Friday, March 21, 2008

The Top 10 Rules . . .

The Top 10 Rules for Loosing Fat and Gaining Muscle
By Michael W. (Mick) Stewart BST CFT (ISSA)

1. The best time to burn bodyfat is in the early morning on an empty stomach. You can work out with weights or do cardio - either way you will burn more bodyfat than at any other time of day.

2. Stop eating carbohydrates (grains, breads, pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.) by 6pm. Do not eat carbs after 6pm!

3. Stop eating all together by 7pm. That means *no* food or snacks after 7pm. Your body will be forced to eat its stored bodyfat for energy. When you wake up in the morning, you will be *starving* - use that early morning time to walk, do cardio or weight lift to burn even more bodyfat.

4. You must eat 4-6 small meals a day to maintain a healthy immune system and metabolic response. Eating 1-2 large (or small meals) does nothing but destroy your body's ability to fight infection (colds, etc.) and burn bodyfat. You are, essentially, starving your body of nutrients and enrgy if you do this. Plan your meals out; cook everything on Sunday; store them in plastic containers in the fridge and nuke (microwave) each meal when your hungry.

5. You must ingest a substantial amount of protein to build muscle - period. For every pound of bodyweight, eat one gram of protein, i.e., if you weight 150lbs, you will need to eat 150gr of protein per day. If not, then eat at least 75% of your bodyweight in protein. However, there is a catch here: if you stop working out while continuing to eat large amounts of protein, that protein you ingest will turn into bodyfat. You must workout while taking in substantial amounts of protein!

6. You must lift weights to gain lean muscle - period. There is no other way around this. You can either join a gym and learn the hard way or hire a personal trainer to teach you the proper technique of weightlifting and cardiovascular exercise. But you must lift weights. Which means = you must sweat!

7. You must do cardio at least 2-3 a week to burn excess calories. This means walking, fastwalking, running, sprints or plyometrics .

8. You must drink at least 5-6 glasses of purified water per day to clean the system, maintain healthy excretion and clean your colon.

9. You must either cut down or stop excess drinking - period. Alcohol is a good thing - dont go overboard.

10. You must stick with it. If you have "give-up-itis" when it comes to sweating, your not gonna make it. The woods are filled with the usual people who simply will not put the time, effort, money, energy and blood, sweat and tears into changing their body, instead opting for the magic pill (Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, etc.) Realize one thing: Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem work - but most people will not even stick with that ... they want an easy way out. There is no easy way out. You must sweat. You must suffer in order to get the body you want.
Good luck.
Regards,
Mike

eat healthy * lift heavy
(c) copyright. 2001-2008.
mike stewart fitness.com

L.A. Muscle: More Ideas on Getting Ripped for Summer . . .

L.A. Muscle: More Ideas on Getting Ripped for Summer
By Ross Edgley (British Water Polo Team)


So firstly training…cardio of any kind is superb for getting cut and impressing the ladies, or men. But knowing the correct intensity, duration and time of your work out is key to getting rid of that barrel belly and getting a stomach you can be proud of.


So here are my Tricks of the Trade:
TIP-30-40 minutes cardio as soon as you wake up (whether this is 9 o'clock in the morning or 1 o'clock in the afternoon). Do not eat anything before and only have water to get hydrated. Then don't eat anything until an hour after finishing. WHY? The glycogen levels in your muscles are depleted and your insulin levels in your blood are at their lowest after 7 hours of sleeping and not eating. This means your body will use the fat on your body as a source of energy. Also afterwards your basal metabolic rate and enzymic activity is elevated so you're still burning calories. RESULT- A lean, mean and more cut you that will want to go to the beach party in the union in his Speedos.


TIP - The intensity should be between 30% and 60% max heart rate. WHY- Since this is perfect for oxidising and mobilising triglycerides. Also at this intensity you will only burn fat; if the intensity is greater you begin to use protein which means you will end up with a body like a Kenya marathon runner (little body fat and little muscle mass.) RESULT - A ripped, and still muscular you, that doesn't belong at uni but on the set of Baywatch.


Weight training is not only amazing for building muscle but it has been shown to burn more calories than cardio, so what are you waiting for…. get the sweat band, grab a water bottle and go pump some iron … but wait first I must tell educate you with some of my Tricks of the trade: TIP- Aim to lift between 75% of your one repetition max (a weight you can lift approximately 4-6 times) WHY - This is the optimal weight for building muscle, burning calories AND amazingly increasing your basal metabolic rate. Your metabolism remains elevated for up to 36 hours after you have weight trained, this is unlike cardio whose ability to burn calories only lasts for the duration of the exercise. RESULT - Your shirts may become a little stretched but your body fat will be so low your stomach will look like an arranged basket of French rolls. There are many other weight training methods for getting ripped but it will be completely dependant upon your somatotype (body type) metabolism, age, gender and other factors. If you want more specific advice I will be more than happy to help you (contact details at end of article)


Next we have got to strengthen your football teams defence, your diet. I know this is going to be hard, the cheap drinks, the Turkish kebab house around the corner, the two for one pizza offers BUT I will give you some guidelines that, until now, was only known by myself, Hercules and David Hasselhoff here are my Tricks of the trade: TIP - Avoid saturated fats, hydrogenated oils and refined white carbohydrates and sugars but eat Essential fatty acids (fat burning agents.) WHY- The bad fats will all store as fat on the body and cover up those lovely abs you have just built. The good fats support the body's metabolism and aid in the burning of fat on the body. RESULT - EMPTY fridge because you have got rid of the white bread, cream, chocolate, crisps, butter and sugar. FULL inbox on your phone from all the girls wanting a piece of you. TIP- No carbohydrates after 6pm, nothing to eat after 7-8pm and have your larger meals during the morning WHY- your body's metabolism slows down when your asleep so any access calories or carbohydrates that are still in your stomach at night will be stored as fat when you sleep. RESULT - You no longer have a tab at Pizza hut but you walk around topless at every opportunity.


TIP- Eat between 1-2 grams of protein per kg of your body weight a day. WHY- Protein requires more energy to digest therefore it burns more calories once eaten. It also makes you feel full for longer and if that's not enough it will also help you build muscle (Note: no more than 20g-30 of protein in one sitting as the body can't absorb this much and it will turn to fat and toxins in the body, having the right amount is key.) RESULT - You will have more fish in your freezer than Captain Birds eye and more chicken than the KFC colonel himself but you will build muscle and keep your body fat low. TIP - Drink a lot of water WHY- It will give you nice skin, support your metabolism, suppress your appetite, burn more calories, support brain function and you won't get as fatigued as easily. RESULT - You will become very well acquainted with the toilet but you will have skin as blemish free as a baby's bottom, you'll get a 1st in your degree (not guaranteed) and you'll want to wear vests in the winter.


TIP - Eat 7 small meals throughout the day; keep the total calories the same but change the frequency of eating WHY - This will ensure your blood sugar levels remain consistent (stop your cravings) and your body will be able to digest the food and burn the calories more efficiently. RESULT - You may have to smuggle chicken salads and tuna sandwiches into your lectures but your energy levels will increase and those abs you bid farewell to at the start of freshers week will begin to make a come back. TIP - Eat a lot of fresh fruit and veg WHY- They contain enzymes that support the body's metabolism and bodily functions RESULT - The local green grocer becomes your new best friend and you tell Menshealth magazine you won't do a calendar for them because you're going to be on the cover of the British University Boys one instead.

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Ross Edgley is a member of the British Olympic Water Polo Team, former football (soccer) player and a model with O’Crème Management Ltd, part of Ross’ Sports and Modelling Management Company in London.

Taken from L.A. Muscle - Getting Ripped located online at:
http://www.lamuscle.com/docs/magazine/article/getting-ripped

eat healthy * lift heavy
(c) Copyright. 2001-2008.
mike stewart fitness.com