My Intermittent Fasting Results – 3 Months Progress

by Carter on May 23, 2012


After hearing a lot of great things about the Martin Berkan’s leangains, the Eat Stop Eat program, and intermittent fasting I decided to give it a shot.

My typical diet before leangains was a “dirty bulk” style which was basically eating high protein with as many calories as I could. So leangains was definitely something new to me for a few reasons:

  • The intermittent fasting aspect (8 hr feeding window and 16hr fast each day)
  • I chose to do a cut  (+10/-%30)
  • I had specific macronutrient targets for my workout days and my rest days.

My Diet

I started at 6’2″ and 187lbs so my maintenance level calories (BMR) was ~1900 calories. I chose to go on a cut which was eating a 10% calorie surplus on my workout days and a 30% calorie deficit on my rest days. Everyone is different and deciding on which style (recomposition, cut, or slow bulk) is best depends on the individual and their goals. [click to continue…]

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Top 5 Chest Exercises for Men

by Ches on May 22, 2012

Most men who lift weights strive to get the bigger, fuller looking chest. In order to do that we need to perform exercises that most effectively stimulate the chest muscles.

Here are the top 5 chest exercises for men:

1. Barbell Bench Press


The barbell bench press has long been regarded as one of the best chest exercises for men. When performing the bench press, align your body so your eyes are in front of the bar when looking up. With your back arched, and your rib cage expanded, grab the barbell at a width where your forearms are as straight up and down as possible. This will help you generate the most power.
Your feet should be positioned in towards your butt and wide enough to give you a good amount of support. Lower the bar towards the middle of the chest and squeeze your chest as you push the bar back up.

There are 3 common variations of the bench press. Flat, incline, and decline bench press. Flat bench press targets more of the middle of your chest. It is a great overall chest development exercise.

Incline bench press targets your upper chest. You will lower the bar to the bottom part of your collar bone where it meets your chest.

Decline bench press targets the lower part of your chest. The bar will be lowered to the lower chest as well. [click to continue…]

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How To Stick To A Diet Plan For The Long Term

by Carter on May 21, 2012

Learning how to stick to a diet plan can be a tough task. However, it can also be made very easy by taking just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Forget The Strict Diets

The reason many people fail to stick to a diet is because they are following diets that are far too strict on the types of foods allowed. This almost always leads to re-feeding and gaining the weight back.

Why Make Yourself Suffer to Get Results?

There is some psychological aspects that attract people to strict diets. Many people seem to have the notion that if you aren’t suffering, it doesn’t work. For example, there could be an awesome new fad day called the “don’t eat on the weekends diet.” People will think this diet is amazing because of how steadily they are losing weight. In reality, it is only working because there is a big calorie deficit by not eating on the weekends. The same applies with all of these no carb before bed/low carb fad diets. Yes, they will work, but not because carbs are being cut out – they will work because less calories will ultimately be consumed without eating those carbs.

You need to look past the notion that dieting should cause you to suffer, and find a diet that suits some of your personal preferences. In the end, you will see much more long term success.

The best weight loss programs  leave room for you to eat the foods you enjoy the most and  burn the fat at the same time. Following such a program will also be a long term solution to dieting.  Besides, who wants to eat unsalted peanuts and brussel sprouts for the rest of their lives? [click to continue…]

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Resistance Training Exercises For Women That Are A Must

by Ches on May 20, 2012

Resistance training is a great way for any women to build strength and tone muscles. Resistance training for women has a bad reputation as something only men can do. Many women have the false notion that lifting weights will make them look too bulky. This could not be further from the truth. In fact, resistance training has shown to be more effective than cardio when it comes to burning calories and mobilizing fat tissue. It is worth noting that women over 25 years old who do not strength train lose up to 1/2 pound of muscle each year. This can lead to very poor looking body composition and make you appear flabby and generally unhealthy. So women — you may want to think twice before walking past those dumbbells to get to the elliptical machine. Resistance training has great health benefits for everyone. So pick a few days out of the week with 48hrs of rest between to lift heavy weight and high intensity. When I say heavy weight, I mean the last rep of each exercise should be fairly difficult to complete.

Here are a few of the most effective resistance training exercises for women:

1. Barbell Squats

Squats are a great compound exercise that will build strength and tone muscles in your legs, butt, abdominals, and back. By incorporating squats into your workout routine, you will reap the benefits of training multiple parts of your body with just one exercise. Doing squats regularly can greatly improve your body composition. It is important to have proper form while performing a squat. Start with a light weight you can handle, and have a gym trainer or someone knowledgeable watch your form and make corrections. You should also watch this video to get a good idea of what proper squat form is (You can practice this at home with a broom).

 



How many reps/sets should I do?
For squats, there has been some benefits shown by sticking in a higher rep range. I would recommend doing 2-3 sets in the 10-12 rep range for squats. You many even consider looking into 1-2 sets of 15 rep breathing squats if you are feeling tough!
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What Do Protein Shakes Do?

by Carter on May 18, 2012

Woops! Looks like they spilled some protein :(

With all of the buzz surrounding protein shakes and how great they are, you might be saying, “What do protein shakes do?”. The answer is that protein shakes do many things. The main benefit of protein shakes is that they are a quick and convenient way to get adequate protein intake for the day. Other than the convenience factor, there is no other benefit a protein shake has over a steak, or a piece of lean chicken.

Why do we need protein?

Amino acids are the main reasons why we want to be sure we get our protein intake. This is because they provide your body with everything it needs for just about every function such as:

  • Repairing Muscle Tissue
  • Preserving Muscle Mass
  • Source Of Energy
  • Bone Health
  • Hormones
  • Brain Function (sending and receiving information)
  • Many metabolic functions such as the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
  • Forming cells
  • Making antibodies
  • Building RNA/DNA
  • Many more functions of the body

In a nutshell, we wouldn’t even exist without the amino acids we get from protein!

The Main Benefits of Protein Shakes [click to continue…]

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How Much Protein Do I Need A Day?

by Ches on May 18, 2012

One question I hear being thrown around a lot when it comes to dieting is — How much protein do I need a day? This question has a long history of debate, and is still being debated frequently today. Early studies on this topic began to not only look at adequate protein intake to lose weight, but adequate protein to lose weight and preserve lean muscle mass/lean body mass as well.

There are many elements that determine an individuals weight:

  • Muscle Mass
  • Fat
  • Water
  • Minerals
  • Organs

Weighing yourself on a scale is not an efficient way to determine what type of weight is being lost.  Instead, we should focus on body composition — How much fat is being gained or lost, and how much muscle is being gained/lost. This is where adequate protein intake is important.

While daily requirements for protein do depend on the individual, there are some general guidelines to follow depending on your goals.

How much protein do I need?

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Why Can I Not Lose Weight? The Truth About Weight Loss

by Carter on May 18, 2012

I consistently hear people say, “why can I not lose weight? I have tried everything!” Well the answer is simple; I’m going to tell you why you are having trouble losing weight and how to FINALLY begin losing the weight.

The first mistake people tend to make when they can’t lose weight is the fact that they have a disregard for how many calories they are consuming each day. The science of weight loss can be explained in just 4 words: calories in calories out. If you are burning more calories than you consume, then you will lose weight.

You now might be asking, “does this mean I can eat doughnuts, pizza, and ice cream as long as I’m under my calories?” Well, you will be happy to hear that the answer is, “yes!” but the junk food should only be consumed in moderation. Macronutrients are extremely important and the calories in calories out rule does not mean that you should ignore protein and fat intake.

When it comes to LOSING weight (for example), a calorie is in fact a calorie. Say you have two groups of two people who both keep a calorie intake of 2000 cals per day (both are on a 400 calorie deficit). Group 1 gets their calories from ice cream, pizza, french fries, donuts, etc. Group 2 gets their calories from chicken breast, egg whites, oatmeal, rice, etc. Both groups WILL lose weight. However, Because group 2 has higher protein and healthier macronutrients, they will be able to preserve maintain muscle mass as opposed to losing muscle mass as well as have other vital nutrients that support the body’s needs.

The best approach is to hit your protein and fat requirements, follow a diet which has highly nutritious foods that are enjoyable for you to eat, and have your cheat snacks and meals if needed, exercise on consistent basis (whatever that is for you to reach your goals), and have a healthy life. In other words, it is important to make sure that you don’t replace essential micro & macro nutrients by eating anything you want. So, at least hit your minimum recommended daily protein and fat intake before scarfing down that Krispy Kreme.

The 10-20 Percent Principle
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Does Hypothyroidism Cause Weight Gain?

by Ches on May 16, 2012

Many people conclude that hypothyroidism leads to weight gain because the symptoms are the opposite of hyperthyroidism. However, this is not often the case. People with a hypothyroid can gain weight, but not as significantly as some make it out to be. In many cases, the sufferer will be around the same weight that they would be without the hypothyroid. Those with a hypothyroid that have a diet with proper calorie intake may not see a significant amount of weight gain. Many people have a poor diet with excessive calorie intake and blame the weight gain on thyroid problems.

Weight gain is often not a direct symptom of hypothyroidism. Since thyroid cause people to become more tired, they are often much less active and burn less calories. This alone can lead to significant weight gain.

If you notice some weight gain without any change in your diet, treating hypothyroid can help you return to your normal weight.

Weight gain can result in higher cholesterol and heart problems so it is important to reevaluate your calorie intake and diet.

So does hypothyroidism cause weight gain? Yes it can, but in many cases — other factors such as calorie intake and lack of exercise lead to the most weight gain.
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Top 3 Healthy Foods To Eat To Lose Weight

by Carter on May 16, 2012

There are many healthy foods to eat to lose weight. I find the best foods to lose weight have these 3 qualities:

  1. They are Low In Calories
  2. They Taste Good
  3. They Suppress Hunger Cravings

This list of my top 3 healthy foods to lose weight will not only make you lose the fat, but you will be able to enjoy eating more than ever!

Number 1: Chicken Breast

So why chicken breast? Isn’t is sort of… bland? The answer is no! In fact, there are so many delicious recipes that use chicken breast out there, that you will never get tired of eating this lean, high protein source of food. You can make anything from Asian sesame chicken to a chicken Parmesan pasta. No matter which delicious recipe you choose for the day, the key is to keep the calories low so that you will lose weight. So whether you choose to do this by portion control or by cutting out some of the extra ingredients is up to you. The bottom line is, chicken breast is probably one of the best healthy foods you can eat because it is a very lean source of protein and you can make literally thousands of different recipes with it to avoid having to eat the same thing every day. [click to continue…]

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The Best Weight Loss Programs For Women and Men – Top Programs Reviewed

by Carter on May 15, 2012

The overall consensus of the top training coaches and nutritionists in the world is the best weight loss programs for men are also the best for women and vice versa. Sure, there are weight loss programs which are obviously targeted towards women. That is simply because there are more women searching for ways to lose weight. Of course companies are going to put out weight loss programs for women since they occupy a larger percentage of the target market. This means more sales for them! The truth is that when it comes to diet and exercise the same principles apply to both men and women.

As someone who likes to back up claims by looking to scientific journals for the truth, let me tell you, almost every weight loss program for women out there uses unscientific, unverified, inaccurate and potentially harmful advice. Most of these weight loss programs are designed to make you lose weight initially, but the weight is ALWAYS gained back at some point or another.  They are also far too hard to follow and make you eat things that are not enjoyable at all.  That is why I have decided to finally release this list of the best fat loss programs. They are the best because they tell the truth and use science instead of gimmicks to back up their claims!

So just what are these programs I have found and how do you get them? I will list the 3 best weight loss programs out there. Both them sort of tie into each other so for this reason, I highly recommend getting them both and they each will guarantee you the results you are looking for long term.

Warning: If you are not serious about losing fat and are looking for a ‘magic pill’ instead, then this list is not for you.

3 Best Weight Loss Programs

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