OPTIMALGUIDE

TOYOURBESTPHYSIQUE

RAWTRUTHBEHINDNUTRITION&TRAINING

KAMERONGEORGE

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PhotoCredits:Veronchick84/Alexeylysenko/Design36/DedekR.Iegosyn/AndreyMakurin/JoshuaResnick/StasTolstnev/Velirina/Slonme/MikhailGrachikov/Aliakseismalenski/Lightspring/Dm7/Spaxiax/AmbientIdeas/Spaxiax/Peogeo/SergioStakhnyk/Mopic/Picsfive/AaronAmat/Maraze/BrentHofacker/Sarsmis/Shutterstock.comCopyright©2015ByKameronGeorgeKgFitPhysiqueoffersonlinetrainingwhichhasbecomeincreasinglypopularduetoitsflexibilityandpersonalguidancetowardsreachingyourfitnessgoal.Yourentirefitnessregimeispersonalizedincludingyournutritionandtrainingforafractionofthepriceforhavingagymtrainer.Thisone-on-onepersonaltrainingisthebestwaytoachieveyourgoalinthequickestamountoftimeandleastbitofstress.

VisitKgfitphysique.ComForYourCustomizedMealplanAndTrainingProgramToday!

TABLEOFCONTENTSI.OPTIMALNUTRITIONEatingHealthyVs.AchievingYourGoalPhysiqueWhatIsACalorie?AreCaloriesBadForYou?HowDoesYourBodyUseCalories?HowManyCaloriesDoYouNeed?MacroBasicsWhatIsACarb?WhatIsProtein?WhatIsFat?WhyTrackMacros?WhenToEatCarbs?

WhenToEatProtein?HowIsFatBurned?CutVs.MaintenanceVs.BulkCleanFoodsVs.DirtyFoodsVitaminsAndMineralsImportanceOfFiberHydrationHowToReadANutritionFactsLabelTrackingFoodFoodProfileSupplementsWheyProteinCreatineMultivitaminFishOilPre-WorkoutNutritionPriorityPyramid

II.OPTIMALTRAININGMuscleGroupsHowDoMusclesGrow?

ChoosingAnExerciseWeightTrainingExercisesHowToWarm-UpHowMuchWeight?HowManyRepsAndSets?RestPeriodBetweenSetsTrainingVolumeProperFormSignsThatYouAreMakingProgressInYourTrainingCentralNervousSystemRestDayHowFrequentShouldYouTrain?10CommonTrainingMistakesTrainingMentality

III.OPTIMALFITNESSTHEORYCommonFitnessMisconceptionsCardioToLoseWeightToningTargetingFatLossAb-TrainingEatingJunkFoodAlcoholTooMuchSugarTooMuchSodiumMetabolism“ICan’tGainWeight”6MealsADayEatingAtNightEatingFatMakesYouFatWorkingOutTooMuchChangingExercisesSoMusclesDon’tAdaptFemalesGettingBulkyFromWeightsTooMuchProtein

WeighingYourself

LosingWeightTooFastBodyAdaptationsHowCanIAchieveFasterResults?WhatIsTheBestDiet?RefeedsVs.CheatDayAchievingYourGoalWithoutTrackingCaloriesResourcesToMaximizeYourFitnessPotential

HelpfulTipsSummaryKeepingItReal(PartingMessage)OnlineFitnessCoachingContactInfoGlossaryBibliography

TomyH.S.trackcoachMac—

Withoutyourmotivationandbelief,

mysuccesswouldnotbepossible.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

BornandraisedinBrooklyn,NewYork,Igrewupplayingbasketball,baseball,soccer,track&fieldandcross-country.Asarookietrackrunnerinthe11thgrade,IbecameaNewYorkCityPublicSchoolChampioninthe1-mile,2-mile,4x800andcross-countryracesthroughoutmylasttwoyearsofhighschool.TheseaccomplishmentsledtoathleticandacademicscholarshipstoNorfolkStateUniversitywhereIobtainedbachelordegreesinelectronicengineeringandmathematics.Duringthesummersofcollegeandinbetweenseasonsoftrackandcross-country,Ifollowedahomeworkoutprograminhopesofreturningtocampuswithanamazingphysique.Iwasabletoattaindecentresultsbutitwasn’twhatIimaginedittobe.Ibegantopersistentlysearchthewebfornewinformationonnutritionandtraininginhopesoffindingashortcuttoagreatphysique.IoftendiscoveredsomethingthatIcanimproveon,whichledtooccasionalchangestomyroutine.Inattempttoseefasterresults,Iwouldjustrunharderandtrainmyabsmorefrequently.

Hundredsofmilesandmanyabworkoutslater,Iwasstillleftwithskinnyarmsandbarelyvisibleabshidingunderaroundedstomach.IwasaggravatedknowingthatIputinthehardworkandpatiencethateverysuccessfulathletepreachesabout,yetIwasunabletotransformmy“skinny-fat”physique.Afterfiguringoutthatnutritionplayedahugepartinachievingmydreamphysique,Ibegantrackingcalories.ThoughIeasilylostweight,Ifacedissuessuchasmuscleloss,frequentfood-binges,crankiness,andaslightlymoredefinedversionofmysamephysiquebutstillnotwhatIimagined.Determinedtoreachmygoal,thisledtoyearsofcontinuousresearchonanythingfitnessrelated.Withmanytrialsanderrors,IeventuallydiscoveredwhereIwentwrongandwasabletoshapemyphysiqueintowhatIwasalwayswantedittobe.Inthis

book,Isharethevaluableinformationthatwillleadyoustraighttothephysiqueyouwantwithoutthetime-wastingissuesIhadtogothrough.I’vegrowntothoroughlyenjoythesciencebehindhowthehumanbodyworksandimplementingresearchtoefficientlyimprovemyhealthandphysique.MypassionisnowfulfilledasapersonalonlinefitnesscoachwhereIamabletohelpothersachievetheirfitnessgoals.Mypersonalizedfitnessplansandservicesareavailableatwww.kgfitphysique.com

“Nothingisimpossible.TheworditselfsaysI’mpossible”~AudreyHepburn

PURPOSEOFTHEBOOK

Thisstraight-to-the-pointbookrevolvesaroundworkingsmarttoattaintheresultsyoureallywant.Ifpeoplewouldlearnmoreabouthowtheirbodyfunctionstowardstheirgoals,theywouldsavealotofunnecessarytimeandeffort.Theseguidedtipsandadviceservethosewhohavethemotivationtoworkhardinordertoacquiretheirgoalphysiqueandarelookingforthemostoptimalwaytoaccomplishtheirgoal.Peoplewhowillfindthisbookextremelybeneficialincludethosewhodon’tliketo“beataroundthebush”,areinterestedinthebestofquality,orwhohaveattemptedtoreachtheirfitnessgoalseveraltimesbuthaveyettoseesignificantresults.Forthesereaders,thisguidewillallowthemtothrowanyexcusesoutofthewindowandtakecontrolofachievingtheirgoalphysique.

Thepurposeofthisbookistoprovidequalitycomprehensiveinformationonhowtoburnfatand/orbuildmusclewhilestayinghealthy.Nutritionhasamajorroleinthisbooksinceworkingoutwhilepayingnoattentiontohowyoueatwilltakeyoudownaroadoflittletonoresults.Mydutyistoshowpeoplethattheydonothavetobelimitedtocertainfoodswhiletryingtoreachtheirgoal.OptimalGuideToYourBestPhysiqueexploitsthecommonhabitsthatareunnecessary,whileexplainingtheonesthatactuallymattertowardsachievingthephysiqueyouaspire.Thisinformationwillsaveatremendousamountoftimetowardsanyfitnessgoalforbeginnersoranyonewhoalreadyhastrainingexperienceandwouldliketoadvancetheirknowledgeonnutritionandtraining.Thebasictitlesofeachsectionandinformativepointsarestructuredinawaythatthereadercaneasilycomprehend.Thinkofthisguideasablueprintandvitalresourcetoacquiringyourdesiredphysique.Withthisbook,anyconfusionaboutreachingyourgoalisclearedupandtheonlythinglefttodoistheworkitself.

“Believeyoucan,andyou’rehalfwaythere”~TheodoreRoosevelt

Optimal-thebest,mostfavorable,ordesirable,especiallyundersomerestrictionWithmanywaystopursueyourgoal,thereisalwaysabetterorsmarterwaytogetthejobdone.Theroleofthisguideisintendedtoproduceoptimalresultsintermsofnutritionandtraining.Thisinformationwillhelpyoufilterthroughthecommonbuzzamongthefitnesscommunityandfullyunderstandthebasicsofhowthebodyisabletoburnfatandbuildmuscle.Thisisasimpleguidetoreachingyourfitnessgoalinthequickestandmostefficientway.Withtheknowledgepresented,you'dbesuretotakeonyourgoalwithtotalawarenessandcompleteconfidence.

OPTIMALNUTRITION

“Ajourneyofathousandmiles,

beginswithasinglestep”~LaoTzo

EATINGHEALTHYVS.ACHIEVINGYOURGOALPHYSIQUE

Withthethoughtofachievingagreatphysique,peopleinstantlythinkofeatinghealthy.Yeteatinghealthyfoodsdoesn’tnecessarilymeanyou'reachievingyourgoalphysique.Whileacquiringyourbestphysiquedoesn’texactlymeanyou'reeatinghealthy.Toeathealthygenerallymeansyouprovideyourbodywithenoughnutrientstofunctionefficiently.Yourbodydemandsaspecificamountofmicronutrients(vitaminsandminerals)andmacronutrients(fats,proteins,andcarbs)inordertoworkatitsbestability.Itisyourresponsibilitytofulfillyourbody’snutritionalrequirementsinordertomaintaingoodhealth.Achievingagreatphysiqueusuallyinvolveslosingfatorgainingmuscle.Inordertolosefat,anindividualmustbeinacaloriedeficitwhereyourbodyburnsmorecaloriesthantheamountofcaloriesyoueatanddrink.Gainingweightrequiresonetodotheopposite,whereinacaloriesurplusyouconsumemorecaloriesthantheamountyourbodyburns.

Althougheatinghealthyfoodshasendlessbenefits,itisjustasimportanttofulfilltherequirementofachievingyourfitnessgoal.Forexample,ifyourgoalistoburnfatandyoueat10,000caloriesworthofvegetableseachday,you’reeatinghealthybutareconsumingtoomanycaloriestoaccomplishyourgoal.Therefore,itisidealtoeattowardsyourgoalphysiquewhilemaintaininggoodhealth.Bothoftheseobjectivesaredonebyconsumingtheamountofcaloriesthatwillallowyoutoaccomplishyourfitnessgoalwhileacquiringsufficientmicronutrientsandmacronutrientssoyourbodycanfunctionefficiently.

WHATISACALORIE?Youhearaboutcaloriesallthetime,butexactlywhatdoesitmean?A

calorieisaunitthatmeasuresenergy.Thefoodyoueatisn’tmeasuredinweightorsize,butbyhowmuchenergyitcontains.Whenyouhearsomethingcontains100calories,it'sawayofdescribinghowmuchenergyyourbodycouldgetfromeatingordrinkingit1.Justastheamountofgaspumpedintoacarismeasuredingallons,thedifferentfoodordrinksyouconsumeismeasuredincalories.Thebodybreaksdownfoodinauniqueway,sotheamountofcaloriesisawayofknowinghowmuchenergyyourbodywillgetfromanythingyoueatordrink.‘Calorie’issimplyatechnicalwordfor‘energy’.

ARECALORIESBADFORYOU?Caloriesarenotbadforyousinceyourbodyneedsthemforenergy.Yet

eatingtoomanycaloriesandnotburningenoughofthemoffthroughphysicalactivitycanleadtoweightgainovertime.Consumingtoolittlecaloriesovertimewillnotallowyourbodytofunctionproperlyandcannegativelyaffectyourhealth.Foodssuchaslettucecontainveryfewcalories(1cupofshreddedlettucehaslessthan10calories),whilefoodslikepeanutscontainalotofcalories(½cupofpeanutshas427calories)1.Knowinghowmanycaloriesyourbodyneedseachdaywillhelpyouchoosewhichfoodsarebestforyou.

HOWDOESYOURBODYUSECALORIES?Yourbodyneedscaloriesjusttostayaliveandoperateproperly.This

energyisusedforbasicfunctionssuchaskeepingyourheartbeatingandlungsbreathing.Caloriesareessentialforallbasicandcomplexfunctionsincludingtheregulationofbodytemperatureandtheoperationofeverycellinyourbody.Themoreactivityyoudoisthemorecaloriesyouburn.Yourbodyalsoneedscaloriesinordertogrowanddevelop.Youburncalorieswithouteventhinkingaboutitsuchasduringthedigestionoffood,recoveryofmusclesafterexercise,andevenwhileyousleep.

HOWMANYCALORIESDOYOUNEED?Peopledifferinsizeandhavedifferentmetabolisms,sotheamountof

caloriesapersonshouldconsumewillvarydependingonseveralfactors.Thesefactorsincludeaperson’sheight,weight,age,anddailyactivitylevel.Thebiggerapersonis,themorecaloriesthatpersonmayneed,viceversa.Eventhoughtwopeoplecanhavethesamebodymeasurements,theamountofcaloriestheyneedcandifferbecauseofthewaytheirbodymetabolizeswhattheyconsume.Caloriecalculatorsareavailableonline,whichcanbeusedtodeterminehowmanycaloriesyourbodyneedsbasedonthenecessaryfactors.Ifyoueatmorecaloriesthanyourbodyneeds,thentheextracaloriesareconvertedintofat.Ifyoueatlesscaloriesthenyouneed,thenyourbodyusesyourstoredbodyfatastheenergyitneedstofunction.Understandingtheamountofcaloriesyouneedwillhelpyoubettercontrolyourweight.

MACROBASICSMacronutrientsormacrosarecarbohydrates,fats,andprotein.Withthe

term“macro”meaningverylarge,thesethreenutrientsareresponsibleforprovidingcalories(theonlyothersubstancethatprovidescaloriesisalcoholbutisnotamacronutrientsincewedonotneeditforsurvival).Anythingyoueatisbrokendowntothesethreemacronutrients.Yourbodydoesnotrecognizethefoodyoueatas“chicken,rice,salad,etc”.Instead,yourbodyseeswhateveryouconsumeasacarb,fat,orprotein.Thisisthereasonyoufindthesemacronutrientswritteninboldlettersonthenutritionlabelofanyfoodordrinkproduct.

Caloriesaremadeupofthreemacros

WHATISACARB?Acarbohydrateisyourbody'sprimarysourceofenergy.Therearetwo

typesofcarbs,simpleandcomplex.Asimplecarbsuppliesyourbodywithquickenergy,butdoesn’tlastlong.Acomplexcarbtakeslongertobreakdowninyourbody,yetisalong-lastingsourceofenergy.Neithersimplenorcomplexcarbisbadforyou.Theycanbothbeusedtoyouradvantagethroughouttheday.Uponwakingupinthemorning,chancesareyouhaven’thadanythingtoeatforthelastfewhoursyou’vebeenasleep.Thereforeitcanbeagoodideatoconsumesimplecarbsfortheimmediateenergy.Ifyouplanonbeingoutofthehouseforafewhours,complexcarbswouldbeagoodchoiceforitslong-lastingsteadyenergy.Soincorporatingbothtypesofcarbsinyourdietcanallowyoutobettercontrolyourlevelsofenergythroughouttheday.

Examplesofcomplexcarbsincludewholegrainssuchaswholewheatbread,oatmeal,andbrownricealongwithotherfoodssuchassweetpotatoandbeans.Simplecarbsincludefoodssuchasfruits,whitebread,whiterice,whitepotatoes,vegetables,juice,poptarts,etc.Sugarisasimplecarbohydratethatcomesindifferentformssuchasglucose,fructose,lactose,sucrose,etc.Althoughbothsimpleandcomplexcarbsareeventuallybrokendowntosugarinthebody,digestionandabsorptionarethemaindifferencesbetweenthetwotypes.

Wholewheatbreadisapopularcomplexcarbohydrate

WHATISPROTEIN?Proteinhelpsbuildandrepairtissuewhileplayingaroleinvariouscell

functionsinthebody.Itisamajorcomponentforgrowinghair,nails,muscleandotherpartsofthebody.Aminoacidsarethebuildingblocksofprotein.Acompleteproteinconsistsofall20aminoacids,whiletheabsenceofoneormoreaminoacidisconsideredanincompleteprotein.Completeproteinsaremainlyfoundinmeatssuchaschicken,beef,steak,fishaswellaseggs,milk,andwheyprotein.Foodssuchasgrains,nuts,seeds,orlegumesareconsideredincompleteproteins.Itisrecommendedtoconsumeatleast0.8-1.2gramsofproteinper1poundofyourbodyweightforoptimalmusclegrowth.Withmanydifferenttypesofproteinonthemarketrangingfromthesource,absorptionrate,andprocessoffiltration,anycompleteproteinisbeneficialforthegrowthandrepairofmuscle.Poultry,fish,dairy,legume,soy,wheyandothersourcesofproteinshavetheirdifferencesbutanycompleteproteinisofgreatbenefitforbuildingandrepairingmuscle.Thekeyistogetenoughproteintofulfillyourbody’srequirementforoptimalgrowth.

Chickenbreastisoneofmanycompleteproteins

WHATISFAT?Fatcontrolshormones,aidesinthetransportofcells,andmakesit

possibleforothernutrientstocompletetasksinthebody.Fatisalsoyourbody’ssecondarysourceofenergy.Whenyourbodydoesn’thaveenoughcarbsreadilyavailable,itusesfatasanothersourceoffuel.Therefore,theideaofburningfatistolimittheamountofprimaryenergy(carbs)sothebodycanuseitssecondarysourceforenergy(bodyfat).Differenttypesoffatsincludesaturated,polyunsaturated,monounsaturated,andtrans-fat.Itisrecommendedtostayawayfromtrans-fatduetoitshealthdisadvantages.Whileeachtypeoffathasitsprosandcons,itisusefultopayattentiontothetotalamountoffatinaproduct.Foodsthatcontainahighamountoffatincludebutter,peanutbutter,oils,avocado,andnuts.Consuminglowamountsoffatovertimecancausehormonelevelstobecomeunbalanced,makingitimportanttogetenoughevenwhiletryingtoburnfat.Theamountoffatneededdailycanvaryanywherefrom15%toover40%oftotalcaloriesdependingontheindividualandfitnessgoal.

Peanutbuttercontainsahighamountoffat

WHYTRACKMACROS?

QUALITYOFWEIGHTLOSSORWEIGHTGAINIfyouareinacaloriedeficitwhereyourbodyburnsmorecaloriesthan

youconsume,thenyouwillloseweight.Thisdoesnotnecessarilyensurethatalltheweightyoulosewillonlycomefromfat.Yourbodyismadeupofleanmass,fat,andwater.Thismeansanyweightthatislostorgainedcancomefromanyofthesethree.Whendroppingweightyourisklosingmuscle,andwhengainingweightyouriskputtingonexcessivefat.Nottrackingmacrosputsyouatahigherriskformusclelossandfatgainbecauseyouwouldn’tknowhowmanycaloriesyouaregetting.Consumingtherightamountoffat,protein,andcarbswillhelptoensurethatyoumaintainmusclewhilelosingfat,andlimittheincreaseofbodyfatwhenaddingmuscle.

MOREENERGY,BETTERMOODCarbohydratesarethebody’smainsourceofenergy,sohavingtoolittle

carbsovertimecanleaveyoufeelingtiredandleadtopoorworkoutperformance.Byproperlysettingupyourmacros,youmaximizetheamountofcarbsyouareabletoconsumewhileefficientlyburningfat.Ifyoucaneatmorefoodwhilelosingfat,thenwhynottakeadvantage.Fatisresponsibleforcontrollingyourhormones,sonothavingenoughmaycauseanimbalancewhichcanleadtomoodswingsandotherunwantedsymptoms.Itiscommontofallshortofyourdailyfatrequirementsbyonlyeating“clean”foodswhichtypicallycontainlittletonofat.Consuminginsufficientfatand/orcarbsovertimecancauseyoutofeelextremelymiserable.Tothinklosingweightisalreadyachallenge,whymakeitharderonyourselftoreachyourgoal.

MACROSARELIKEMONEYWouldyourathersomeonetellyouhowtospendyourmoneyorwould

youwanttospenditthewayyouwantto.Youshouldfeelfreetobuyexpensivethingsaslongasyouremainwithinyourbudget.Yourmacrosarelikeyourdailybudgetandyoucanspenditanywayyoulike.Bystayingwithinyourdailymacronutrientrequirement,youhavethefreedomtoeatthefoodsyouenjoy

withoutinterruptingtheprogressofyourfitnessgoal.Thismethodmaybemoresustainabletoanormallifestylethanfollowingamealplanthatisknowntolimityourfoodchoices.Ifyouhappentotravelsomewherethatdoesn’thavethefoodsavailableinyourmealplanyoumaybeconfusedonwhatyoushouldtoeat.Yetsomeoneknowinghowmanymacronutrientsthey’reallowedwillbemoreflexibletoeatdifferentfoodsinanysituation.Anypropermealplanshouldbestructuredusingacustomizedsetofmacronutrients,andthencreatedwithspecificfoods.Whynotusethesamecustomizedmacrosandfillthemwithanunlimitedrangeoffoodsthatyoulovetoeat.

NOTIMEWASTEDAnothermajorreasonwhyit’simportanttokeeptrackofyour

macronutrientsistomakesureyouarenotmovingtoofastortooslowtowardsyourfitnessgoal.Losingweighttoofastcanresultinmusclelossandlowenergy,whilemovingtooslowcanprolongseeingresultsinyourphysique.Bytrackingyourmacronutrientintake,youareabletoknowexactlyhowmuchtoconsumesoyourweightchangesatyourdesiredpace.Itisagreaterbenefittoknowyourmacronutrientintakeifyourfitnessgoalhasadeadlinesinceithelpsensurethatyoumeetyourgoalintime.Inotherwords,youarenearlyinfullcontroloftransformingyourphysiqueatthepaceyouwant.Trackingmacrosisproventobemoreeffectivethanthe“eatingclean”methodwhenattemptingto

burnfat.Whatifyouareeating“clean”andyourweightlosseventuallyplateaus?Doyoujusteat“cleaner”?Keepingtrackofyourmacronutrientsoffersmorecontroloveryourbodyweightandallowsyoutomakeaccurateadjustmentssoyoucanmaintainprogressiontowardsyourgoalwithlittletonotimewasted.

FOODAWARENESSUnderstandingmacrosmakesyoumoreawareofyourchoicesinfood.

Knowingtheamountofmacronutrientsinthefoodyoueatisnotonlybeneficialforshort-termprogressbutforalifetime.Youwillbeeatingfoodfortherestofyourlife.Therefore,understandingtheamountofcaloriesinthefoodsyoueatwillallowyoubettercontrolovertheoutcomeofyourphysique.Onceyou’reabletoseeyourdailyintakeofcaloriesincomparisontohowmuchyourbodyneeds,youwillhaveabetterunderstandingofwhyyourphysiquelooksthewayitis.Byknowingtheamountofcaloriesyourbodyisallowed,youcanknowhowmuchfoodwillcauseachangeinyourphysiqueratherthanguessing.

EASIERTHANYOUTHINKAlthoughaccuratelytrackingyourmacroseachdayisideal,youdon’t

havetobeperfectinordertoseesignificantprogresstowardsyourgoal.Themacronutrientgoalsforanindividualisacalculatedestimateofhowmuchyoushouldconsumeinordertostayonpacetowardsyourgoal.Ifyoumissyourmacrosbyafewgramsacoupledaysoutoftheweek,youcanstillseegoodresults.Insteadoflosing2poundsoffatfortheweek,youmightjustlose1.9poundsoffat.It’snotperfect,butthat’sstillgreatprogresstowardsyourgoal.Anindividualcanoftenmentallytracktheirmacrosiftheyalreadyknowtheamountsinthefoodtheyfrequentlyeat.Trackingmacroscanalsobeviewedasadailypuzzleoffood.Itcanactuallybefunfittingthedifferentfoodsyouenjoyintoyourdailymacronutrientgoals.

OPTIMALYoucanstillachieveagreatphysiquewithouttrackingyourmacros,butit

ismorelikehopefulguessingthatcanproducesub—optimalresults.Trackingmacrosmakesthedifferencebetweenhopingandensuringthatyouachieveyour

goalinthemostefficientandaccurateway.Theideaistocontroltherightbalanceofnutrientssoyoucanmaintainhealthyprogressiontowardsyourfitnessgoal.Fromtheaspectsoftime,stress,andqualityofresults,trackingmacrosisproventobethemostoptimalwaytobetteryourphysique.

ClickHereToCustomizeYourMacros

“Whatyoudotodaycanimproveallyourtomorrows”~RalphMarston

WHENTOEATCARBS?Ifcarbsprovideenergyandyouuseenergyineveryaspectofyourdaily

life,thenknowingwhichfoodsarecarbsandwhentoeatthemisworthtakingalittletimetolearn.Understandingthepowerofcarbsallowsyoutotakefullcontrolofyourenergylevelsandmakesmarterfoodchoicesthroughouttheday.Oneofthemostbeneficialtimestoconsumecarbsisinthemorning.Thisismainlybecausechancesareyou’vebeensleepingforthepastfewhoursandhaven’thadanythingtoeat.Therefore,itisidealtoconsumesimplecarbsfortheimmediateenergyaswellascomplexcarbsforlong-lastingenergy.Anotherbeneficialtimetoconsumecarbsisbeforeandafterworkingout.Consumingcarbspre-workoutwillsupportyourtrainingperformancewhilehavingcarbspost-workoutallowsforoptimalmusclerecoveryandstabilizationofblood-sugarlevels.Itisfinetoeatcarbsatanyothertime,butthesearethemainpointsofthedaythataremostbeneficial.

Youmayhaveheardofthetheorythateatingcarbsatnightisgoingtocauseyoutogainfatbecauseyourbodywon’tprocessthefoodwhileyousleep.Thoughthismisconceptionhasbeenprovenfalse,itcanbeagoodstrategytoconsumemostofyourcarbswhenyouneedthemthemost,whichisusuallyduringtheday.Althoughmostpeopleareusuallylessactiveatnight,itisokaytoeatcarbsaslongasyoumeetyourrequiredamountfortheday.

WHENTOEATPROTEIN?Consumptionofproteinshouldideallybespreadthroughouttheday.

Thereisnospecificlimittotheamountofproteinanindividualshouldeatinoneserving.Therehavebeenseveralstudiesshowingthatconsumingproteininlargeportionscomparedtosmallportionswerefoundtoproducethesameresultsinbothmusclegrowthandweightlossaslongasthedailyproteinrequirementismet.Inotherwords,theamountofproteinyouconsumeinonesittingisinsignificantaslongasyouhityourtotalproteinrequirementbytheendoftheday.Themostbeneficialtimestoconsumeproteinarebeforeandaftertraining.Thekeyistokeepaminoacids(protein)activeinthebloodstreamatalltimes.Overall,itisrecommendedtodivideyourdailyproteinrequirementintoeachofthemealsyouplantohavefortheday.Forexample,ifyouknowyouneed150gramsofproteineachday,youcansplitthatamountinto3mealswith50gramsofproteinorhave5mealswith30gramsofprotein.

HOWISFATBURNED?Fatisyourbody’ssecondarysourceofenergy.Thissourceismainlyused

whenyourbodydoesn’thaveenoughcarbsavailable.Therefore,inordertoburnthefatstoredinyourbody,youmustlimittheamountofcarbsyouconsumesothatyoubegintousefatasenergy.Thisiswhybeinginacaloricdeficitwhereyoueatordrinkfewercaloriesthantheamountofcaloriesyouburneachday,resultsinyourbodyusingitsownstoredfatfortheenergyitneeds.

Onepoundoffatisequalto3,500calories.Soinordertolose1poundoffat,youmustburn3,500caloriesmorethantheamountofcaloriesyourbodyneedstomaintainitsweight.Creatinga3,500caloriedeficitinonedaycanbeextremeformostpeople,butifyouportionthisamountoverthecourseof7days,itresultsinareasonable500caloriedeficiteachday.Thekeytoburningfatistoconsistentlymaintainacaloricdeficitovertime.Ifyouareabletomaintainacaloricdeficitof500calorieseachdayfor7days,thenyouwillburn1poundoffat.Thelargerthecaloriedeficitis,thefasteryouwillloseweight.Youcanlose2poundsoffatinaweekbyincreasingthedeficitto1,000calorieseachday.

Whenthinkingofcreatingacaloricdeficitforfatloss,mostpeopleinitiallythinkofeatingfewercalories.Thoughthismethodisuseful,itisnottheonlywaytocreateacaloriedeficit.Anindividualcanconsumethesameamountofcaloriesthey’vealreadybeeneating,yetcreateacaloriedeficitbyburningcaloriesthroughexercise.Theideaofcreatingacaloriedeficitcanbecomparedtomethodsofsavingmoney.Youcansavemoneybyworkingextrahourstoincreaseyourincome,oryoucansimplyspendlessmoney.Inordertoavoidexhaustinghoursofextraworkordrasticallycuttinghowmuchyouspend,itisagoodideatocombinebothmethodsandworkalittlemorewhilespendingalittleless.Asimilarmethodcanbeappliedtoburningfatwhereyoucancombineexerciseandconsumingfewercaloriesinordertoefficientlycreateacaloriedeficit.

"Theonlythingstandingbetweenyouandyourgoalisthebullsh*tstoryyoukeeptellingyourselfastowhyyoucan'tachieveit”~JordanBellfort

CUTVS.MAINTENANCEVS.BULKAcut,maintenance,andbulkaredifferentconditionalstatesthatcontrol

theoutcomeofyourweightbasedontheamountofcaloriesyouconsumeovertime.Inotherwords,youcaneatless,more,orequaltotheamountofcaloriesyourbodyburnseachdayinordertoadjustthecompositionofyourphysique.Whenyouconsumethesameamountofcaloriesasyourbodyburnseachday,youwillremainthesameweight.Thisisknownasbeinginacaloricmaintenancestate(MealB),whichmostpeopletendtofollow.Yourbodyusuallyregulatesthisstatebytellingyouthatyou’rehungrywhenyouconsumetoolittlecalories,andtellsyouthatyou’refullwhenyouhavehadtoomanycalories.Nofatlossisgeneratedduringthisstatebutmoderatemusclegrowthcanoccur.

Inacut(caloricdeficit),youconsumelesscaloriesthanyourbodyneedstomaintainitsweight.Inthisstate,yourbodydoesn’thaveenoughcarbstosupplyyourbody’senergydemandcausingittousestoredfatforsecondaryenergy.Thiscausesadecreaseinbodyfat,allowingyoutolookleaner.Thoughbeinginthiscaloricstatecantoneyourphysique,therateofmusclegrowthisusuallyataminimum.Thegoalofacutistolosebodyfatwhilemaintainingmuscle.Thebestwaytoensurethatyoumaintainmusclemassduringacutistoincorporateweighttrainingandconsumeasufficientamountofprotein.People

lookingtoloseweightorachieveadefinedphysiqueshouldfocusonbeinginacut(MealA).Inabulk(caloricsurplus),youconsumemorecaloriesthanyourbodyneedstomaintainitsweight.Duetotheextracaloriesprovided,yourbodyhasmoreenergytofocusontaskssuchasmusclerecovery.Thoughyougainmusclequicker,itiscommontogainsomeamountoffatwhileinacaloricsurplus.Thegoalofabulkistogainmusclewhileaddingtheleastamountoffat.Peoplewhoarelookingtogainweightshouldfocusonbeinginabulk(MealC).Forbeginnersatweighttraining,rapidmusclegrowthcanoccurduringabulk,maintenance,orcutgrantedenoughproteinisprovidedandthemusclesareproperlystimulated.

CLEANFOODSVS.DIRTYFOODSA“clean”foodisoftendescribedasanunprocessedorwholefoodthatis

fullofvitaminsandminerals,generallycontaininglittletonofatorsugar.A“dirty”foodisusuallyprocessed,containslittletonomicronutrients,andusuallyhighinfatorsugar.Categorizingfoodsas“dirty”or“clean”isimpracticalandismoreofaninformalwordusedtodescribeitscontents.Therearemanyarticlesthatdiscussthetoptengoodfoodsandbadfoods,butthesearethecritiquesofaspecificfoodwithoutconsideringtheotherfoodsyoueat.Theproblemisthatyoudon’teatfoodsinisolation;youconsumevariousfoodsaspartofadiet.Thereisnosuchthingasagoodorbadfood,butthereissuchthingasagoodorbaddiet.Avoidingindividualfoodssuchasbreadordairyforthehopesofburningfatisinsignificantifyourentiredietdoesn’tcoordinatewithyourfitnessgoal.Thekeyistofocusmoreontheamountofnutrientsalignedwithyourgoalratherthanchoosingbetweenacleanordirtyfood.Thesenutrientsincludethetotalcarbs,fat,andproteinalongwiththeamountofvitaminsandmineralsinthefoodyoueat.

“Thingsworkbestforthosewhomakethebestofhowthingsworkout”~JohnWooden

VITAMINSANDMINERALSVitaminsandmineralsmakeupthemicronutrientsthathelptomakeevery

processinyourbodypossible.Theystrengthentheimmunesystem,supportgrowth,andalsohelpmetabolizethefoodyoueat.Vitaminsareorganiccompounds,meaningtheycanbefoundinalllivingthings.Mineralsareinorganicelementsthatarederivedfromsoilandwater.Allvitaminsarenecessaryorrequiredbyyourbody,whereasonlysomemineralsareessentialnutrients.Eachnutrientisresponsibleforspecificcellularprocessesthathelpmanagethebody’shealth.Byconsumingavarietyofmicronutrientseachday,itfurtherensuresthatyourbodywilloperateefficiently.

Onceyou’vemetyourbody’sdailyrequirementforvitaminsandminerals,consumingexcessamountswillonlybestoredinfatorexcreted.Vitaminsfallintotwogroups,fat-solubleandwater-soluble.Water-solublevitaminsneedtodissolveinwaterbeforeyourbodycanabsorbthem.Sinceyourbodycannotstorethem,itisimportanttoconsumesufficientamountseveryday.Fat-solublevitaminsarestoredinthebody'scellsandarenotexcretedaseasilyaswater-solublevitamins.Theydonotneedtobeconsumedasoftenaswater-solublevitamins,althoughadequateamountsareneeded.Ifyouconsumetoomuchofafat-solublevitamin,itcouldbecometoxictoyourbody.Manypeopleoftenfallshortoftheirdailymicronutrientintake,sosupplementingwithamultivitaminservesasinsuranceincaseyouhaven’tmetallyourvitaminandmineralrequirementsfromfood

IMPORTANCEOFFIBERFiberisthepartofplantfoodsthatourbodiescan’tdigestorabsorb.

Therearetwokindsofdietaryfiber,insolubleandsoluble.Solublefibercomesfromfruit,vegetables,oats,beans,peas,lentils,andbarley.Whenmixedwithliquid,itformsagelthathelpscontrolbloodsugarandreducescholesterol.Insolublefiberisfoundinfruits,grains,andvegetables.Itaddsbulkandactslikeabrushtocleanoutthecolon.Ithelpsfoodpassthroughthedigestivetractmorequicklyandpreventsconstipation.Adietrichinfibercanreducetheriskofheartdisease,type-2diabetes,andseveralformsofcancer.Improvementsarealsofoundincholesterol,bloodpressure,andregulationofdigestion,allwhilehelpingyoufeelfuller.Itispossibletogettoomuchfiber,whichcanoftenleadtobloatingormorefrequentbowelmovements.TheAmericanHeartAssociationrecommendsbetween25and38gramsoffiberadayinawell-balanceddiet.Anothermethodofrecommendedfiberintakeis10-15gramsper1000calories.

HYDRATIONOneofthemostimportantresponsibilitiesyouhaveistosupplyyourbody

withenoughwaterinordertofunction.Waterisessentialineverycellularprocessinyourbody.Stayinghydratedhelpsmaintainthebalanceofbodilyfluids.Thefunctionsofthesebodilyfluidsincludedigestion,absorption,bloodcirculation,creationofsaliva,transportofnutrients,andmaintenanceofbodytemperature.Inadditiontomaintainingtheefficiencyofbodilyfunctions,drinkingenoughwatercanhelpyoufeelfullandcauseyoutoavoidanysecondtripsformorefood.Itisrecommendedtodrinkatleasthalfagallon(8cups)ofwateradayandadditionalwaterdependingonphysicalactivity,healthcondition,andclimate.It’sbeneficialtoconsumesufficientamountsofwaterbefore,during,andafterexerciseforoptimalperformance.Commonsignsthatyoumayneedtodrinkmorewaterincludedrynessofmouth,headaches,musclecramping,fatigue,dark-yellowurine,ordizziness.Whenfeelinglazy,tired,orjusthavingan“off-day”,sometimesafewcupsofwaterisallyouneed.

“Lifeisnotaboutfindingyourself.Lifeisaboutcreatingyourself”~LollyDaskal

HOWTOREADANUTRITIONFACTSLABELYoucanlearnaboutthecontentsofafoodordrinkbylookingatthe

nutritionfactslabel.Thelabeldescribesthedetailsoftheitemincludingthebreakdownofmacronutrientsandmicronutrients.

Readinganutritionallabelcanbeeasytounderstandifyouknowwhatinformationyou’reinterestedin.Intermsoftrackingmacros,you’remainlyinterestedintheamountoftotalfat,totalcarbohydrates,andproteinineach

serving.Thesethreemacronutrientsarethebreakdownofcalories.Thenutrientsandcaloriesyouseeonthelabelaretheamountsforthe‘servingsize’statedatthetop.Theamountshownintheparenthesisisamoreaccuratewayofmeasuringthesameservingsize.Forexample,youcanmeasuretheservingsizeonthisnutritionlabelbyeither‘1/4cup’or‘113grams’.

The‘servingspercontainer’tellyouhowmanyservingsthereareintheentireproduct.Inthiscase,thereare8servingsinthecontainer.Towardsthebottomofthelabelyou’llfindthedailypercentageofvitaminsandmineralsinoneservingsize.Otherinformationsuchastheamountoffiberandsodiumcanalsobehelpful.

Ifyouarekeepingtrackoffat,protein,andcarbsthenyouarealsotrackingcaloriesatthesametime.Here'showmanycaloriesareinonegramofeachmacronutrient:1gofFat—9calories1gofCarbs—4calories1gofProtein—4caloriesByknowingtheamountofgramsineachmacronutrientyoucancalculatethetotalcalories.Youcandothisbymultiplyingthenumberofgramsineachmacronutrientbythenumberofcaloriespergramofthatmacronutrient.Thenaddthecaloriesfromthethreemacronutrientsforthetotalamountofcalories.Usingthisnutritionlabelforexample:

Fat:2gx9=18caloriesCarbs:4gx4=16caloriesProtein:16gx4=64calories16+64+18=98caloriesAsyousee,the98caloriescalculatedisacloseestimateofthe100caloriesshownonthelabel.Duetoroundednumbers,convertinggramstocaloriesmaynotalwaysbeexact.

“Ifyouaimatnothing,youwillhititeverytime”~ZigZiglar

TRACKINGFOODTrackingthefoodyoueathasnowbecomeinsanelysimpleandeasytodo.

Withappssuchas‘MyFitnessPal’,you'reabletosearchandkeeptrackofanyfoodyoucomeacross.Allyouhavetodoistypethenameofthefood,settheamount,andyou’redone.It’seveneasiertofindtheexactfoodordrinkbyusingthebarcodescanner.Onceyouchoosethefood,youcansettheservingsizealongwithhowmanyservingsyouhad.Thiscanallbedoneinthesameamountoftimeittakestosendabrieftext.Trackingyourfoodcanbeevenquickerbysavingentiremealsintheappsothenexttimeyoueatthesamething,it’llbepartofyourdailyfooddiarywithinasecond.

Onemightquestionhowtotrackfoodswithoutanutritionlabeloranyfoodyouhaven’tpreparedyourself.Thebestwaytodosoisbyestimatingtheamountoftheindividualingredients.Forexample,aturkeysandwichpreparedbysomeoneelsecanbetrackedastwoslicesofbread,turkey,cheese,mayo,andlettuce.Eventhoughthegoaloftrackingmacrosistobeaccurateaspossible,inmostcasesitdoesn’talwayshavetobeperfect.Aslongasyou’rewithinareasonablerangeofyourmacronutrientgoalsfortheday,youwillstillbemakinggreatprogresstowardsreachingyourgoal.Preparingyourownfoodincreasestheaccuracyofthemacrosyoutracksinceyouknowexactlyhowmuchoftheingredientsareinthefoodyouconsume.

Therearemanycalorie-trackingappsandwebsitesthatmaketheprocessoflosingorgainingweightsimple.‘MyFitnessPal’isoneofthemostpopularfreeappsavailableduetoitswidedatabaseoffoodsandeaseofuse.Bytakingadvantageoftheseservices,itallowsyoutomakewisefoodchoicesthatsupporttheprogressofyourgoal.Tobetterunderstandwhatyou’retrackingin‘MyFitnessPal’payattentiontothe‘totalfat’,‘totalcarbohydrates’,and

‘protein’.The‘total’columntellsyouhowmuchofeachmacronutrientyou’vehadfortheday.Knowinghowmuchofeachmacronutrientyouhaveremainingcanhelpyouchoosefoodsthatwillhelpyouhityourdailygoals.

“Don’tcountthedays,makethedayscount”~MuhammadAli

FOODPROFILE

SUPPLEMENTSMostpeoplelookingtoburnfatorgainmuscleimmediatelyturnto

supplementsasifitisneededtoachievegreatresults.Thoughsupplementscanbebeneficial,theyareonlymeanttohelp“supply”yourdietandarenotneededtoreachyourgoal.Mostofthepopularsupplementscanbeacquiredfromfoodbutitcanbeconvenienttohavecertainonesavailable.Withthatsaid,herearesomerecommendedsupplementstoaidthepursuitofyourfitnessgoal.

WHEYPROTEINWheyproteinisaliquidbyproductofcheeseproductionthatissoldasa

dietarysupplementintheformofpowder.Itisrecognizedasa“completeprotein”thatisfastandeasytodigest.Apopularmeasureofproteinabsorptionusedisthebiologicalvalue(BV),inwhichwheyproteinhasthehighestpossiblevalueof1002.Withthebenefitofquickdigestion,consumingwheyproteinpostworkoutcanbeoptimalformusclegrowth.Anotheradvantageofwheyproteinisthatitisconvenientwhenfoodisn’treadilyavailable.Youcaneasilymixthepowderintoasmoothie,oatmeal,oranyotherrecipe.Mostpeoplefinditchallengingtofulfilltheirdailyproteinrequirementthroughonlyfood,soconsumingwheyproteincanhelpyoustayconsistentwithyourdiet.

CREATINECreatineenhancesthebody'scapacitytoperformhighintensityworkand

supportsagreaterappearanceofmuscles.CreatineisbasicallyafuelsourceforATP,whichisanenergysystemusedforshortburstsofpower.Thisstrengthensthecontractionofmusclefibersandhelpsanindividualachievemorereps.Creatineisfoundinmeat,fishandalsointhehumanbody.Withmanyblendsofcreatineonthemarket,itisrecommendedtousethemostbasicformofthemolecule,whichismicronizedcreatinemonohydrate.Micronizedisessentiallycreatinemonohydrate,butwithmuchsmallermoleculesmakingiteasiertoabsorb.Therecommendeddosageofcreatinemonohydraterequires5gramsdaily.Anyexcessamountswillmorethanlikelybeexcretedwithoutbeingusedsinceyourbodyislimitedtohowmuchitcanabsorb.Thisnaturalmoleculehasapropertythatcauseswaterretentioninyourmuscleswhichproducesamorefull-muscledappearance.Creatineisalsooneofthemoststudiedsupplements,bothinasportssettinganditsinteractionswithvariousmedicalconditions.Creatinecanbeseenasanaturalboosttoyourtrainingperformanceandanaddedbenefittotheappearanceofyourmuscles.

MULTIVITAMINThehumanbodyrequiresawidevarietyofvitaminsandmineralsinorder

tocompleteitsdailytasks.Whenlivinganactivelifestyle,yourbodyneedsmorenutrientsthannormaltosupportitsactivitylevel.Neglectingthesemicronutrientscancauseyourbodytoworklessefficiently,especiallywhenworkingout.Therefore,itisimportanttoprovideyourbodywiththenecessaryamountofvitaminsandmineralsforoptimalresults.Thoughitispossibletogetallofyourmicronutrientsthroughfoodonly,itcanbeachallengetodosoeachday.Supplementingamultivitaminwithyourdietwillactasasourceofinsuranceincaseyoudon’tgetenoughvitaminsandmineralsfromthefoodyoualreadyconsume.

FISHOILFishoilcontainsessentialfattyacids(EFAs)whichhavebeenshownto

offerendlessbenefitssuchasimprovementsinbrainfunction,cardiovascularandjointhealth.ThetwowidelyresearchedOmega-3fattyacidsincludeEPAandDHAwhicharetermed"essential"sinceweneedthemforproperfunctionbutourbodiescannotproducethem.Therefore,wemustobtainthemthroughfoodorsupplements.Omega-3fattyacidsworkbyloweringthebody'sproductionoftriglycerides.Highlevelsoftriglyceridescanleadtocoronaryarterydisease,heartdisease,andstroke.Studieshaveshownthatbenefitsoffishoilincludeaboostinyourimmunesystem,anti-inflammatorytreatment,improvementsinvision,memory,andbonehealthalongwithmanyotheradvantages.Withcountlessbeneficialclaims,itservesassmartinvestmenttoconsumefishoilforoverallhealth.

PRE-WORKOUTPre-workoutsaretheleastnecessaryoftherecommendedsupplements.

Commoningredientsfoundinapre-workoutsupplementincludebeta-alanine,caffeine,creatine,Bvitaminsandotherperformance-basedsubstances.Thebenefitsofapre-workoutvaryfromincreasedendurance,moreenergy,betterfocus,andgreaterbloodflowtomuscles.Consumingapre-workoutcanserveasanadvantageonthedaysyoufeelsluggishandinneedofaboosttohelpgetyouthroughyourworkout.Mostpre-workoutsupplementsareconsumedbeforetrainingandusuallytakeabout15-30minutestokickin.Acommonsubstituteforapre-workoutsupplementiscaffeine,whichhasshowntoincreasetrainingperformanceonitsown.

NUTRITIONPRIORITYPYRAMIDThepurposeofthispyramidistohelpclearupanyconfusiononwhat

aspectsofnutritiontoconsiderintermsofachievingyourfitnessgoal.Thepyramidstartsatthebottomwiththemostimportantpriorityandgoesupeachstageoflesserimportance.Itisdirectedtowardstherecompositionofyourbodyintermsofbuildingmuscleand/orburningfat.Withmanypeopletrainingtowardstheirgoal,mostdonothaveanideaofthenutritionalprioritiesthatwillallowthemtoprogressthemost.Thereareindividualswhoworryaboutthedetailsoftheirgoalbeforeconsideringthemainpointsofnutritionthatwillproducetheresultsthey’relookingfor.Onemightask,“ShouldIdrink2%milkorwholemilk?”withoutknowingthefactorsthatneedtobeconsideredinordertoaccuratelyanswerthatquestion.Informationsuchastheperson’sfitnessgoal,macronutrientrequirements,andotherdecidingfactorsneedtobeacknowledgedbeforeprovidingalegitimateanswer.Whenindoubtaboutyournutritionalpriorities,turntothispyramidforbetterassurance.CreditfortheideaofthispyramidgoestoEricHelms,acoachat‘3DMuscleJourney’.

1.ENERGYBALANCE

Themostimportantaspectofrecomposingyourphysiqueisthebalanceofthecaloriesyouconsume(food/drinks)andthecaloriesyourbodyuses(physicalactivity).Thesetwofactorsultimatelydecidewhatwillhappentoyourbodyweightovertime.Youcangain,lose,ormaintainyourweightdependingonhowyoubalanceyourcalories.Iftheamountofcaloriescomingintoyourbodyisequaltotheamountofcaloriescomingout,thenyouwillremainthesameweight.Iftheamountofcaloriescominginismorethantheamountcomingout,youwillgainweight.Lastly,iftheamountofcaloriescominginislessthantheamountcomingoutthenthiswillresultinyoulosingweight.

Inordertohavetherightenergybalance(caloricbalance)youneedtoknowtheamountofcaloriesyouneedtoachieveyourspecificgoal.Todeterminetheamount,itiscommontostartbycalculatingtheamountofcaloriesyourbodywillneedjusttomaintainitsweight.Factorsthatwilldeterminethiscaloricamountincludeage,height,weight,sex,andlevelofphysicalactivity.Theamountthatisgeneratedfromthesefactorsisagoodestimateofhowmanycaloriesyourbodyrequirestostayatitscurrentweight(theactualamountofcaloriesyourequireisdeterminedbyhowyourbodymetabolizesthefoodyouconsume).Onceyouknowtheamountofcaloriesittakestomaintainyourweight,youwilleitherlowertheamountofcaloriestosupportweightlossorincreasethecaloriesforweightgain.Theamountbywhichyourcaloriesareadjustedwilldeterminehowfastorslowyourweightwillchange.Therateatwhichyourweightchangesmayaffecthowmuchmusclemassyoumaintainwhileinacaloricdeficitandhowmuchfatyougainwheninacaloricsurplus.

Ifyoudon’tknowhowmanycaloriesyouarefeedingyourbody,itishardtocontrolyourenergybalance.Youdon’twanttobedisappointedfromthelackofresultsbecauseyoudidn’thaveyourenergybalanceincheck.Soknowingwhetheryouareinacaloricdeficit,surplus,ormaintenanceisthemostimportantprioritywhentryingtochangethecompositionofyourbody.

2.MACRONUTRIENTS

Onceyourenergybalanceisincheck,itisnowimportanttoknowwherethesecaloriesarecomingfrom.Caloriesaremadeupofthreemacronutrients,whichincludefats,protein,andcarbs.Itisbeneficialtoknowhowmuchofthesemacronutrientsweconsumeinourdiet.Forexample,one’sdietmayconsistof40%protein,40%carbs,and20%fat.Theamountofmacronutrientscanalsobeevaluatedintermsofgramsinsteadofpercentages.Differentproportionswillhaveanimpactonhowthebodychangesandfeels.Evenifyouconsumethesameamountofcalories,adjustingtheproportionofmacronutrientscancauseyourbodytochangeitscomposition.Itislikelytoincreaseproteinwhiledecreasingcarbsforfatloss,andtoconsumeamoderateamountofproteinwhileincreasingcarbsforweightgain.Differentratiosoffats,protein,andcarbswillbeoptimalforspecificgoals,soitcanbebeneficialtohaveanexperiencedcoachwhocancreateapersonalizedplanforyou.Moreoninformationontheimportanceofmacronutrientsandhowtheyaffectyourbodyisinthe‘WhyTrackMacros’section.

3.MICRONUTRIENTSANDWATER

Althoughtheamountofmacronutrientsyouconsumehasamajorimpactonthecompositionofyourbody,micronutrientsarejustasimportant.Progresstowardsyourfitnessgoalcanbeaffectedifvitaminsandmineralsareneglected.Micronutrientshelpmaintainahealthy-functioningbodyandsupportthemetabolismoffats,protein,andcarbs.Highamountsofvitaminsandmineralscanbefoundinfruitsandvegetables.Generalrecommendationsincludeatleastaservingoffruitsandvegetablesper1000calories.Soifanindividualconsumes2000caloriesperday,thentheyshouldconsumeatleast2servingsoffruitsand2servingsofvegetables.Consumingawidevarietyofwholefoodswillhelpensurethatyouaregettingenoughvitaminsandminerals.Moreontheimportanceofvitaminsandmineralsarediscussedinthe‘VitaminsandMinerals’section.

Waterconsumptionisextremelyimportantinreachinganyfitnessgoal.Waterisinvolvedineverybodilyfunction,soinsufficienthydrationcanaffectthewayyourbodyfeelsandoperates.Frequentclearurinationsthroughoutthedayaregoodindicatorstowhetheryouaredrinkingenoughwater.Mostpeopleusuallydon’thaveanissuewithdrinkingmorewaterwhileachievingtheir

fitnessgoal,sothisisn’taprioritythathastobemonitoredascloselyastheprevioustwostages.The‘Hydration’sectionincludesmoreinformationontheimportanceofdrinkingwater.

4.MEALTIMINGANDFREQUENCY

Mealtimingandfrequencydoesnotmakeahugedifferenceintermsoffatlossormusclegainbutitcanbeneficialifimplementedproperly.Yourbalanceofcaloriesandmacronutrientswillultimatelydetermineanychangesinyourbodycomposition.Thebenefitsofmealtimingaredirectedmoretowardhowyoufeelthroughoutthedayandyourenergywhiletraining.Itmakessensetoconsumecarbs1-2hoursbeforeyourworkoutsoyouhaveenoughenergytotraineventhoughsomepeopledowellwithouteatinganythingbeforehand.

Consumingmealsatspecifictimesismoreofapreferencethansomethingyouhavetodoinordertoburnfatorbuildmuscle.Having3-5mealsadayisrecommendedbutaslongastherequiredcaloriesaremetattheendoftheday,theoutcomeoffatlossandmusclegrowthwillrelativelybethesame.Inordertomaximizethetheoreticalbenefitsofbuildingmuscle,itisbesttospreadyourtotalamountofproteinthroughouttheday.Severalstudieshaveshownthatconsumingproteinandcarbspostworkoutisbeneficialforoptimalmusclerecovery.Asyouplanthetimingofyourmeals,itishelpfultoconsidertheregulationofglucoseandlevelsofhunger.Themainpointsofthedaytoconsumecarbsareinthemorning,preandpostworkout.Asimpleruleofthumbwhenitcomestomealfrequencyisto“eatwhenyou’rehungry”.Moredetailsonmealtimingandfrequencyareexplainedinthe‘6MealsADay’sectionof‘CommonMisconceptions’.

5.SUPPLEMENTS

Thisistheleastimportantstageoftheprioritypyramid.Supplementsarebeneficialforwhateveryoucan’talreadygetfromactualfood.Theworditselfexplainsthatisitsupplementary,meaningitisintendedtosupplyyourdiet.Forexample,anindividualmayhaveahardtimegettingalltheirproteinfromonly

food,whichwouldmakesensetosupplementwithwheyproteininordertohelpfulfilltheirproteinrequirement.Youshouldn’trelyonsupplementsoverfoodasthefoundationofyournutrition.Thisiswheremostpeoplegowrongbecausetheyfeelthatthereissomethingspecialinsupplementjarsthatwillallowthemtobypassgoodnutritiontoattaintheirdesiredresults.Yettheseindividualsmayachievelittletonoprogressbecausetheyneglectedthemoreimportantaspectsoftheirnutrition.Whenchoosingasupplement,youshouldalwaysdoyourownresearchontheproductandcheckreviewstohelpyoudecidewhetheritwillhaveasignificantimpactontheresultsyou’relookingfor.Somesupplementsareunnecessarywhilepursuingspecificgoalssopayattentiontothequalityandhoweffectivetheproductwouldbeforyou.The‘Supplements’sectionexplainswhichsupplementsaremostbeneficialforachievingcertainresults.

6.LIFESTYLE&BEHAVIORThistopicisnotdisplayedasastageinthepyramidbutratherrevolves

arounditandshouldbeconsideredatalllevels.Whileprioritizingyournutritionandtraining,keepinmindthattherealityofpursuingyourgoalshouldbesustainableandnotlifecontrolling.Therearesomepeoplewhoquittoosoonbecausetheydon’tenjoytheirdietsandfeeltoorestricted.Thenthereareotherswhoareover-achieversandtrytobeperfectwitheveryaspectofachievingtheirgoal.Withmanyindividualspursuingtheirgoals,rememberthatbeinghappy,positiveandenjoyinglifeispartofbeingfit.Withawidevarietyoffoodintheworld,everyoneshouldbeallowedtoenjoywhattheyliketoeatnomatterwhattheirgoalis.Beingabletoenjoythefoodsyouloveallowsyoutobemoreflexibleanddedicatedtoyourdiet.Limitingyourselfwhilemissingoutonthefoodsyoureallylikeisn’tsustainableoveralifetime.Everyindividualshouldbeabletoeatoutwithinreasonandthankstothecalorie-awarenessappssuchas‘MyFitnessPal’youcaneasilysearchtheamountofnutrientsinalmostanyfoodthereis.

Youdon’thavetostressyourselfoutaboutthethoughtofhittingyourcaloriesormacroseverysingledayinordertoseegreatresults.Understandingtherelationshipbetweenwhatyouconsumeandyourbody’sdailyallowance,servesyoumorecontrol,flexibility,andconfidencewhenenjoyingthefoodanddrinksyoulove.Itislikelythatyouwillconfronttemptationsorcertainsituationsthatcansteeryouawayfromyourdiet,buttheseoccasionalmishapswillnotdictateyourresultsaslongasconsistencyiskepttowardsyourgoal.

Thoughitisimportanttoresisttemptationsandbeconsistentaspossible,tryingtodososhouldn’ttakeoveryourlife.Whilepursuinganyfitnessgoal,focusonkeepinganoverallbalancethatwillallowyoutomaintainahealthylifestyle.

ClickhereforEricHelms''NutritionPyramid'videoseriesonYoutube

OPTIMALTRAINING

“Opportunitiesaresometimesdisguisedashardwork,somostpeopledon’trecognizethem”~AnnLanders

MUSCLEGROUPSThebodyiscategorizedintoseveralmusclegroups,whichincludethe

chest,back,shoulders,legs,biceps,triceps,andabdominals.Thelegsaregenerallymadeupofthequadriceps,hamstrings,andcalves,whilealsoincludingtheglutesinmostofitsexercises.Theshouldersaremadeupoftheuppertrapsanddeltoids(delts).Thedeltoidhasthreemainmusclesthatincludethefront,lateral,andreardelt.Thebicepsaremadeupoftwomainheads,hencetheterm“bi”,whilethetricepscontainthreeheads.Thebackgenerallyconsistsofthelats,anupper,middle,andlowerback.Somemusclegroupsworktogetherduringcertainexercises.Forexample,theflatbenchpressprimarilyfocusesonthechestwhilethetricepsandshouldershelptocompletethemovement.Understandingwhichmusclesarestimulatedduringspecificexercisescanallowyoutosetupanefficientworkoutthatwilltargetyourgoal.

HOWDOMUSCLESGROW?Liftingweightsdamagesyourmuscles.Thoughthatmaysoundstrange,

pumpingironatthegymactuallydepletesmuscle-buildingnutrientsinyourbodyandcreatesmicroscopictearsinyourmusclefibers.Itisonlyuntilafteryourworkoutthatyourbodybeginstorepairthedamageyouinflictedonitandyouexperiencethemusclegrowthyoudesire3.Aneffectiveworkoutresultsinminimalbleedingandtearingofyourmusclefibers,whichoftenleadstosoreness.Thisdamageisanessentialpartofbuildingmuscleandindicatesthatyourmusclesarerepairingandbecomingstronger.Musclerepairusuallytakesatleasttwodays,making48hoursofrestessentialforoptimalgrowth.

Theprinciplebehindmusclegrowthisknownasprogressiveoverload.Itstatesthatyoumustimposeademandonyourmusclesgreaterthanwhatthey'reaccustomedto.Yourmusclescompensateforthisstrainonacellularlevelbyaddingproteintogrowthickerandstronger.Onceyourmuscleadaptstotheloadbybecomingstronger,aprogressiveoverloadsuchasmoreweightorrepsmustbeaddedformoregrowth.Overall,muscledamagetakesplaceduringtheworkout,andrepairandgrowthhappenswhenyouareatrest.

“Ifthereisnostruggle,thereisnoprogress”~FrederickDouglass

CHOOSINGANEXERCISEBystickingtobasicexercises,youcanbuildasolidfoundationofmuscle.

Compoundmovementssuchasthesquat,benchpress,anddeadliftaregreatbecausetheystimulatemultiplemusclegroupswhileburningrelativelymorecalories.Isolationexercisessuchasthebicepcurlorlegextensionfocusesononespecificmusclegroup.Bothcompoundandisolationexercisesaregoodtoincorporateinyourworkout.Avarietyofexercisesshouldbeusedinordertoengageallareasofthemusclegroup.Byusingeffectiveexercisestotargetdifferentanglesonthemuscle,youwilldevelopamoredetailedanddefinedphysique.

WEIGHTTRAININGEXERCISES

*Frequentlyusedbytheauthor4

HOWTOWARM-UPAfullwarm-upconsistsofthreestages.Thefirststageinvolvesraising

yourbodytemperaturetopreparefortheintensityofphysicalactivity.Doing5-10minutesofcardioexercisesuchasjogging,biking,jumpingjacks,oranellipticalmachineshouldbesufficienttogetthejobdone.Second,istostretchandworkonthemobilityofyourmusclesandjoints.Another5-10minutesofvariousstretchingexerciseswillprepareyourmusclestohandleresistanceandhelppreventinjury.Afullbodystretchisn’talwaysnecessarybutcanbehelpful.Mobilityistheabilitytomovefreelyandeasily.Mobilityexercisesarebeneficialforpreventinginjuryandallowsforfullrangeofmotionduringtraining.Lastly,youshouldpreparethemuscleforweighttrainingbystartingyourworkoutwithfairlylightweight.Graduallyincreasingtheweightatthestartofanexercisepreparesthemuscletohandleheavierloadswhileallowingyoutograspabetterfeelforthemovement.Neglectingaproperwarm-upcanlimityourperformance,increasetheriskofinjury,andresultinbeingexcessivelytightorsorepost-workout.

HOWMUCHWEIGHT?

Theweightyouchooseforanexerciseshouldsuittheamountofrepsyouplantodowithoutsacrificinggoodform.Mostpeoplepickaweightthatistooheavyandendupusingbadform,whichcanproduceinefficientresultsandoftenleadtoinjury.Someindividualsuseaweightthatistoolight,whichcanmakeitdifficulttostimulategrowthinthemuscle.Overall,chooseadesiredreprange,andthenpickaweightthatwillchallengeyouforthesetamountofreps.Whentryinganewexercise,youshouldusearelativelylightweightuntilyouunderstandhowtoperformthemovementcorrectly.Onceyoufeelcomfortablewiththeform,thenincreasetheweightuntilitischallengingtocompletetherequiredamountofreps.Asyougetstrongerandabletoperformmorerepsatthisweight,youwilleventuallyneedtoincreasetheload.Usingtheheaviestweightforanexerciseisn’talwaysthebestoption.Eventhoughyoumaybeabletodo1-2repsforanexercise,usingalighterweightthatwillallowyoutocompletemorerepscanproducemoremuscledevelopment.

HOWMANYREPSANDSETS?Arepetitionisasingleexecutionofanyexercise.Ifyoudoasetof10

bicepcurlsconsecutively,thenthat's10repetitions.Theamountofrepsyouchoosetypicallydeterminesyourtrainingstyle.Youcantrainformuscularendurance,strength,oracombinationofboth.Thehighreprange(12-20)supportsmuscularendurancetrainingwhilethelowerreprange(3-8)isfocusedmoreonstrength.Totrainyourmusclesforbothstrengthandendurance,thetworeprangesarecompromisedatanidealrangeof8-12reps.Youmayoftenhavetoadjusttheweighttofityourdesiredreprange.Forexample,ifyou’retrainingforstrengthandenduranceandcan'tcompleteeightreps,thentheweightmaybetooheavy.Ifyoucandomorethan12reps,thentheweightistoolight.Withtrialanderror,you’lleventuallyfindaweightthatchallengesyouwithinthatreprange.

Trainingtill‘failure’iswhenyoucannotcompleteanotherrepwithgoodform.Inotherwords,thisisthepointduringanexercisewhereyouhavetosacrificegoodforminordertoperformonemorerep.Thoughyoudon'thavetotraintofailureinorderformusclestogrow,youshouldcomeclose.Agoodtargetformostofyoursetsistoperformtheexerciseuntilyouare1-2repsawayfromfailure.Trainingtillyoureachfailurecansignificantlyfatigueyourmusclesandshouldonlybeusedtowardstheendofyoursetsorworkout.Thoughtrainingtofailureshouldonlybeusedoccasionallythroughouttheworkout,youdon’thavetolimityoursetstoaspecificnumberofreps.Ifyou’vereachedyourtargetnumberofrepsduringasetandyouareabletoperform1-2morerepswithgoodform,thendosowithinreason.Thelastfewrepswillbethedecidingfactortowhetherornotyoustimulategrowthinyourmuscle.

Asetisacombinationofconsistentrepsofasingleexercise.Yougenerallywanttodo1-2warmupsetswithalighterweightforeachexercisebeforemovingontoheaviersets.Althoughthereisnospecificamountofsetsthatanindividualshoulddo,thetotalsetsperexercisetypicallyrangefrom3-5.Youwanttoallowyourselfenoughsetstoeffectivelystimulatethemuscletogrow.It’sbeneficialtoincorporateamoderateamountofsetsperexercisetoallowtimeandenergyforotherexercisesintheworkout.

RESTPERIODBETWEENSETS

Theamountofrestyoutakeinbetweenyoursetshasamajorimpactonthequalityandintensityofyourtraining.Manypeoplewaittoolongtostarttheirnextset,whichcanhindertheproductivityoftheirtraining.Onceyoufinishasetofaparticularexercise,you’veachievedabloodpumpintothemuscle.Maintainingthistemporarypumpisakeyadvantagetobuildingnewmuscle.Thelongeryouwaittostartthenextsetisthemorelikelythatthispumpwillgoaway.Ontheotherhand,restingtoolittlecanquicklyfatiguethemuscleandaffecttheoverallefficiencyoftheworkout.Theideaistogiveyourmusclesenoughtimetoslightlyrecoverwhilekeepingtheresttimeshortenoughtochallengeitsabilitytoperform.Theamountofresttimeyoushouldallowyourselfdependsonwhetheryouwanttotrainforstrength,musclegrowth,orendurance.Thoughthesetrainingstylesarerelativelydependentupononeanother,youcandirectlytargeteachonebycontrollingtheresttimeinbetweensets.Itisrecommendedtotake3-5minutesofrestwhentrainingforstrength,1-2minutesformusclegrowth,and45-90secondsforendurance.Compoundexercisescanbemoreexhaustingandmayrequiremorerestsincetheyinvolve

theuseofmultiplemusclegroups.Restperiodscanalsovaryamongindividuals.Itcantake30secondsforanindividualtofullyrecoverfromaworkingsetwhilesomeoneelsemayneed60seconds.Thekeyistofindthethinlinebetweentakingtoomuchandtoolittlerestforthebenefitofachievingoptimalresults.

TRAININGVOLUMETrainingvolumeisacombinationofsets,reps,andweight.Eachofthese

factorshasadirecteffectonthetotalvolume.Whetheryouliketotrainheavyorlight,it’salwayspossibletoachievethesametrainingvolumebyvaryingthesets,weights,orreps.Forexample,1setof20repswitha50lbweight(1x20x50=1000)isequalto1setof10repswitha100lbweight(1x10x100=1000).Asshown,youcanvarythereps,weight,andsetstofityourstyleoftrainingwhilecontrollingthetotalvolumeofyourworkout.Whileotherfactorssuchastheamountofrestbetweensetswilldeterminetheintensityofaworkout,volumeservesasarepresentationofhowmuchworkisdone.

PROPERFORMPerforminganexercisecorrectlyisoneofthemostimportantaspectsof

buildingagreatphysique.Byusingproperform,itallowsyoutofullytargetanddevelopyourmuscleswhileminimizingtheriskofinjury.Someindividualsusemomentumandcheatproperformforthesakeoftrainingwithaheavyweight.Itisfarmorebeneficialtouseaweightthatallowsyoutoperformanexerciseproperlythantosacrificeformjusttouseaheavierweight.Thekeytobuildingmuscleisnothowheavyyoucanliftbutratherhowmuchdamageyoucaninflictonthemuscleinordertostimulategrowth.Usingproperformalsoallowsapersontodevelopagreatermind-muscleconnectionduringtheexercise.Thisconnectionincorporatesthethoughtofcontractingtheintendedmuscleinanexercisetobetterengageitthroughoutthemovement.Thebetteryouareabletousethemuscletocontroltheweightisthemoredevelopmentyoucanachieve.Animprovementintheuseofproperformisasignofprogressinyourtraining.Therefore,takingthetimetolearnhowtoperformanexercisecorrectlyisextremelybeneficialtowardsbuildingmuscleandstrength.

SIGNSTHATYOUAREMAKINGPROGRESSINYOURTRAINING

Beingabletoliftaheavierweightisoftenseenastheonlysignthatyourtraininghasimproved.Thoughbeingabletopushmoreweightisagoodsign,itisonlyafractionofmanyobservationsthatcanconfirmyou’vemadeprogressinyourtraining.Othersignsincludetheabilitytocompletemorereps,shorterresttime,andanimprovementinform.Forexample,ifyouwereabletosquatacertainamountofweightfor8repslastweekandthisweekyou’reabletocomplete9repsusingthesameweight,thenthatextrarepisanobvioussignofprogress.Whatifwecanmakeprogresswithoutchangingtheamountofweightorreps?Byshorteningtheamountofrestinbetweensets,youallowyourselflesstimetorecovermakingitagreaterchallengeonthemuscletoperform.Ifyouareabletocompletethesameworkoutwhilerestingforshorterperiods,thenyou’vemadeprogressinyourtraining.

Onesignofimprovementthatisoftenoverlookedistheabilitytoperformanexerciseusingproperform.Focusingonmaintaininggoodformasthesetgetstough,challengesyourmusclesjustasmuchasaddingweightordoingmorereps.Completingthesameworkoutwiththeuseofbetterformisanothersuresignofprogressinyourtraining.Byfollowingaconsistentroutine,improvementsinyourtrainingwillbecomemorenoticeable.Yourbodydoesnotwanttochangeitscurrentconditionsoitwilltaketimetoseesignificantresults.Itisfineifaweekortwogoesbywithoutnoticinganyprogressbutwithpatience,consistency,andhardworkyouwilleventuallyseetheresultsyou’vebeentrainingfor.Progressintrainingcanbearesultofbuildingmuscle,strength,endurance,orbecomingmentallytougher.Nomatterwhatkindofimprovementismade,anyoneofthemwillsurelybringyouclosertoachievingyourfitnessgoal.

“Tounderstandtheheartandmindofaperson,looknotatwhathehasalreadyachieved,butatwhatheaspirestodo”~KhalilGibran

CENTRALNERVOUSSYSTEMThecentralnervoussystemconsistsofthebrain,spinalcord,anda

complexnetworkofneurons.Thissystemisresponsibleforsending,receiving,andinterpretinginformationthroughoutallpartsofthebody.YourCNScontrolseverythoughtandmovementinthebody,makingitextremelyimportanttomaintainitshealth.ExtensivetrainingwithoutsufficientrestincreasestheriskofdamagetoyourCNS.MostcellsinyourCNScannotberepairedorrenewedandcanlosesomeofitsabilities.Signsofdamageincludedifficultywithphysicalactivity,recovering,comprehendinginformation,andothersymptoms.TheCNSisatanincreasedriskfordamagewhileconsumingfewercaloriesthannormal,whichemphasizestheneedforsufficientnutrientsandrecoverywhiledieting.Justlikethemuscularsystem,yourCNScanbeoverworked.Yetwithpropernutritionandefficienttrainingyoucanprotectandmaintainthehealthofyourcentralnervoussystem.

TheCNSismadeupofthebrainandspinalcord

RESTDAYItisimportanttooccasionallyincorporateafulldayofrestfromtraining

inordertoallowyourbodysufficientrecovery.Astrainingbecomesmorefrequent,yourbodyisatgreaterriskforinjuryduetostrainonmuscles,tendons,ligaments,bonesandjoints.Musclefibersarebrokendownduringweighttraining,sosufficienttimeisneededforthebodytorepairandgrownewmuscle.Itcanbesmarttotraincertainmusclesonspecificdayssoyoucanallowothermusclestorecover.Forexample,trainingupperbodyononedayandlowerbodyonaseparateday,allowsonemusclegrouptorecoverwhiletraininganother.Benefitsofincorporatingarestdayincludeimprovementsintrainingperformance,astrongerimmunesystem,andmoreenergy.Ifdesired,youcanremainactiveduringarestdaywithlightexercisesuchasjogging,yoga,orstretching.

“Patienceisalsoaformofaction”~AugusteRodin

HOWFREQUENTSHOULDYOUTRAIN?Thefrequencyofyourtrainingshoulddependontheintensityofyour

workoutsandyourphysicalability.Theintensityofyourworkoutisoneofthemainfactorsthatdeterminehowmuchstressyouareputtingonyourbody.Trainingatalowintensitywillallowyoutoexercisemorefrequentlycomparedtotrainingwithhighintensity.Theindividual’sphysicalabilityalsohasanimpactonhowfrequenttheyshouldtrain.Forexample,anathleticpersonmaybecomfortabletrainingatahighintensity6-7daysaweekwhilesomeonefairlynewtoworkingoutshouldstarttrainingatthesamelevelofintensitynomorethan3-4daysaweek.Yourworkoutscheduleshouldbeattainableandalignedwithyourfitnessgoal.

Anindividual’strainingscheduleshouldalsocorrespondwithhowtheirbodyrecovers.Somemusclesrecoverfasterorslowerthanothers,soknowinghowyourbodyrespondstotrainingcanhelpyouefficientlyplanyourworkouts.Musclesrequireaminimumof48hourstofullyrecoverfromaworkout,soyoushouldavoidtrainingthesamemusclegroupeverydaytoallowoptimalgrowth.Properrestandnutrientsareneededbeforeyoucantrainthesamemusclegroupagain.Ageneralruleofthumbis‘ifyou'restillsore,you'renotreadytotrainthatbodypartagain’.Anindividualshouldalsobeawareofprotectingthehealthoftheircentralnervoussystem.Eventhoughapersonmayhavetheenergytotrainatahighintensityeveryday,yourCNScanbeaffected.Withseveralfactorstoconsiderintrainingfrequency,youshouldworkoutasmuchasyoudesirewhilemonitoringyouroverallhealth.

10COMMONTRAININGMISTAKES

1.LIFTINGTOOHEAVYUsingmoreweightdoesn’talwaysequalabetterworkout.Lettinggoof

youregocanallowyoutogrowmoremuscle.It’sbesttoengagethemuscleasmuchaspossibleandbyusingtoomuchweightitislikelythatyouwouldhavetousebadforminordertocompletetheexercise.Itisbettertouseamoderateweightthatyoucancontrolthroughtheentiremovement,thenworkyourwayuptoaheavierweightthatyoucanproperlycontrol.

2.IMPROPERTECHNIQUESomepeopleneverseekthebenefitsoftheirtrainingbecausethey

consistentlyusebadform.Anindividualcando20“bicepcurls”andbarelyworktheirmusclebecauseofusingimproperform.Byusingsmalltechniquessuchashowtoeliminatemomentumandusingthetargetmuscletocontroltheweight,yourworkoutswillbecomemoreproductive.Usingthecorrectformwillalsoreduceyourriskofinjury.

3.NOTENOUGHRESEARCHBEFORECOMINGTOTHEGYMTherearesomeindividualswhocometothegymandwatchotherswork

outinhopesoffindinganideaofwhattodo.Startingyourworkoutwithoutaplancanlimityourprogressandwastevaluabletime.Yourtrainingcanbecomemoreefficientandflexiblebydoingresearchonworkouts,properexercisetechniques,andgeneraltipsontraining.UsetheresourcesthatI’vepostedinthe‘ResourcestoMaximizeYourFitnessPotential’sectionforonlinefitnessadvice.

4.UNREALISTICEXPECTATIONSExpectingtoachieveyourgreatestphysiqueinafewdayscanbe

unrealistic.Yourbodyneedstimetochange.Itmaytakeweeksorevenmonthsbasedonyourcurrentconditionbeforeyoucanachievethephysiqueyoudesire.Themainthingistobepatientandfocusonprogressingonedayatatime.

5.RESTINGTOOLONGWhileeveryoneneedstorestinbetweensets,mostindividualsgive

themselvestoolongofarestperiod.Somepeopleenduptextingortalking,allowingtheirbodytoomuchtimetorelax.Consistentlyrestingfortoolongcannegativelyaffecttheresultsofyourworkout.Thekeyistolimitthetimeinbetweensetstochallengeyourbodytobecomestronger.

6.DOUBTINGYOURSELFNegativethoughtscanaffectyourtrainingperformance.Bystaying

positiveyouallowyourselftohaveabetterworkout.Keepinmindthatyouhavenochoicebuttomakeprogresswheneveryoutrysomethingnew.Stayfocusedandbelievethatyoucanaccomplishyourgoals.

7.TRYINGTODOTOOMUCHATONCEDoingcardio,liftingweights,eatinghealthy,drinkingmorewater,timing

yourmealsandgettingmoresleepareonlysomeofthemanyaspectsoffitnesstoimproveon.Tryingtodoeverythingatoncecanbechallengingformostindividuals.Itisbettertotakesmallstepstowardsyourfitnessgoalratherthanonehugetransitionthatcanbedifficulttomaintain.

8.NOTEATINGENOUGHEatinghealthierisagreatstarttobecomingfitandcancauseadiettobe

lowerincalories.Yetconsumingtoolittlecaloriesinadditiontotrainingcancauseanindividualtofeelsluggish.Thoughsomepeoplemaybecuttingbackoncaloriestoburnfat,itisimportanttostillfuelyourbodywithenoughcaloriestosupportenergythroughouttheday.Byproperlysettingupyourmacros,youcanmaximizetheamountofcaloriesyouareabletoconsumewhileachievingyourgoal.

9.LACKOFVARIETYINEXERCISESIncorporatingavarietyofexercisesinyourworkoutisimportantfor

developingawell-roundedphysique.Understandingwhichmusclesareengagedduringspecificexercisescanallowyourworkoutstobecomemoreefficient.Forexample,yourlegsaremadeupofdifferentmusclegroups,sochoosinganexercisetotargeteachareaisbeneficialforoverallmuscledevelopment.

10.NOTWARMINGUPBeforestartingaworkoutandgivingitallyou’vegot,it’simportantto

properlyprepareyourbodytoefficientlymanagetheimpactoftraining.Warmingupallowsthebodytograduallyadjusttohighlevelsofphysicalactivity,whichreducestheriskofinjuryandimprovestrainingperformance.

TRAININGMENTALITYFocus.Thisisthemaindifferencebetweentrainingandjustworkingout.

“Workingout”consistsofsimplydoingexerciseswithoutaspecificgoalinmind.“Training”demandsthatyouexercisewithgreaterprinciplesthatnotonlymakeyouphysicallystronger,butalsomentallytougheraswell.Yourmentalityisthedecidingfactorthatsetsyouapartfromyourintentionstotrainortojustsimplyworkout.Anindividualwhotrainspushesthroughtheeverysetanddoesnotgiveupjustbecausetheyfeeltheburn.Thepainoffightingthroughasetisonlytemporary,yetwillleaveyouphysicallyandmentallystronger.Yourcharacteristicsareareflectionofyourmentality,sostayingdedicatedtoyourworkoutcanstrengthenyourself-discipline.

Apersonwhowantstotraincomestothegymwithaplansotheydon’thavetoworryaboutwhattodooncetheygetthere.Youshouldplanthemusclegroups,exercises,sets,andreprangesyouwanttoworkonsoyouhavenothingelsetodobutfocusoncompletingtheworkout.Evenabadplanisbetterthanhavingnoplanatall.Onewhocomestotrainisn’tworriedaboutanyoneelseinthegym.Neverfeelembarrassedaboutotherpeoplewatchingasyoutrain.Ifthereisanyonethatshouldfeelashamed,itshouldbethepersonwatchingsincetheyshouldbetrainingaswell.Yourfocusshouldbeonperformingeachexerciseintheworkouttothebestofyourability.

Focusondoingbetterthanyourlastworkout.Theoutcomeofwhetheryou’reabletosuccessfullyincreasetheweightorrepsinyourworkoutdependsonyourstateofmind.Thebodyfollowswhatthemindthinks,somentallypushthroughyourworkoutsfortheresultofagreaterphysique.Insteadofhopingyourmusclesgrow,forceittogrowbypushingpastyourlimits.Thinkofeachworkoutasmakingyou1%strongerandthroughconsistenttrainingyourfitnessgoalisguaranteed.Yourtrainingmentalitycarriesoverintootheraspectsofyourlifesostrengtheningyourmindsetduringtrainingwillhelpimproveotherweakpoints.Mostpeopleonlyseethephysicalbenefitsoftrainingbutinordertoproducesignificantchangesinyourphysique,itstartswithyourmentality.

OPTIMALFITNESSTHEORY

"Lifeisn’taboutwaitingforthestormtopass,it’saboutlearninghowtodanceinthef**kingrain”~GregPlitt

COMMONFITNESSMISCONCEPTIONSTheworldoffitnessisfilledwithconvincingtheoriesthatclaimtohelp

youreachyourgoals.Somearebeneficialwhileotherscantakeyoudownaroadofunnecessaryeffortandmisleadingresults.Thissectiontacklesthemostpopularmisconceptionswhenusingnutritionandtrainingtoachieveyourdesiredphysique.

MISCONCEPTION#1:CARDIOTOLOSEWEIGHTYouoftenseepeoplerunningtonsofmilesonthetreadmillinhopesof

losingweight.Althoughcardioimprovesgeneralhealth,itisnotnecessaryinordertoburnfat.Cardioexercisessuchasrunning,biking,andtheellipticalmachinearealltoolstohelpaideweightloss,butthedecidingfactortowhetheryourweightchangesisyourbody’sbalanceofcalories.Cardiocanbeawasteoftimeifyourdietisn’tincheck.Forexample,anindividualcanrun10milesthatburns1,000calories,theneat1,500caloriesandresultingainingweight.Weightlossisbestexecutedbycontrollingyourdiet.Abananaisgenerally100calories,andittakesapproximately100caloriestorun1mile.Sowoulditbeeasiertorunamileorsimplynoteatabanana?Unlessyou’reamonkeyandfantasizeoverbananas,itwouldmostlikelybeeasiertoavoidrunningamile.Thisisaprimeexampleofbeingsmarteraboutreachingyourgoal,insteadofunnecessarilyoverworkingyourself.

Onceyourdietisincheck,youcanthenconsidercardiotoburnmorecalories.Whilecardiosupportsweightloss,doingtoomuchmayoftenpresentaflatappearanceinyourmuscles.Weighttrainingontheotherhanddevelopsyourmuscles,whichaddsmoredetailtoyourphysique.Useyourcaloriesfortheexercisesthatwilldevelopthekindofresultsyouwant.Althoughyoucanacquireagreatphysiquewithouttheuseofcardio,itisbeneficialundercertainconditions.Itcanbeachallengetoprovideyourbodywithenoughnutrientswhilefollowingalow-caloriediet.Therefore,cardioisusefulforburningadditionalcalories,whichcanallowyoutoavoidloweringtheamountofcaloriesyouconsumewhiletryingtolosefat.

MISCONCEPTION#2:TONINGInordertoacquirea“toned”lookthatmostpeopledesire,anindividual

musteitherlowertheirbodyfatorbuildmoremuscle.Bydoingboth,youcandefineyourphysiqueevenquicker.Youcanonlymakeyourmusclesbiggerorsmaller,andyoucanonlygainorlosefat.Fatcannotturnintomuscle,norcanmuscleturnintofat.Decreasingyourbodyfatpercentagerequiresyoutoburnmorecaloriesthanyouconsume.Inordertobuildmuscleyoumustchallengeyourmusclesenoughtogrowthroughtheuseofexercise.Somepeopleoftendesiretostaythesameweightwhileachievingatonedphysique.Sinceapoundofmuscleisdenserthanapoundoffat,itispossibletoacquireamoredefinedphysiquewhileweighingthesame.Musclestakealotlongertogrowthanittakestolosefat.Therefore,yourweightwillmostlikelydecreaseduetothelossoffatwhenachievingtheseresultsinashortperiodoftime.

“Theonlyplacesuccesscomesbeforeworkisinthedictionary”~VinceLombardi

MISCONCEPTION#3:TARGETINGFATLOSS

Someindividualsdesiretolosefatonlyintheirstomach,legs,orsomeotherpartoftheirbody.Targetingthereductionoffatinaspecificareaonyourbodyisnotpossible.Theareasinwhichyouloseandgainfatarealreadypredeterminedbyyourgenetics.Someareasoffatonyourbodywilltakelongertogoawaythanothers.Forexample,anindividualcanlosemostofthefatontheirarmswhileholdingalotoffataroundtheirstomach.Thelowerstomachiscommonlyoneofthemoredifficultareastolosefat.Inordertoburnfatinthatstubbornareayouwilljusthavetocontinuedieting.Eventuallythebodywilldecidetoburnfatinthestubbornareasonceitreachesalowerpercentageofbodyfat.Thereisnoworkoutorsubstancethatwillallowyoutoburnfatinonespecificareaofyourbody.

MISCONCEPTION#4:AB-TRAININGSomepeoplebelievethatinordertohaveamazingabs,youhavetotrain

themhardeveryday.Theabdominalmusclesneedtimetorecoverjustlikeothermusclesonyourbody,sotrainingthemeverydayisn’tnecessary.Absbestrespondtohighrepsandshortrestperiodsinbetweensets.Implementingadditionalweightinyourabtrainingwillhelptodevelopmoremass.Ensurethatyouchooseexercisesthatwilltargeteachsectionoftheabdominalsincludingtheupper,lower,andobliqueareas.Itisimportanttorememberthatyourbodyfatpercentagemustbelowenoughtoseeyourabs.Youcantrainyourabsenoughtogrow,butifyouhaveathicklayeroffatoverthemuscle,thentheywillnotbevisible.

MISCONCEPTION#5:EATINGJUNKFOODEatingjunkfooddoesn’thavetogetinthewayofachievingyourfitness

goal.Themoreyouknowabouthowyourbodyhandlesfood,isthelessguiltyouwillfeelaboutwhatyouconsume.Anythingyoueatordrinkwillbebrokendownintoacarbohydrate,fat,orprotein.Soevenifyoueatacheeseburger,butyouarestillwithinyourmacronutrientgoalsfortheday,thenyouwillnotinterrupttheprogressoflosingfatorbuildingmuscle.

WiththeIIFYM(IfItFitsYourMacros)methodoflosingweight,peopleoftengetconfusedintothinkingyoushouldeatasmuchjunkfoodyouwantas

longasitfitsintoyourmacronutrientgoals.Eventhoughdoingsocanallowyoutoachieveyourdesiredphysique,yourinternalhealthwillbeatrisk.Beforecommittingyourselftoacheeseburgerormilkshake,besurethatyouaregettingmostofyournutrientsfromwholefoodseachday.

MISCONCEPTION#6:ALCOHOLMostpeopleareafraidtodrinkalcoholicbeveragesinfearthatitwillruin

theprogresstowardstheirfitnessgoal.Itisfinetohavesomealcoholaslongasitisinmoderation.Alcoholhascalories(7caloriespergram),soknowingtheamountinthedrinkandhowmanycaloriesyouareallowedwillhelpyoustayonpaceforachievingyourfitnessgoal.Youcansubstitutethecaloriesfromdrinkingforaportionoffatorcarbsonthatday,yetbesureyou’regettingenoughhealthynutrientsfromfoodsincealcoholwillnotprovideany.Implementingcardioorextraphysicalactivityinyourschedulecanhelpburnadditionalcaloriestoallowroomforadrinkortwo.Itishelpfultoconsumelotsofwaterbeforehandtopreventdehydrationandexcessdrinking.Havinganoccasionalwineorbeerwillnotruinyourprogressaslongasyouareabletofititintoahealthydiet.

MISCONCEPTION#7:TOOMUCHSUGARItistruethatconsumingtoomuchsugarcanleadtolong-termhealthrisks

suchasdiabetes,organfailure,andseveraldiseases.Yetintermsoffatloss,eatinglargeamountsofsugarwillnotpreventyoufromlosingweightaslongastherequiredcaloriestoburnfataremetovertime.Allcarbohydratesareeventuallybrokendowntosugaroncedigestedinyourbody.Somefoodsourcessuchascomplexcarbstakelongertobreakdownwhileothersarealreadyinasimpleformsuchaspuresugar.Sinceyourbodyusescarbsasaprimarysourceoffuelduringphysicalactivity,themoreactiveyouareisthemorecarbsyouareallowed.Individualswhoburnlotsofcaloriescangetawaywithconsumingmoresugarsinceitisbeingutilizedinsteadofaccumulatinginthebody.

Sugarhasabadrapbecauseitiseasytoovereat.Justaseverythingelse,havingtoomuchofanythingcanbebadforyou.Consumingwholefoods,whicharemorenutritiousandfilling,willhelptoregulatetheoverallconsumptionofsugar.Intermsoflosingfat,substitutingsweetfoodssuchasrawhoneyoragavenectarforpuresugarisinsignificantsincetheystillcontainsimplecarbswhichbreakdowntosugarinyourbody.Sweetenerssuchas‘Equal’,‘Splenda’,orsteviawillhowevermakeadifferencesincetheycontainzerocalories.Understandinghowmanycarbsyouareallowedwillhelpyoutoknowhowmuchsugaryouareabletoconsumewhilepursuingyourfitnessgoal.

MISCONCEPTION#8:TOOMUCHSODIUMPrioritizingyoursaltintakehasaninsignificantroleinburningfator

buildingmuscle.Thisismoreofaprecautiontoyourgeneralhealthratheranecessitytobuildingagreatphysique.Regulatinglevelsofsodiumcanhelplowerbloodpressure,whiledecreasingtherisksofheartdiseaseandstroke.Whensodiumisinthebodyitbindstowaterandmaintainsthebalanceoffluids.Italsoworkstogetherwithpotassiumtohelpmaintainelectricalprocessesacrosscellmembranes,whichiscriticalfornervetransmission,muscularcontraction,andothervariousfunctions.Thebodycannotfunctionwithoutsodium,solimitingyourintakewithoutanyregardtohowmuchyouactuallyneed,canbeapotentialrisk.

Anincreaseinsodiumcausesthebodytoholdmorewater,whichisareasonwhyyourbodyweightfluctuatesthroughouttheday.Reducingsodiumintakehelpstolowerbodyweightbutismainlyduetothetemporarylossofwater.Itisimportanttokeepinmindthatinmostcasesthegoalisnottolosewaterbuttoburnfat.Thereareimportanttimestomonitorsodiumintakesuchaswhenpreparingforabodybuildingcompetitionorphotoshoot.Bodybuildersormodelsmaymanipulatetheirsaltintaketogivetheirphysiqueadry,skin-tightappealwhentheyarealreadyleanenoughtoseethedetailoftheirmuscles.

MISCONCEPTION#9:METABOLISMPeopleoftenusetheirmetabolismasanexcuseforwhytheyhaven’t

achievedtheirfitnessgoal.Othersclaimthateatingcertainfoodswillboosttheirmetabolismandcausethemtoloseweight.Asthetermmetabolismfindsitswayintomisleadingtheorieseachday,itisa“gray”areaformostpeopleandcanusesomeclarification.Metabolismissimplyhowmuchfoodyourbodycanprocessinaday.Itistheprocessbywhichyourbodyconvertswhatyoueatanddrinkintoenergythatyourbodycanuse.Thespeedofyourmetabolismorbasalmetabolicrate(BMR)determineshowmanycaloriesyourbodywillrequireinordertofunction.SeveralfactorsthatinfluenceyourBMRincludeyourbodysize,sex,andage.

Forthemostpart,yourbody'senergyrequirementtoprocessfoodstaysrelativelysteadyandisn'teasilychanged5.Thereforeitisinsignificanttorelyoncertainfoodstoboostyourmetabolisminordertoloseweight.Yourbodyisdesignedforyoutofulfilltheamountofcaloriesneededtosupportyourmetabolismbytellingyouthatyou’rehungrywhenyouneedmorecalories,andtostopeatingwhenyouhaveenoughcalories.Havinga“slow”metabolismsimplymeansyourbodyrequireslesscaloriesthantheaveragepersonwithyourbodyspecifications,whilehavinga“fast”metabolismallowsyoutoconsumemore.Ifyoufeelthatyouhaveaslowmetabolismandyouwanttoeatmorefoodwithoutgainingweight,thenyoucanincreaseyourbody’scaloricrequirementforthedaybyburningmorecaloriesthroughphysicalactivity.Whetheryouhaveasloworfastmetabolism,itisimportanttofigureouthowmanycaloriesyourbodyneedstosupportyourweightandplanyourfitnessgoalaroundthatamount.

MISCONCEPTION#10:“ICAN’TGAINWEIGHT”Thereareindividualswhooftenexperienceahardtimeputtingonweight.

Theyusuallymention“Ieatalotoffood,butIstaythesameweight”or“Itriedeatingmorefood,butitdoesn’twork”.Thesimplesolutionistoeatmore.Youmustbeinacaloricsurplusovertimeinordertogainweight,whichmeansyoumusteatordrinkmorecaloriesthantheamountyourbodyburnseachday.Yourbodyrequiresacertainamountofcaloriesjusttofunctionanditneedsmoreasyouincreasephysicalactivity.Youmustconsistentlyeathigherthanthisamountofcalorieseachdayoverthecourseofweeksormonthsinordertoseeasignificantdifferenceinyourphysique.Itistruethatsomepeoplehaveahardertimegainingweightthanothers,buttheseindividualsjusthavetofindtherightbalanceofcaloriesthatwillworkforthem.Thesamewayyourbodytellsyouthatyou’rehungrywhenyou’reinacaloriedeficitisthesamewayitwilltellyouyou’refullwheninasurplusofcalories.Whenmostpeoplearefulltheytendtoeatless,whichcancausethemtonotbeinacaloricsurplus.Thatiswhyitcanbechallengingforsomeindividualstoputonweightiftheydonotknowhowmanycaloriestheyareconsuming.Itisyourresponsibilitytoconsumetheamountofcaloriesrequiredforyoutogainweightwhetherornotyourbodytellsyouifyou’refull.Thoughitcanbeachallenge,knowingwhatfoodsarecalorie-densecanhelpyouconsumemorecalorieswithoutyoufeelingsofull.

MISCONCEPTION#11:6MEALSADAYYouoftenhearthateating5-6smallmealsthroughoutthedayboostsyour

metabolismcausingyoutoburnfat.Theideaofconsumingsmallermealsmorefrequentlyhasaninsignificanteffectonincreasingyourmetabolism.Themainfactorthatdeterminestheoutcomeoffatlossorgainingweightisthetotalcaloriesyouconsume.Ifyouhave6mealsadayconsistingof500calorieseach,thatisatotalof3,000calories.Ifyouhave3mealsadayconsistingof1,000calorieseach,thenyoureachthesametotalof3,000calories.Asshown,byeating3or6mealsinaday,youwillachievethesameresults.Dividingyourtotaldailycaloriesintomoremealsdoesnoteasilychangeyourmetabolicrate.Yourbodytakesdaysorweekstochangeitscomposition,soprioritizingtheamountofmealsinonedaymakesminimaldifferenceinburningfatorbuilding

muscle.Minorfactorssuchasmealtimingisalsoinsignificanttowardthedevelopmentofyourphysiqueifyoudonothaveyourdailytotalcaloriesalignedwithyourfitnessgoal.Anindividualshouldknowthetotalamountoffat,protein,andcarbstheyneedtoconsumebeforeworryingabouthowfrequenttheyshouldeat.Eatwheneveryoufeelhungryaslongasyoumeetyourmacronutrientgoalsattheendoftheday.

MISCONCEPTION#12:EATINGATNIGHTWhentryingtoburnfat,manypeopledreadthethoughtofeatingfoodat

night.Thoughyourbodyisasleepatnight,itstillusescaloriestofunctionandrepaircells.Youcanobservethatyouweighlesswhenyouwakeupcomparedtothenightbeforeduetoyourbody’suseofcalories.Aslongasyou’reinacaloricdeficitwhereyouburnmorecaloriesthantheamountyouconsume,youwillloseweightnomatterwhattimeofdayyouchoosetoeat.Therearedietssuchasintermittentfastingwhichprovesthatyoucanefficientlylosefatwhileconsumingthebulkofyourdailyfoodintakeatnightaslongastherequiredcaloriesaremet.Consumingmostofyourcarbsduringthedaycanbebeneficial

forhavingmoreenergy,butthisisapreferenceoftheindividualandwillhavenodirecteffectsonburningfatorbuildingmuscle.

MISCONCEPTION#13:EATINGFATMAKESYOUFATIfyouarenotconsumingmorecaloriesthanyourbodyneeds,theneating

ahighamountoffatwillnotcauseyoutogainfat.Themainfactorthatdetermineswhetheryougainweightisthebalanceofcaloriesgoingintoyourbodyandthecaloriesthatareburned.WiththeKetogenicdiet,youcanconsumeacombinationofahighfat,lowcarb,andhighproteinwhilestillburningfat.Ontheotherhand,itispossibleforanindividualtoconsumealowamountoffatwhileinacaloricsurplus,yetcausetheirbodytostoretheextracaloriesasfat.Onegramoffatisequalto9calorieswhileonegramofcarbohydratesorproteinequals4calories.Asyoucansee,fathasmorethandoublethecaloriespergramthantheothertwomacronutrients.Sowhenyouaretoldtolimityourfatintake,itisnotbecauseitisbadforyou,butbecausefatisverycalorie-dense.Thereisnosetamountoffatthatanindividualshouldconsume.Thekeyistomaintainabalanceoffatthatkeepsyouhealthywhileensuringprogresstowardyourfitnessgoal.

MISCONCEPTION#14:WORKINGOUTTOOMUCHOnceanindividualdiscoversthemanybenefitsoffitness,theyoften

becomeeagertoexercisemorefrequently.Withpropernutrition,exercise,andrecoveryyoucantrainasfrequentasyoudesire.Majorfactorssuchasworkoutintensity,volume,recovery,andamountofcalorieswillaffecthowoftenanindividualshouldtrain.Workingouttoomuchor“overtraining”istypicallywhenyourtrainingbeginstonegativelyaffectotheraspectsofyourhealth.Signsthatonemaybeovertrainingaredizziness,extremefatigue,troublewithvisionorreading,andotherunusualconditions.Thesesymptomsareoftenduetooverworkingyourcentralnervoussystem.Itisimportanttoknowwhentoallowyourselfacompletedayofrestinordertolimitthepossibilityofovertraining.Overall,trainasoftenasyoudesire,aslongyouprovideyourbodywithpropernutritionandrecoverytimetosupportyourworkoutregime.

MISCONCEPTION#15:CHANGINGEXERCISESSOMUSCLESDON’TADAPT

Youmayhaveheardthatyoumustfrequentlychangeyourexercisessoyourmusclesdon’tadapttoyourworkouts.Ironically,youwantyourmusclestoadapt!Asufficientamountofloadonthemusclehastobepresentedinordertochallengeittogrow.Overthecourseoftraining,themusclewilladapttotheloadthatitpreviouslyusedtostrugglewith.Thismuscleadaptationisthegrowthyouarelookingforandonceittakesplace,itdoesn’tmeanyouhavetochangeyourexercises,butratherincreasetheloadyouplaceonthemuscle.Thisprogressiveoverloadcanbealteredbytheamountofreps,sets,weight,orresttime.Byprogressivelychallengingthemuscle’scurrentconditionwithgreaterloads,itwillcontinuouslyadaptbygrowingovertime.Thoughyoudon’thavetocompletelychangealltheexercisesinyourroutine,switchingtheorderofexercisesissometimesenoughtopreventthemusclesfromadaptingtoaworkout.Bymakingsomesortofchangeinyourtrainingyoucanprogressivelystimulateyourmusclestogrow.

MISCONCEPTION#16:FEMALESGETTINGBULKYFROMWEIGHTSSomefemalesatthegymarescaredofweighttraininginfearthatitwill

makethemlookbulky.Womenlacktherightbalanceoftestosteroneandgrowthhormonestoputonmusclemassthewaymendo.Mostwomenoverlooktheamountofeffortittakestobuildtheslightestamountofmuscle.Thereareguyswhodoweighttrainingalmosteverydayandstruggletoputonanounceofmuscle,sofemalesshouldn’tbeafraidofbulkingupwiththegraspofadumbbell.Gettingbulkyfromweighttrainingrequiresyearsoftrainingandpropernutritiontosupportsuchgrowth.Bythetimeanysignsofmusclegrowthisevennoticeable,anindividualshouldknowhowtoaltertheirtrainingtosuithis/herdesiredphysique.Throughtheuseofdietandapropertrainingprogram,itispossibletoincorporateweighttrainingwithoutputtingonasignificantamountofmusclemass.

MISCONCEPTION#17:TOOMUCHPROTEINSomemayquestiontheamountofproteinyourbodycanabsorbina

specificamountoftime.Yourbodyprocessestheproteinyouconsumebasedonmanyfactors.Onevariablethatiscommonlyoverlookedistheothermacronutrientsconsumedbeforeandduringtheconsumptionofprotein.Theamountofcarbsandfatinthemealwillhaveaneffectonhowquicklyproteinisabsorbed.Thebodycantakeupto3daystocompletelyprocesscertainfoods,sotheideaofhowmuchproteinyoucanabsorbinasmalltimeframeisirrelevantifyouarenotcompletelyfasted.Largeamountsofproteinaremorecapableofbeingabsorbedandproperlyutilizedundercertainconditions.Forexample,moreproteinisneededinacaloriedeficittodecreasetheriskoflosingmuscle.Itisidealtohaveaminoacids(protein)flowinginyourbloodstreamthroughouttheday,soitcanbebeneficialtoconsumeproteinwitheachmeal.

Anindividual’sgeneticsandbodycompositionalsohasanimpactonhowmuchproteintheirbodyrequiresforoptimalgrowth.Thismeansalargemanwillnotbelimitedtothesameamountofproteinasasmallwoman.Themoremuscleyouhaveisthemoreproteinyourbodywillrequire.Ifyouhappentoconsumemoreproteinthanyourbodyneeds,thentheexcesswillbeconvertedtoglucoseandusedasenergythroughtheprocessofgluconeogenesis(wheninacaloriedeficitoratmaintenance).Anindividualisrecommendedtoconsumeamoderateamountofproteinduringacaloricsurplussinceexcessproteincanbestoredasfat.Overall,yourbodyisabletoefficientlyutilizemassamountsofproteinaslongasitfitsthemacronutrientrequirementthatsupportsyourfitnessgoal.

WEIGHINGYOURSELF

Yourbodyweightfluctuatesthroughouttheday,sothescalewilldisplaydifferentamountsdependingonthetimeyouchoosetoweighyourself.Otherfactorssuchashowmuchyoueatandphysicalactivitywillcausedifferencesinyourweightasthedaygoesby.Themostaccuratetimetocheckyourweightisfirstthinginthemorningafterurination.It’sbeneficialtoweighyourselfatleastonceaweekinordertoensureyouaremakingprogresstowardsyourgoal.Itisn'tnecessarytoweighyourselfeveryday,butdoingsowillhelpyougetabetterunderstandingofthechangesinweightbasedonyourbalanceofcalories.

LOSINGWEIGHTTOOFASTApersoncansimplyloseweightbyconsumingfewercaloriesthanthey

burn.Thismeansyoucandropseveralpoundsinafewdaysbyhardlyeatingandtonsofexercise.Thoughthisisasurewaytoloseweightrapidly,itmaynotnecessarilybethebestroutetotake.Onceyourbodyisinacaloriedeficitwhereyouburnmorecaloriesthanyouconsume,storedfatisusedasfueltocompensateforthebody’sneedforenergy.Butwhenthecaloriedeficitistoolarge,yourbodywillburnmorethanjustfatforfuel.Proteinisusedasthebody’snextsourceofenergy,whichcancauseadecreaseinmusclemass.Losingmusclemassusuallyaffectsstrengthandhinderstheappearanceofyourphysique.

Thegoaloflosingweightistoburnasmuchfataspossiblewhilemaintainingmusclemass.Withthatsaid,itisveryimportanttopaceyourweightlosswhentryingtoefficientlyburnfat.Ifyoudropyourcaloriestoomuchyouriskburningmuscleasfuel.Studieshaveshownthatlosingmorethan2poundsaweekputsyouathigherriskforlosingmuscle.Alongwiththeriskofmuscleloss,losingweighttoofasthasfurtherdisadvantagessuchaslowenergy,moodswings,metabolicdamage,andotherundesiredconditions.Thereforeitisrecommendedtolimityourweightlosstonomorethan2poundsperweek.Theslowerthepaceis,themoremuscleyouwillmaintain.

“Patienceisbitter,butitsfruitissweet”~Aristole

BODYADAPTATIONSThemoreyoulistentoyourbodyisthebetteryoucanunderstandhowit

respondstowhatyoudo.Yourbody’snumberonepriorityistokeepyoualive,andthereforehastheabilitytoadapttotheconditionsyouputitthrough.Thehumanbodyaimstomaintainhomeostasis,meaningitalwayswantstoremainbalanced.Asyourbodymayoftenresistchanges,itcanbechallengingtoadjustthecompositionofyourphysique.Anexampleofhomeostasisisdisplayedwhiletryingtoloseweight.Whenyouconsumefewercaloriesthanyourbodyneeds,itwilltellyouthatyou’rehungryinhopesthatyoueatmorefood.Ifthesesignalsgounanswered,thenthebodyusesstoredfatforthecaloriesitneeds.Byconsumingmorecaloriesthanyourbodyneeds,itrespondsbytellingyouthatyou’refull.Ignoringthesesignalstostopeatingwillcauseyourbodytostoretheextracaloriesasfat.Asyoucanseeyourbodyalwaysfindsawaytoadapttotheconditionsitgoesthrough.

Theoccurrenceofbodyadaptationsisalsoobservedintheamountofwateryouconsume.Insomecasesanindividualwilldrasticallyincreasetheirwaterintakeduringashortperiodoftimeandoftenendupmakingfrequenttripstothebathroom.Eventuallyyourbodylearnshowtoutilizethisamountofwaterinsteadofexcretingtheabundance.Therefore,itissometimesbesttograduallyintroducenewconditionstoyourbodyandallowittoadaptovertime.Thehumanbodyisasmartandcomplexsystem,sounderstandinghowthebodyrespondstowhatyoudo,canallowyoutobetterpursueyourfitnessgoal.

“Wecannotsolveourproblemswiththesamethinkingweusedwhenwecreatedthem”~AlbertEinstein

HOWCANIACHIEVEFASTERRESULTS?Onceyougetintothehabitofworkingout,youmaybeanxioustoseethe

resultsofthehardworkyou’veputin.Theinitialthoughtofachievingfasterresultsistotrainharder.Thoughthiswillhelptoacertaindegree,itisonlyafractionoftheformulatoreachingyourgoal.Whetheryouwanttoburnfatorbuildmuscle,itisalwaysbesttosetupanutritionplantoachieveyourgoal.Makingsurethatyourplanisaccuratelysetuptoreachyourgoalandactuallystickingtoiteachdayisthefastestwaytoseeresults.Somegoalswilltakeweeksormonthstoachieve,butbynotwastinganydaysofworkingtowardsyourgoalisthemostsignificantaspectofseeingprogress.Ifyougiveyournutritionhalfofyourattention,thenitcantaketwiceaslongtonoticetheresults.Someunbelievable90-daytransformationshavecomefrompeoplewhowerededicatedtodevotingeverydaytowardstheirgoal.Ifyoujustkindofwantit,insteadof90daysitmighttakeyou180daysorlonger,it’suptoyou.

Makingsureyourtrainingprogramissetuptoproducetheresultsyoudesirecanbeadecidingfactorintheprogressionofyourresults.Analyzeeverythingyou’redoingtoachieveyourgoalandfigureoutwhatareasyoucanimproveon.Mostpeoplearemorefocusedonthetrainingaspectoffitnessandhardlypayattentiontotheirnutrition.Themoredaysyoudedicatetowardsimprovingyourtrainingandstickingtoyournutritionplanisthefasteryourresultswillcome.

“Nevergiveuponadreamjustbecauseofthetimeitwilltaketoachieveit.Thetimewillpassanyway”~EarlNightingale

WHATISTHEBESTDIET?Withsomanydietsoutthere,itcanbeconfusingtoknowwhichone

worksthebest.PopularonesrangefromPaleo,Atkins,Vegan,Fruitarian,Ketogenic,gluten-freeandothermainstreamdiets.Sowhichoneisthebest?Thebestdietistheonethatyoucanconsistentlysticktothemost.Allofthesedietshaveonegoalincommon,whichisamethodofburningfat.Variousdietsincorporaterestrictionssuchasemphasizinglowcarbs,highfat,wholefoods,fruitsandotherregulatedguidelines.Whicheverdietyouchoose,it’simportanttorememberthatthebasicruleofageneraldietistobeinacaloriedeficitsothatyoucanburnfat.Mostpeopletrydifferentdietsandrestrictallkindsoffoodbutneverconsistentlystayincaloriedeficit,whichdefeatsthepurposeofbeingonadiet.

Trackingyourmacrosisawayofknowingexactlyhowmuchyouareputtingintoyourbody,leavingoutanyroomforguessingifyou’reinacaloriedeficitornot.Knowingyourmacroscanhelpyousticktowhicheverdietyouchoose.Onedietforexamplemayrequireyoutostayawayfrombread.Thismayworkforthesimplefactthatifyouatealotofbreadbeforeandsuddenlystopped,thenyou’veloweredyourcalories,whichcancauseyoutobeinacaloriedeficit.Itwasn’tthateatingbreadwasstoppingyoufromlosingweight,butbecauseyouroverallcaloriesweren’tlowenough.Eliminatingcertainfoodsfromyourdietcanhelpyoudropcaloriestoloseweight,oryoucankeeptrackofyourcaloriesandenjoyallkindsoffoodwithinmoderation.Youshouldn’thavetobeboredwithwhatyoueatsomakesureyourdietismadeupofthefoodsyouenjoy.Byfollowingasustainablediet,youaremorelikelytomaintainhealthyhabitsafteryou’veachievedyourgoal.

REFEEDSVS.CHEATDAYWhendietingforsometime,peopleoftendeveloptheurgetobingeon

foodstheywishtheycouldhavemoreof.Cheatdayssometimesleadtoeatingmorethanyou’resupposedto,whichcandelayprogresstowardsyourgoal.Refeedsarecommonlyknownasacontrolledcheatday.Havingarefeedtendstoreducetheurgetobingeandrelievethestressoflong-termdieting.Duringarefeed,anindividualconsumestheirmaintenancelevelofcalories(ormore),whichcanallowthemtoeatmorefoodwithoutgainingfat.Itistypicaltoseeanincreaseinweightafterarefeed,butitshouldreturnbacktonormal1-2daysaftercontinuingtodiet.Thestrategyofarefeedistoincreaseyourconsumptionofcarbsforthedaywhilekeepingyourfatandproteinthesame.Itisbeneficialtohavearefeedwhenyouexperienceaconsistentdecreaseintrainingperformance,extremelowlevelsofenergy,orsimplyasarewardforbeingconsistentwithyourgoal.Incorporatingarefeedeveryweekortwoduringalong-termdietcanhelpavoidanyplateauswhiletryingtoburnfat.

ACHIEVINGYOURGOALWITHOUTTRACKINGCALORIES

Assimpleasanyonecanmaketrackingcaloriessound,therewillalwaysbeindividualswhostilldreadthethoughtoftrackingthefoodtheyeat.Itispossibletoachieveagreatphysiquewithoutknowingtheamountofcaloriesyouconsume,buttheresultscanbelessoptimalintermsoftime,accuracy,weight-control,stress,bodycomposition,andseveralotheraspects.Thoughthegoalofthissectionistoinformyouonhowtoavoidtrackingcalories,itwouldbeextremelyusefultokeeptrackofyourcaloriesormacronutrientsfor1-2dayssoyouhaveanideaofhowmuchyouconsumeonanormalday.Fromthispointon,youcanadjusttheamountyoueatanddrinkbasedonthatamount.Aplate-proportionrulecanbefollowedwherehalfofyourplateisfilledwithsomesortofleanprotein,aquarterfilledwithstarchycarbs,andthelastquarterconsistingofanytypeofvegetables.Wheneverbulkingorcutting,youshouldalwaysconsumeatleastyourbodyweightingramsofproteineachdaytoallowyourmusclestorecoverefficiently.

Themostimportantaspectofachievingyourgoalwithouttrackingcaloriesistocheckyourbodyweighteachweektomakesureyou’remakingprogress.Ifyounoticethatyourweightisnotmovinginthedirectionyouwantitto,thenyouwillhavetoadjusttheamountoffoodinyourmeals.Ifyouaretryingtoburnfat,thendecreasethecarbportionofyourmealsorlimittheamountoffatthatyouconsume.Afterafewdaysofstayingconsistentwithyournewportions,continuetocheckyourbodyweightthroughouttheweekforanysignsofprogression.Consumingmorevegetablesandlessstarchycarbscanhelploweryourcalories.It’sbeneficialtoonlydrinkbeveragesthatdonotcontaincaloriessuchaswater,coffee,tea,andotherzero-caloriedrinks.

Individualslookingtogainweightshouldmainlybeconcernedwithconsumingmorefoodthantheirmaintenancelevelofcalories.Eatingmorefoodthanyourbodyneedseachdaymaybechallengingforsomepeople.Overtimeyourbodywilltellyouthatyouarenothungry,butthekeyistokeepeatingsothatyouallowyourbodytogainweight.Ifyounoticethatyourweightisnotincreasingeachweek,thenaddmorestarchycarbstoyourmealsuntilyouseesomeprogression.Thedownsidetonotknowinghowmanycaloriesyouconsumeisthatyoumaygainmorefatthanmuscleifyouconsistentlyeattoo

much.Itisalsoimportanttorememberthatinorderfortheincreaseinbodyweighttocomefrommusclegrowth,somesortoftrainingmustbedone.Thoughachievingyourgoalwithoutknowingyourcaloricintakeislessthanoptimal,theseguidelineswillhelpdirectyoutowardyourgoal.

RESOURCESTOMAXIMIZEYOURFITNESSPOTENTIAL

Informationonimprovingyourfitnesslifestylefloodstheinterneteachday.Therearetonsofpeoplewhohavealreadyachievedtheirfitnessgoalandfrequentlysharetheirthoughtsandexperiencesforthepurposeofhelpingothers.Itisalwaysbeneficialtoseekadvicethatcansaveyoutimeandenergy.Googleisanexcellentresourcetofindinformationonanything,betteryetperfecttodiscovertipsonfitness.Youtubeisoneofthebesttoolstolearnaboutexercises,properform,exampleworkouts,recipes,andmanyotheraspectsthatcanhelpimproveyourfitnessexperience.Writedownanyquestionsyouhaveaboutanythingyoudon’tfullyunderstandandsimplysearchitnexttimeyou’reatyourcomputer.Itisusefultoseekinformationfrommultipleresourcestomakesuretheadviceyouencounterislegit.Instagramisalsoagreatresourceforimagesofgreatphysiquesthatcanhelpinspireandmotivateyoutosticktoyourgoals.Usetheinternettoyouradvantageandtaketheinitiativetofindanswerstothethingsyoudon’tknow.FeelfreetoclickonthefollowinglinkstorecommendedYoutubechannelsandwebsitesthathavehelpedmealongmyfitnessjourney.

PumpChasers-OutspokenYoutuberwithgreatadviceonworkoutsandmeals.Shareshishonestopiniononvariousfitnesstopicsthatissuretoentertain.

SimplyShredded.com-Highqualitycontentontraining,nutritionandpersonalinterviewswiththetopfitnessathletesintheworldofaesthetics.

ScottHermanFitness-Offersdetailedadviceonhowtoperformexercisescorrectlyalongwithfootageofexampleworkouts.

ChristianGuzmanFitness-AmbitiousYoutuberwithhisowngymandfitnessapparelbrand“Alphalete”,whomvlogshisdailyworkouts,meals,andbusinessventures.

NikkiBlackketter-IntriguingYoutuberwhovlogsherdailyworkouts,meals,andlifeasafitnessenthusiast.

BrandonCarter-Uploadsdailyvideosofquickandsimpleworkoutstodoathomewithatonofmotivationalcontentforself-developmentMichaelKory

Fitness-Uploadsquickandeasyhealthyrecipesalongwithfrequentworkoutfootage.

Athlean-X-Analyzesthescienceinbuildinganathleticphysique.Critiquesindividualexercisesandoffersalternativemethodsoftraining.

RobRiches-Professionalbodybuilderwhogivesprofessionaladviceandtipsonhowtostructureyournutritionandtraining.

TheOnlineCoach-Uploadsdailyvideosofhislifeasadedicatedgym-owneralongwithworkoutsandpersonaladviceonfitness.

TwinMuscleWorkout-Twinbrotherswhosharetheirentertainingopinionsonvariousaspectsoffitness.

Bodybuilding.com-Themostpopularwebsiteforinformationonanythinginrelationtobuildingmuscleorburningfat.

UlissesWorld-Professionalbodybuilderwithgreatadviceandtipsontraining.

FitMediaChannel-QualityYoutubechannelwithaninsidelookataestheticbodybuildinganditspopularathletesandmodels.

HELPFULTIPS

CUTTINGDrinkingcoffeecanhelpsuppressyourappetiteDon’tstartyourdiettoolate.Allowafewweeksforyourbodytomakechanges.SpicyseasoningsareshowntohelpyoueatlessDon’tkeepfoodsinthehousethatcanstrayyouawayfromyourdietKeeptrackofyourbodyweightasmuchaspossibleChewingsweetgumcanhelpfightsweetcravingsAddingfreshlemonjuiceinyourwatercanhelpyoudrinkmoreTrytostaybusy.Thiswilltakeyourfocusoffoffood.EatmorevegetablestohelpyoustayfullonlowercaloriesLimittheamountoftimesyoueatoutFityourfavoritefoodintoyourmacrosonceaweekConsumeproteinduringthedaytoavoidgoingoveryourcarbintake.Drinkacupofwaterbeforestartingeachmeal

BULKINGEatcalorie-densefoodsStayhydrated.Withincreasedtraining,morewaterisneededFocusoneatingmorecarbsConsumeenoughvegetables.Carryasnackwhenyou’reonthegoLimitcardioFocusontraininglaggingmusclegroupsCheckyourbodyweighteachweektoensureprogressFrequentlyincreasethework-loadofyourtrainingtoensuremusclegrowth

TRAININGAlwayshaveagameplanbeforestartingyourworkoutShortrestperiodscutdownontotaltrainingtimeMakeyourworkoutapriority,notanoption

LearntheproperformbeforetryinganexerciseMinimizetheuseofmomentumSaveintensecardioforafterweight-liftingoraseparatedayAlwaystrytodobetterthanyoudidlastworkoutHaveamusicplaylisttohelpyoustayfocusedRecordtheamountofsets,repsandweightforeachexercisetoensureprogress.

SUMMARYWithmanyaspectsoffitness,therearealwaysimprovementsthatcanbe

madetoyournutritionandtraining.Thefundamentalsandbenefitsofnutritionhaveshowntobeapplicabletoanydailylifestyle.Hopefullyitisnowunderstoodthatthereisnosuchthingasacleanordirtyfood,butbetterviewedasahealthyorunhealthydietthatwilldirecttheprogressionofyourgoal.Makingadecisiontocut,bulk,ormaintainweightisthebasicfoundationforcontrollingthecompositionofyourbody.Thesecaloricstatesdeterminewhetheryouburnfat,buildmuscle,orsimplyremainthesameweight.

Thebodyisextremelysmartandwilladapttoanywaythatallowsittofunctionefficiently.Byunderstandingthescienceofyourbody,youcanmakesmarterdecisionstosupporttheprogressofyourfitnessgoal.Yourworkoutswillbecomemoreefficientandeffectivebyfollowingtheessentialtrainingmethodsandtipsprovided.Inabasicsense,musclesgrowwithsufficienttraining,propernutrition,andenoughrecovery.Itisacyclethathastobeconsistentlyrepeatedinordertoseesignificantresults,makingrestandhydrationakeyroleinachievingyourfitnessgoal.

Thesimpletruthofhowtoburnfatwhileavoidingthedownfallsofcommondietingwillbenefitanyonelookingtotonetheirphysique.Withmanynutritionallifestyles,anydietyouchoosetofollowshouldincludethefoodsyouenjoyeating.Itisessentialtocoordinateyournutritionwithyourgoalswhileallowingconsistencytodetermineyourresults.Thinkofyourbodyasachecklistofdailyrequirementswhichincludespecificamountsofmacronutrients,micronutrients,water,andexercise.Themoreyouareabletoconsistentlyfulfillalltherequirementsonyourlisteachday,isthefasteryourresultswillcome.Understandingtherelationshipbetweenwhatyouconsumeandyourbody’sdailyallowance,servesyoumorecontrol,flexibility,andconfidencewhilepursuingyourfitnessgoal.Thisguideservesasthebasicsciencebehindoptimalnutritionandtrainingthatwillultimatelyleadyoutoyourbestphysique.

KEEPINGITREAL(PARTINGMESSAGE)Therearemanypeoplewhowanttoacquiretheirbestphysique,butonlya

fewarewillingtoputintheworkthatisrequired.Youcanreadthisbookathousandtimesandstudyeverytopiconfitness,butuntilyoutakeactionyouwillneverobtaintheresultsyoudesire.Manypeopleworkhardtowardtheirfitnessgoalsyearafteryear,butstillhaven’tmadetheprogresstheyexpected.Eventhoughit’sgoodtoworkhard,itismoreimportanttoworksmart.Thisbookservesasaninformativeguidewithasincerepurposeofhelpingyoumakethedifference.

Imagineyourgoalphysiqueandaskyourself,whatisstoppingyoufromachievingit.Aretheexcusesyoucomeupwithreallyworthyounothavingit?Maybeyoujustdon’twantitbadenough,andthat’sokay.Thereissomeoneinthisworldthathasfivetimesasmanyexcusesasyou,yetstillchoosestodowhatittakestogoaftertheirfitnessgoal.ThinkofthoseinfomercialsyouseeonTVwithpeoplewholosetonsofweightin90daysandendupwithatoned,muscularphysique.Youmayoftenthinkthoseadvertisementsarefakeandeveniftheyaren’t,itwouldtakewaylongerthan90daystoachievethosekindsofresults.Mostofthetime,thesecommercialsarelegit.Ifyoupresentthesame90-dayweightlossprogramtoanaverageperson,theymayfollowitonedayandslackoffanotherday.Soinsteadof90daysitwouldtakethatperson180daystoreachtheirgoal.Theonlydifferenceisthatthepeopleintheinfomercialswantedtoachievetheirgoalsobad,theydidnotwasteanydaysofworkingtowardsit.Theyusedtheirmotivationanddrivetoputintheworknecessarytoacquiretheirphysique.Asclichéasitmaysound,thisisatrueexampleoftheworkyouputinistheworkyougetout.

Therearepeoplewhoworkoutallthetimeinordertobettertheirphysique,yetmakelittletonoprogresstowardtheirgoal.Thisismostlikelybecausetheirnutritiondoesn’tsupportthegoaltheyaretryingtoachieve.Thinkabouttryingtogrowaplant.Youhavetoplaceaseedinsomesoil,exposeittothesun,addaspecificamountofwaterandwaitforittogrow.Imagineyourbodyastheseed,exerciseasthesun,andcaloriesasthewateryouneedtoachieveyourgoal.Someindividualsprovidetheirbodywithenoughexercise(sun),yetdrenchtheirbodywithtoomuchortoolittlecalories(water)whichcausestheirbody(seed)tonotdevelopintothephysiquetheywant.Youareinalwaysincontrolofwhathappenstoyourbodybythechoicesyoumake.Ifyou

wantquickerresults,exercisewithintensityandbemoreaccuratewithyournutritiononaconsistentbasis.Assimpleasitsounds,theaveragepersonstrugglestogetitdonebecausetheirexcuseseventuallyoutweightheirmotivationforachievingtheirowngoal.Defineyourselfasbeingbetterthanaverage,andgobeyondwhattheaveragepersondoes.

Topursueandaccomplishagoalgivesyoutheconfidencetodoanythingyousayyouwill.Throughfitness,youareabletopushyourselftobecomeabetterindividualwhiledirectlyobtainingtherewardforyourconsistencyandhardwork.Achievingyourfitnessgoalisachallenge,whichiswhyyoudon’tseeeveryonewalkingaroundwithperfectbodies.Withoutchallengesanindividualwillnevergrow,soavoidbeingtoocomfortablewhereyouare.Thehumanbodywantstostayidleanddoesnotwanttochangeunlessyouforceitto.Yourmindcontrolsyourbody,sohavingtherightmindsetwillallowyoutogetthroughanychallengesyouface.Whenitcomestopursinganypersonalgoals,theonlythingstoppingyoufromachievingitisyourself.

“Knowingisnotenough;wemustapply.Willingisnotenough;wemustdo”~JonathonWolfgangvonGoethe

ONLINEFITNESSCOACHINGItcanbechallengingtomakethatfirststeptowardsachievingyourfitness

goal.Youmayhavethemotivationtopursueyourgoalbutmaynotknowwheretostartormayknowwheretostartbutlackthemotivationtogetyouthrough.Whateverthereasonis,havingacoachtoassistyouthrougheveryaspectofachievingthephysiqueandhealthylifestyleyouwantisalwaysagreatoptiontoconsider.Withtheguidanceofyourpersonalnutritionand/ortraining,itminimizesanyguessingoutoftheprocessandensuresthatyouareefficientlypursuingthephysiqueyouwant.Allyoudoisfollowaplanandstaymotivated.Hereareafewdetailedwaysthathavingacoachisbeneficialtowardsreachingyourfitnessgoal:

GOALS—Whetheryouwanttolosefat,buildmuscle,ordoboth,aplanwillbetailoredtowardsyourspecificgoal.Macrosand/ormealplanisassignedbasedontheindividual’sbodytypeandlevelofphysicalactivity.

MOTIVATION—Whilepursuinganygoalhavingthemotivationanddrivetocarryyouthroughisimportant.Gettingboredorofftrackisleastlikelytohappenwithacoachwhokeepsyoumotivatedandfocusedthroughouttheprogram.

LIFESTYLE&SCHEDULE—Everyonehasuniqueeatinghabitsandindividualschedulesthatcanconflictwiththeirgoal.Insteadofadjustingyourlifestyletoyourdiet,yourdietwillbestructuredaroundyourlifestyleandwhatismostconvenientforyoutofollow.Nomatterwhattraditionalfoodsyouliketoeat,acoachcanchooseproportionsthatwillkeepyoumovingtowardsyourgoal.

OPTIMALMACROS—Withcustomizedmacrosyoumaximizetheamountofcaloriesyouareabletoconsumewhilestayingonpacetoachieveyourfitnessgoal.

ACCOUNTABILITY—Checkinginwithacoachtodiscussyourprogressandhowyoufeelthroughouttheweekwillhelpyoustaydisciplinedtowardsyourgoal.Ifthereareany“slip-ups”duringyourdietacoachwillhelpyougetbackontrack.

PERSONALADVICE—Sincereopinionsonfoodortrainingisgiventohelpclearupanyconfusion.Coachescansharepersonalexperiencesandofferfoodalternativestomaintainprogression.

TIMING—Havingacoachensuresthatyoumeetyourgoalwithinreasonabledeadlineswhichcanincludeweddings,vacations,oranyspecificdates.Insteadofguessingandhopingyourdietworks,acoachwillhelpyouachieveyourgoalwithoutwastinganytime.

ENLIGHTENMENT—Inadditiontoyourfitnessplan,youarealsoeducatedaboutyourpersonalnutritionalongtheway.Thiscanhelpyouavoidgoingbacktooldhabitsafterachievingyourgoal.Havingacoachwillhelpyoutotransitionintoahealthylifestylethatyoucanmaintainandenjoy.

CONTACTINFOWebsite:kgfitphysique.com

Email:Kamerongeorge922@gmail.comInstagram:@KG_FitPhysique

“Nothingwillwork,unlessyoudo”~MayaAngelouTHANKYOUforreadingmybook!ReviewsareGOLDtoauthorsandhelpothersdiscoverthisbook.Iwillgreatlyappreciateitifyouwouldconsiderclickingthis

linktoleaveareviewonAmazon!

GLOSSARYCalorie-aunitmeasureofenergyCaloricDeficit-thestateofburningmorecaloriesthanyouconsume;acutCaloricSurplus-thestateofconsumingmorecaloriesthanyouburn;abulkCaloricMaintenance-thestateofconsumingthesameamountofcaloriesasyouburnCarb-thebody’smainsourceofenergyCNS-centralnervoussystem;consistsofthebrainandspinalcordFat-thebody’ssecondarysourceofenergy;controlshormonesandhelpstransportcellsMacronutrient-carb,fat,andprotein;largenutrientsthatcontaincaloriesMetabolism-theprocessofyourbodyconvertingwhatyouconsumeintouseableenergyMicronutrient-vitaminsandminerals;tinynutrientsthataidefunctionsinthebodyMineral-naturaloccurringinorganicsolidthathelpsyourbodydevelopandstayhealthyLeanMass-anythinginyourbodythatisn’tfat;bones,muscle,organs,skin,bloodOptimal-thebestormostfavorable;mostefficientProtein-supportsgrowth,maintenance,andrepairoftissueinthebodyincludingmuscleVitamin-anorganiccompoundthatisessentialforcellfunction,growth,anddevelopmentRefeed-methodofconsumingmorecaloriesforaperiodoftimeduringalong-termdietSodium-amineralusedtocontrolbloodpressureandvolume;aidesthefunctionofmusclesandnervesSugar-asimplecarbohydrate;differentformsincludeglucose,fructose,andsucroseVolume-repsxweightsxsets;representationoftotalworkdoneinaworkout

BIBLIOGRAPHY1Learningaboutcalories.Availablefrom:<http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/calorie.html>.[December2014].

2Leyva,John,CSCS,CPT,Wheyprotein:benefits,risks,&toppicks.Availablefrom:<http://www.builtlean.com/2012/03/16/whey-protein>.[10June2013].

3Haas,Ryan,Whendomusclesgrowafterworkingout.Availablefrom:<http://www.livestrong.com/article/406021-when-do-muscles-grow-after-working-out-with-weights>.[13March2014].

4Jay,Alistofthebestweighttrainingexercisesforeachmusclegroup.Availablefrom:<http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/list-of-exercises-for-each-muscle-group/>.[14January2015].

5MayoClinicStaff,Metabolismandweightloss:Howyouburncalories.Availablefrom:<http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508>.[19September2014].