallel? Well, it can be very tricky at first. You’ll often think you have when you haven’t because there’s a mental barrier right around that parallel mark. The best advice I can give you is to squat to your optimal depth based on your range of motion and slowly progress in adding weight to adhere to that full range of motion for depth.

Another great tool is using an anal retentive spotter. Finding that parallel mark in squatting can be where a very fickle and experienced spotter can really come in handy. The key is to watch for the hip crease not for the hamstrings. Many people make the mistake of thinking a parallel squat is when the hamstrings are at a 90º angle to the rest of the leg, but that’s not the case. Here’s an example:

True parallel is a line connecting the top of the knee and the crease of the hip, parallel to the floor.

Also, just for your reference here is an example of a squat that is at the above parallel position.

Obviously we have some major differences in depth and style for squatting, but which squat depth is right? Is it parallel or full depth? Both of them are are right. It just completely depends on your goals.

You’ll definitely still be working your muscles even if the depth is above parallel, but just not to the extent that you will once you’ve hit and gone beyond the parallel plane. I’ll speak more on that in the second part to this series. The biggest reason to make sure to hit parallel, aside from getting a good amount of muscle activation, is going to be for purposes of competition of sport such as powerlifting.

Now hopefully you understand the differences between the depths of squat. Stay tuned for Part Two of this series where I will dive into detail of the scientific benefits to each depth of squat alongside the reasons both will be effective or ineffective based on your goals.

Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don’t Bulk Up Women

1.  Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, according to Bill Kreamer in Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is the reason men are men and women are women. After men hit puberty, they grow facial hair, their voice deepens, and they develop muscle mass. Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle. Because women do not have very much testosterone in their bodies, they will never be able to get as big as men.

2.  The perception that women will bulk up when they begin a strength training program comes from the chemically-altered women on the covers of bodybuilding magazines. These “grocery stand models” are most likely pumped full of some extra juice. This is why they look like men. If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!

3.  For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training. This is essentially bodybuilding without testosterone. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won’t gain a large amount of mass.  The “toned” appearance comes from removing the fat that is covering a well-developed muscle.

4.  Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8–20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest—flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking. 

5.  Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.

6.  Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting weights, wake up one morning, and say “Holy sh__! I’m huge!” This doesn’t happen. The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact us because we want to do what you’re doing.

7.  What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many female athletes come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges, and leg extensions because it’s what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because their trainer’s so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there’s a good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money). 

8.  Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most female athletes perceive any weight gain as “bulking up” and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, “Squats don’t bulk you up. It’s the ten beers a night that bulk you up.” This cannot be emphasized enough. 

If you’re a female athlete and training with heavy weights (or not), you need to watch what you eat. Let’s be real—the main concern that female athletes have when coming to their coach about gaining weight is not their performance but aesthetics. If you choose to ignore this fact as a coach, you will lose your athletes!

9.  The freshman 15 is not caused by strength training. It is physiologically impossible to gain 15 lbs of muscle in only a few weeks unless you are on performance enhancing drugs. Yes the freshman 15 can come on in only a few weeks. This becomes more complex when an athlete comes to a new school, starts a new training program, and also has a considerable change in her diet (i.e. only eating one or two times per day in addition to adding 6–8 beers per evening for 2–4 evenings per week). They gain fat weight, get slower, and then blame the strength program. Of course, strength training being the underlying cause is the only reasonable answer for weight gain. The fact that two meals per day has slowed the athlete’s metabolism down to almost zero and then the multiple beers added on top of that couldn’t have anything to do with weight gain…it must be the lifting.

10.  Most of the so-called experts are only experts on how to sound like they know what they are talking about. The people who “educate” female athletes on training and nutrition have no idea what they’re talking about. Let’s face it—how many people do you know who claim to “know a thing or two about lifting and nutrition?” Now, how many people do you know who actually know what they’re talking about, have lived the life, dieted down to make a weight class requirement, or got on stage at single digit body fat? Invariably, these so-called experts are also the people who blame their gut on poor genetics. 

These so-called experts are the reason you see so many women doing sets of 10 with a weight they could do 20 or 30 times. They are being told by the experts that this is what it takes to “tone” the muscles. Instead, they are only wasting their time doing an exercise with a weight that is making no contribution to the fitness levels or the development of the muscle. 

In case you haven’t figured it out by this point in the article, what is currently being done in fitness clubs to help female athletes tone their bodies is not working. It’s not helping these women get toned, and it is definitely not helping improve athletic performance. Maybe it’s time for a change. Contrary to the ineffective light weights currently being used, heavy weights offer many benefits for women including improved body composition, stronger muscles, decreased injury rate, and stronger bones (which helps prevent osteoporosis). Let’s try lifting some heavy weights and controlling our diet and watch this logical, science-based solution make the difference we’ve been looking for.

(via EliteFTS)

(Source: thespartanwarrior)

The FFB Handbook: Proper Care and Feeding for Former Fat Boys

By Chris Shugart

Trials and Tribulations of an FFB

Congratulations. You’ve succeeded where most people have failed. You’ve bucked the obesity trend and have lost a small mountain of fat. You feel better, you look better, and your health has greatly improved. Good for you.

But don’t get too comfortable. You may have won the battle, but the war has just begun. You’re an FFB, a Former Fat Boy, and you will be for the rest of your life.

I’ve been fighting the war on fat since the fifth grade. About fifteen years ago, I won a major battle. After going from chubby to downright corpulent in college, I lost over 60 pounds just before my senior year. I didn’t do it right and I didn’t look good when I was finished, but dammit, at least I wasn’t fat anymore.

I’ve spent the last fifteen years figuring out how to stay lean while building muscle. I’ve had ups and downs, but I’ve kept the fat off for the long haul. Recently, I won another battle: I went from “mostly lean” to ripped. From fatty to shredded in “only” fifteen years! Oh, if I only knew then what I know now!

The most important thing I learned along the way was this: The FFB falls into his own category. He can’t play by the same rules as everyone else.

He may be lean now, but he can’t eat or train the same as a naturally lean guy. He usually can’t use mass diets written by and for people who have never been overweight. Even the rules of additional fat loss and maintenance have to be largely tossed out the window. He’s an FFB and that means he has his own special set of rules.

Are You an FFB?

You could be an FFB if:

• You’ve lost over 30 pounds of fat (roughly) in the past.
• You can gain fat at a frighteningly rapid rate.
• You’ve learned that the typical advice concerning bulking, cutting, and even training doesn’t seem to work for you.
• You have the urge to smack self-confessed “hardgainers” in the head when they complain about not being able to gain weight or not liking to eat. Poor babies! Smack!

Until now, there’s been very little info out there for FFBs. What follows is a summary of everything I’ve learned as an FFB and from working with other FFBs over the years. Some of this is based on studies and some of it is based on my own empirical data. Everyone is different when it comes to the details; there are a lot of variables involved, but this “handbook” should be a decent (albeit general) guide for the typical former fatty just trying to stay lean and build muscle.

Read More at T-Nation

Top 10 Reasons Heavy Weights Don’t Bulk Up Women

1.  Women do not have nearly as much testosterone as men. In fact, according to Bill Kreamer in Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is the reason men are men and women are women. After men hit puberty, they grow facial hair, their voice deepens, and they develop muscle mass. Because men have more testosterone, they are much more equipped to gain muscle. Because women do not have very much testosterone in their bodies, they will never be able to get as big as men.

2.  The perception that women will bulk up when they begin a strength training program comes from the chemically-altered women on the covers of bodybuilding magazines. These “grocery stand models” are most likely pumped full of some extra juice. This is why they look like men. If you take the missing link that separates men from women and add it back in, what do you have? A man!

3.  For women, toning is what happens when the muscle is developed through training. This is essentially bodybuilding without testosterone. Since the testosterone is not present in sufficient amounts, the muscle will develop, but it won’t gain a large amount of mass.  The “toned” appearance comes from removing the fat that is covering a well-developed muscle.

4.  Muscle bulk comes from a high volume of work. The repetition range that most women would prefer to do (8–20 reps) promotes hypertrophy (muscle growth). For example, a bodybuilding program will have three exercises per body part. For the chest, they will do flat bench for three sets of 12, incline for three sets of 12, and decline bench for three sets of 12. This adds up to 108 total repetitions. A program geared towards strength will have one exercise for the chest—flat bench for six sets of three with progressively heavier weight. This equals 18 total repetitions. High volume (108 reps) causes considerable muscle damage, which in turn, results in hypertrophy. The considerably lower volume (18 reps) will build more strength and cause minimal bulking. 

5.  Heavy weights will promote strength not size. This has been proven time and time again. When lifting weights over 85 percent, the primary stress imposed upon the body is placed on the nervous system, not on the muscles. Therefore, strength will improve by a neurological effect while not increasing the size of the muscles.

And, according to Zatsiorsky and Kreamer in Science and Practice of Strength Training, women need to train with heavy weights not only to strengthen the muscles but also to cause positive adaptations in the bones and connective tissues.

6.  Bulking up is not an overnight process. Many women think they will start lifting weights, wake up one morning, and say “Holy sh__! I’m huge!” This doesn’t happen. The men that you see who have more muscle than the average person have worked hard for a long time (years) to get that way. If you bulk up overnight, contact us because we want to do what you’re doing.

7.  What the personal trainer is prescribing is not working. Many female athletes come into a new program and say they want to do body weight step-ups, body weight lunges, and leg extensions because it’s what their personal trainer back home had them do. However, many of these girls need to look in a mirror and have a reality check because their trainer’s so-called magical toning exercises are not working. Trainers will hand out easy workouts and tell people they work because they know that if they make the program too hard the client will complain. And, if the client is complaining, there’s a good chance the trainer might lose that client (a client to a trainer equals money). 

8.  Bulking up is calorie dependant. This means if you eat more than you are burning, you will gain weight. If you eat less than you are burning, you will lose weight. Unfortunately, most female athletes perceive any weight gain as “bulking up” and do not give attention to the fact that they are simply getting fatter. As Todd Hamer, a strength and conditioning coach at George Mason University said, “Squats don’t bulk you up. It’s the ten beers a night that bulk you up.” This cannot be emphasized enough. 

If you’re a female athlete and training with heavy weights (or not), you need to watch what you eat. Let’s be real—the main concern that female athletes have when coming to their coach about gaining weight is not their performance but aesthetics. If you choose to ignore this fact as a coach, you will lose your athletes!

9.  The freshman 15 is not caused by strength training. It is physiologically impossible to gain 15 lbs of muscle in only a few weeks unless you are on performance enhancing drugs. Yes the freshman 15 can come on in only a few weeks. This becomes more complex when an athlete comes to a new school, starts a new training program, and also has a considerable change in her diet (i.e. only eating one or two times per day in addition to adding 6–8 beers per evening for 2–4 evenings per week). They gain fat weight, get slower, and then blame the strength program. Of course, strength training being the underlying cause is the only reasonable answer for weight gain. The fact that two meals per day has slowed the athlete’s metabolism down to almost zero and then the multiple beers added on top of that couldn’t have anything to do with weight gain…it must be the lifting.

10.  Most of the so-called experts are only experts on how to sound like they know what they are talking about. The people who “educate” female athletes on training and nutrition have no idea what they’re talking about. Let’s face it—how many people do you know who claim to “know a thing or two about lifting and nutrition?” Now, how many people do you know who actually know what they’re talking about, have lived the life, dieted down to make a weight class requirement, or got on stage at single digit body fat? Invariably, these so-called experts are also the people who blame their gut on poor genetics. 

These so-called experts are the reason you see so many women doing sets of 10 with a weight they could do 20 or 30 times. They are being told by the experts that this is what it takes to “tone” the muscles. Instead, they are only wasting their time doing an exercise with a weight that is making no contribution to the fitness levels or the development of the muscle. 

In case you haven’t figured it out by this point in the article, what is currently being done in fitness clubs to help female athletes tone their bodies is not working. It’s not helping these women get toned, and it is definitely not helping improve athletic performance. Maybe it’s time for a change. Contrary to the ineffective light weights currently being used, heavy weights offer many benefits for women including improved body composition, stronger muscles, decreased injury rate, and stronger bones (which helps prevent osteoporosis). Let’s try lifting some heavy weights and controlling our diet and watch this logical, science-based solution make the difference we’ve been looking for.

(via EliteFTS)