All About Carbohydrate and Calorie Cycling & A Few Abs Articles To Boot

In researching different nutrition and diet approaches I collect a lot of articles on paper and links to online articles. I thought I’d share a few on carbohydrate and calorie cycling for anyone interested in the hows and whys to this dietary approach. I also included articles on eating for abs as it is Summer time and we all want great abs, right?

Carb Cycling – What You Need To Know

What I am about to present is not a new paradigm, or revolutionary approach to diet. Nor is it the end-all, be-all to dieting; there are many viable approaches.

This diet is, on the other hand, an easy (relatively speaking) approach to diet that is physiologically and psychologically rewarding. Moreover, it is rather malleable and also forgiving, yet effective. For these reasons, I am astounded that it has not caught on to a greater extent (in some form or another), and played a bigger role in the dieting revolution.

This is the first installment of a multi-part article. Here, we will briefly discuss my background (as it relates to this diet), its genesis (in the form I present), the basic tenets of the diet, as well as the basic diet structure. We will also discuss, briefly, its psychological benefits, as well as its physiological strengths and underpinnings.

Psychology and physiology, as you will see (and as Par Deus has propounded) are inextricably intertwined, in the world of diet and food. Or, "food and mood," as Par is so fond of saying. Read more.

The Carb Cycling Codex - Gain muscle and lose fat optimally! by Christian Thibaudeau

Life is funny sometimes. Over the course of my T-Nation career I went from a fat but strong guy to a lean and muscular one, despite having the worst "fat loss genetics" in the world. In the past, I made most of my transformations via a low-carb dietary approach, and as a result I became somewhat carb-phobic and truly believed that ingesting carbs would turn me into a fat slob.

What's humorous is that, as a strength coach, I have access to the top sports nutritionists in the world. I've read everything by everyone. Drs. Berardi and Lowery's work weren't able to convince me of reintroducing carbs to my diet. Even the work of bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto (who uses relatively high carbs even during the pre-contest period) didn't help. When it came to carbs, I lost all rational thought capacity!

But as of now, carbs are back in my own diet and the diets of my athletes and bodybuilders. What happened? A 135 pound girl made me change my outlook on building muscle and losing fat. She succeeded where all the best experts failed! Read more.


Carbohydrate Cycling

Carbohydrate cycling is a 6 day program that will allow your body to burn bodyfat while still retaining muscle mass. It's a technique that is described in detail in the book SLICED by Bill Reynolds and Negrita Jayde, however I will summarize it here.
Over the last 10 years I've competed, I've used this technique each time and without fail I've been able to achieve exceptional definition while retaining the muscle mass that I gained during my bulking phase.

If you're using this program takes time to cut down for a bodybuilding competition, remember to give yourself enough time to get the results you want. Depending on your bodyfat percentage you may need 12-24 weeks to get to competition quality definition.
Read more.

ZigZag Dieting: if you can keep your body guessing and your appetite in check, you’ll continue to lose lard. This special six step carb cycling plan will do just that for you, sparing your muscle while burning your fat in just six weeks.

If you've been on a diet before, you're all too aware of the standard outcome: You cut back on your food and you lose weight ... at least initially. But then your progress slows to a crawl, before stopping altogether. At this point, no matter how strict you are with your calories, no matter how much you work out, the pudge won't budge.

What gives? Your body's natural instinct to preserve itself at all costs kicks in. Sensing a calorie deficit, your body shifts into starvation mode, shutting down all fat burning as it hoards calorie stores.

Even if you're successful at losing a few pounds, your body often reacts by adjusting your energy expenditure in order to revert to your previous weight, known as your "setpoint." A 1995 study out of the Laboratory of Human Behavior and Metabolism at Rockefeller University in New York measured both obese and non-obese people who either increased or decreased their body weight 10 percent to 20 percent. In both cases, metabolism shifted--at a lower weight, the subjects began burning less energy throughout the day, while at a higher weight they burned more, an effort by their bodies to return to that setpoint.

These metabolic shifts, meant to preserve you in times of starvation, were great in prehistoric days, when men didn't know when or from where their next mastodon steak was coming and paid no mind to crafting a six-pack. But if you covet beach-worthy muscle, these annoying physiologic mechanisms will quash your efforts every time--unless you learn to make them work for you. That's where calorie cycling comes into play. Read more.

Take burning fat to a whole new level - Part 1 Researched and Composed by Jacob Wilson

Note: this writer uses the word “lose” in place of “loose” so keep that in mind.. Otherwise his material is well presented and accurate. I’ve seen diet bloggers make the same error. The meanings are similar.

Loose – adjective
1. free or released from fastening or attachment: a loose end.
2. free from anything that binds or restrains; unfettered: loose cats prowling around in alleyways at night.

Lose - verb, lost, los·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to come to be without (something in one's possession or care), through accident, theft, etc., so that there is little or no prospect of recovery: I'm sure I've merely misplaced my hat, not lost it.
2. to fail inadvertently to retain (something) in such a way that it cannot be immediately recovered: I just lost a dime under this sofa.
3. to suffer the deprivation of: to lose one's job; to lose one's life.
4. to be bereaved of by death: to lose a sister.

Control, complete mastery over your own body. How do you achieve such a state? Do you listen to your body? Are you in tune with it? You must be if you ever hope to achieve this position of dominance. That is what this article is about. It is the first of several diets I will discuss that are based on literally manipulating your body, its functions and the rate at which it burns fat.

Insulin

This is an extremely vast subject. So vast in fact that I am going to cover it in greater detail in future issues of the magazine. I will only discuss a small portion of its properties in this paragraph.

Insulin is a hormone, produced in our pancreas, that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats in our body. You need to understand that it has a very high upside and also a very low downside!

Its upside is that it literally shuttles vital nutrients such as carbs, creatine and amino acids right smack into our muscles. The more nutrients your muscles receive, the more anabolic a response you will get from resistance training. Insulin also suppresses the hormone known as cortisol, which is responsible for muscle wasting. It literally steals protein from them! It suppresses this and in turn helps to put us back into a state of anabolism. When it comes to having muscle building properties this hormone is a Giant!

In fact I would rate the anabolic effects of insulin as second only to testosterone! And there are many experts who have dubbed it number one in this category.

Unfortunately it has an extremely low downside! Insulin is also responsible for increased uptake of nutrients in our fat cells. This means we are highly likely to store fat when a huge burst of this hormone is released. To put it bluntly, burning fat is impossible in the presence of a huge burst of insulin.

How can we control insulin levels and benefit from them at the same time? Read more.

Cycling Calories - How Does It Work? By John Davenport

One of the main reasons why 95% of diets fail is that your metabolism slows down during the diet until it burns less and less fat. That is also why people lose a lot of weight when they start dieting but see their weight loss rate slow down with time. What happens is that your metabolism doesn't know your dieting, it thinks your starving. And so it slows down so your burn less calories. It's a biological process which exists in all the animals in nature and in us humans as well.

Cycling calories is a weight loss method which attempts to 'trick' our metabolism into thinking that we're not dieting. That way the metabolism doesn't slow down and we continue to lose weight at a rapid pace. Read more.

Calorie Cycling - And Why It Works By Rachel Jenkins

Thanks to the weight loss industry, many people think that weight loss is a complex, overwhelming process.

It's not their fault - companies have spent millions of dollars trying to confuse dieters, so that they helplessly spend their money, hand-over-fist, in order to find the latest and greatest "cure".

But people who are able to get "out of the box" and learn about simple and proven weight loss methods tend to have the huge advantage. This is because once they realize that food and the patterns in which they eat is more powerful than any kind of weight loss pill or surgery... they have complete mastery over their body.
Once these people have a grasp of how to eat, they never again have to worry about gaining weight back or becoming fat ever again.

Because it's very, very easy!

All people have to do in order to lose weight is to shift their calories. That's it!
With typical low-calorie or low-carbohydrate diets, people eventually end up plateauing. Their bodies adjust to the diet, and weight loss halts. Read more.


Uncovering The Truth About Abs by Anthony Lee

Excerpt: Well-defined abdominal muscles, whether achieved through pure dedication, superior genetics, or both, are as coveted as they are elusive. The following are approaches that I've tried through trial and error to reveal the elusive six-pack. Try them out!

Carbohydrates & Cutting:

There is much controversy and disagreement about the role of carbohydrates in a "cutting" diet, which is meant to decrease body fat and increase muscle definition.
Opponents of low-carbohydrate consumption cite inadequate energy, decreased mental focus, and ambiguous long-term effects as reasons to avoid reducing carbohydrates.
Proponents of low-carbohydrate diets cite numerous real-life cases to bolster their arguments. I am a firm believer in cycling carbohydrates, which involves varying intake each day in order to stimulate metabolism while supplying adequate levels of energy. Read more.


How I Got “Ripped” Abs For The Very First Time by Tom Venuto

Excerpt: Oh, I had muscle. I started gaining muscle from the moment I picked up a barbell. I got strong too. I was benching 315 at age 18. But even after four years of successful strength training, I still hadn’t figured out this getting ripped thing. Muscle isn’t very attractive if it’s covered up with a layer of fat. That’s where the phrase “bulky” really comes from – fat on top of muscle. It can look worse than just fat.

That’s when I started to figure it out. If you’re expecting me to say that running is the secret, no, that’s NOT it per se. I was thinking bigger picture. In fact, I noticed that my legs had lost some muscle size, so I knew that over-doing the runs would be counter productive, ultimately, and I don’t run that much anymore these days. But that’s how I did it the first time and I had never experienced fat loss like that before. The fat was falling off and I had barely changed my diet.

My “aha moment” was when I realized the pivotal piece in the puzzle was calories. It wasn’t the type of exercise, it wasn’t the specific foods and it wasn’t supplements. Today I realize that it’s the calorie deficit that matters the most, not whether you eat less or burn more per se, but in my case creating a large deficit by burning the calories was the absolute key for me. Read more.

Why You Want To Preserve And Build Muscle

Muscles Atrophy Due To Inactivity















I'm reposting this article because it always amazes and shocks me how many dieters and non-dieters never exercise and particularly never resistance train. Their attitude is like "I don't need to do that." Well, actually "yes, you do need to do that." And not for weight loss or weight maintenance alone.

Everyone should be doing some type of resistance training. You maintain your teeth by brushing and flossing, you take care of your hair and skin by washing, conditioning and moisturizing. You fuel your body with food and water. And most of you pay a lot of attention to your fat cells, how many you have, and how to shrink them. Why is it okay to ignore your muscles? They need maintenance and care too.

















Many people view their muscles as inert things that take care of themselves. The masses never give much thought to their muscle mass. They ignore taking care to protect it, take it for granted, and expect it to remain intact and the same for life. This isn’t the case, especially if you’re sedentary.

Here are a few great reasons for preserving and building muscle with resistance or weight training:

1. Muscle is your engine. Muscle burns fat, about 50 calories a day per pound of muscle. A pound of fat burns about 3 calories a day.

2. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn.

3. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. You can weigh more while taking up less space and wearing smaller sizes. Muscle is sleek and attractive.

4. Muscle makes you strong, functionally fit, increases your endurance, and improves physical performance in all areas of life, not just athletics.

5. Studies show fat (although not a big calorie burning engine) is metabolically active. Fat makes good and bad hormones and chemicals that affect health. The more fat you have on your body, the more nasty chemicals you’ll produce while the more muscle you have the more calories you’ll burn.

It is a fact of life that you will lose muscle mass starting around 30 years old and averaging 5 pounds of loss per decade without resistance training to counteract this phenomenon. So what, you may say, I’m not an athlete and I have a desk job. That mere 5 pounds a decade of muscle loss means you’ll burn approximately 250 calories less per day. By the time you turn 60 that adds up to 750 calories you are no longer burning. If you’re still eating the same as always your body and lifestyle will be a recipe for obesity.

The version of this article at my blog Kudos For Balanced Fitness and Lifestyle includes links to topics related to muscle, its functions, the perils of muscle loss, and the benefits maintaining and building muscle. If you’re interested in why you should strive to preserve and build muscle mass you can start to educate yourself with those information and links.


How Muscles Work by Craig C. Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Muscles are one of those things that most of us take completely for granted, but they are incredibly important for two key reasons…

Your muscle, your Metabolism

”…research suggests three months of weight training can lead to a 3-to 7-percent increase in resting metabolic rate, which translates roughly to an extra 100 calories burned per day. The exact number depends on the size of the person.”

Weight Training 101 Weight Training 101 From Paige Waehner

Getting Started

If you want to lose fat or change your body, one of the most important things you can do is lift weights. Diet and cardio are equally important, but when it comes to changing how your body looks, weight training wins hands down. If you've hesitated to start a strength training program, it may motivate you to know that lifting weights can:

• Help raise your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn all day long.
• Strengthen bones, especially important for women
• Make you stronger and increase muscular endurance
• Help you avoid injuries
• Increase your confidence and self-esteem
• Improve coordination and balance

Why You Should Weight Train http://www.muscleprogram.com/whyyoushouldweighttrain/
I am continually shocked by the fact by the fact that so few people incorporate weight training into their exercise regimen. The best that I've been able to determine, this is because of a very common misunderstanding regarding the benefits of weight training. I say this because, if you ask someone why they don't weight train, they tend to tell you that they don't want to be a bodybuilder and/or they don't want get "big and bulky."

Now, the reality of the situation is that weight training is extremely beneficial for everyone, regardless of their ambitions in health or life. Also, consistent weight training doesn't have to develop "big and bulky" muscles. The reasons that everyone should weight train are the same reasons why everyone should exercise…

Muscle Explained

Animals (including humans) use muscles to convert the chemical energy of ATP into mechanical work. Three different kinds of muscles are found in vertebrate animals ...

Muscle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muscle (from Latin musculus "little mouse" [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. It is classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscle[2], and its function is to produce force and cause motion, either locomotion or movement within internal organs. Much of muscle contraction occurs without conscious thought and is necessary for survival, like the contraction of the heart, or peristalsis (which pushes food through the digestive system). Voluntary muscle contraction is used to move the body, and can be finely controlled, like movements of the eye, or gross movements like the quadriceps muscle of the thigh. There are two broad types of voluntary muscle fibers, slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers contract for long periods of time but with little force while fast twitch fibers contract quickly and powerfully but fatigue very rapidly.

Muscle Metabolism: Aerobic vs. Anaerobic by Thomas Griner,DC

Four different types of muscle fibers will be discussed here. However, only the aerobic slow-twitch fiber and the anaerobic fast-twitch fiber are found in human skeletal muscle. For the purpose of gaining additional insight provided by comparative study, the cardiac muscle fiber and aerobic fast-twitch fiber will also be discussed.

Top 5 Reasons ALL Women Should Weight Train

http://realwomensfitness.com/top-10s/top-5-reasons-all-women-should-weight-train/
Weight training is often viewed as a man’s arena. My local gym is almost divided down the middle - women in the cardio room and men in the weights room. Here are the Top 5 reasons why women should weight train on a regular basis.

Why Women NEED To Weight Train

For many years, aerobic exercise was considered the optimal method for women attempting to lose weight. Using equipment such as stair climbers, treadmills, stationary bikes, etc. was thought to be the "ideal" way to lose weight.
Although aerobic exercise provides many benefits and is excellent for your heart and lungs, too much of it could hinder your efforts at losing body fat. Unfortunately, many women do not understand the true value of adding a weight resistance routine to their aerobic exercise program.

There are many popular myths on why women have turned away from using weights. Probably the most popular one is: "If I lift weights I will bulk up and look like a body builder." This is far from the truth, as women do not have enough of the hormone called testosterone. Testosterone is dominant in males and is responsible for muscle growth. Therefore, because of hormone levels and women's genetic makeup, it is very difficult for women to "bulk up." In addition, women would have to train for hours on end and eat a very specific diet in order to look like a "bodybuilder."

One of the reasons weight training will help women decrease their body fat and lose inches is because increasing the amount of muscle tissue raises metabolism. Muscle tissue is much more metabolically active than fat tissue; it burns 25% more calories than fat tissue. Men typically have an easier time than women losing fat because they ten to have more muscle overall.

My Improvements In Body Composition

It seems I've managed to build some muscle mass.

And lose a modicum of body fat. Woo! Hoo!

My stats in January 2008 were as such:

Scale weight: 115 pounds

Body Fat: 23 percent (24 pounds of body fat and 91 pounds of lean mass)

This morning's stats:

Scale weight: 120 pounds (this has held steady for about a week now)

Body Fat: 20.9 percent (23 pounds of body fat and 97 pounds of lean mass)

That's a gain of 6 pounds of lean mass! Some may be glycogen and fluids but I'm betting a good percentage is solid muscle tissue. I also lost roughly 1 pound of body fat. Not a lot but I'll take it. (Measurements by an Omron bio-impedance meter I've used for about a decade so it's fairly accurate).

My bust, waist, hip, and thigh measurements have gone down about an inch or so each since January.

I had about 4 weeks in the middle of those 4 months when I did very little in the workout department due to a bout with the flu and a sinus infection. But the rest of the time I hit the weights and I hit them hard. And I've worked at eating as much protein as I could stand and getting at least 9 hours a night of quality sleep (this is when your body builds muscle).

For about six weeks my scale weight bounced around between 115 and 119, not a big fluxuation but not steady. For about two weeks now it's been 118 to 120. And now a solid week of 120 and I'm not pre-menstrual. It seems to be real mass.

I've noticed in the last several weeks that my muscles are harder (I'm not presently taking creatine as I cycle it). And they are visably bigger! Yesterday I was leaning on my left arm looking at my kittens when a momma cat came up beside me. I looked down and caught a glimpse of my flexed tricep and went, "Holy." I'm getting nice definition and triceps have long been a weak spot for me. But man, they're shaping up.

I did some research on how much muscle mass you can gain in that period of time. Of course, you get different answers from different sources. One guy swears he can't build more than 5 pounds of muscle mass in a YEAR so there's no way anyone can. (If this were true few of us would ever achieve enough muscle mass or definition to keep us motivated to keep going. We'd give up due to diminishing results).

Another swears with a well designed weight training program, a careful diet, proper rest, and stress management "know that beginner and intermediate trainers who train hard and train intelligently towards mass gain can and often do receive gains of 20 or 30 pounds over a 10-12 week period."

Common sense says we're all going to build mass at different rates depending on genetics, differences in the sexes due to hormone profiles, program design, workout intensity, diet, stress, and sleep habits. And frankly, the first guy probably doesn't train seriously, eat optimally, nor have a genetic propensity to build mass.

Luckily, I seem to have dialed into a weight training program and diet (cycling carbs and calories via The Cheat To Lose Diet) that are working for me (the body fat isn't exactly falling off, but at 20 percent body fat and a 6 pound gain in lean mass I won't whine too much). And though I'm short at 5 feet and 0.5 inches, I got my Dad's genetics. He was solid and stocky at 5' 10" and had a lot of muscle. (He never weight trained. He came by it through farm work in his youth and later being a furniture moving trucker).

Now pardon me, I have a chest and back workout to blast out before tonight - it's pizza night. Yeah!

Happy Training!

Links

Ten Quick Tips For Building Muscle

Building Muscle Mass

Excerpt:

"There is a lot of bad information out there on the subject building muscle and how to stay fit. We're being told over and over again about how difficult it is for women to gain some muscle mass due to our hormonal setup. Male trainers convince the majority of female trainers to go for the high reps method, thus burning fat and get "toned". Does that lead you to any results? Well, maybe, if you're totally new to training! Otherwise this will get you nowhere, but it will absolutely bore you out until you drop…

I tell you, and I know I'm right, that anyone can reach their fitness goals. That's it. The only things you need is Discipline, motivation, patience and perseverance and remember, practice makes perfect even regarding having these characteristics. Here I will go through some major things you need to know so you're reach your goals."

Intensity - The Most Important Factor In Bodybuilding

Meet Your Hormones Part One - Insulin

How much do we really know about our hormones? Do we understand what they do and how we can work with them to our advantage? For most of us, we probably do not know much about hormones and particularly ones involved in digestion and metabolism. So I decided to do a little research and find out more. And why not share what I found? Here’s the first part of my mini course on hormones.

Meet Insulin

Insulin is a hormone made of protein (according to Endocrine Web most hormones are made of protein). Insulin is produced by our pancreas, a gland of the digestive and endocrine systems. The pancreas secrets pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes and produces important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin.

The insulin hormone influences blood glucose levels, and can cause our bodies to store fat, particularly if you eat refined carbohydrates regularly and cause constant insulin and blood sugar spikes throughout the day. By keeping your consumption of simple carbohydrates low, and eating more protein, fats, and complex carbohydrates, you can control insulin levels, as well as surges in blood sugar.

Insulin can be a ‘bad’ actor in some situations like shuttling excess carbohydrates from the bloodstream into fat cells. But it plays a vital role in other ways including supporting muscle preservation, repair, and synthesis.

Insulin signals amino acids and creatine to be stored in muscle cells. This promotes protein synthesis. Without this mechanism of anabolic support which does not involve fat storage, you cannot repair muscle damage (micro tearing caused by weight training) or build muscle mass. You want to actually cause insulin spikes and time these spikes at key times of the day in order to support muscle. One key time is first thing in the morning when you’re muscle glycogen is low, and just before and after a weight training work out.

In order to take advantage of the anabolic actions of insulin at these critical times, you should eat or drink a protein and carbohydrate meal with ratios of roughly 1.5 to 1. Consuming a protein and carbohydrate shake shuttles these nutrients into the bloodstream rapidly, taking advantage of your after workout window when muscle recovery and growth begin. The same nutrient timing influences muscle grow by replenishing your muscle glycogen stores in the morning. Research shows an overnight fast while sleeping creates an anabolic window and if you want to preserve and gain muscle mass you should take advantage of this window with a meal that triggers an insulin spike. All of your other meals should be high in protein and include slowly digested high fiber complex carbohydrates to prevent insulin spikes.

Insulin resistance and Type II Diabetes

Obesity affects the way insulin works. Excess fat can make your body resistant to the action of insulin. This leads to insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Weight reduction, exercise, and drug therapy can help treat and control both diseases.

Type I Diabetes

Type I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is caused by damage to or disease of the pancreas leaving it with the inability to produce adequate insulin. People with type I diabetes must inject insulin to survive.

Links

Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes

Definition of Insulin

The Glycemic Index, Insulin, and Bodybuilding

Why You Don’t Need To Go To The Gym To Get Fit – Part One

Bodybuilding Pro Lee Priest Uses a Home Gym


















I can hear the gasps from the peanut gallery. “I don’t need to go to the gym to get fit! That’s ridiculous!” “Of course you need a real commercial gym to get really fit!” “Home gym equipment is inferior.”

This is sheer nonsense as professionals like Cathy and Lee Priest workout in a home gym. Lee points out working out at home improves his concentration which is key to achieving results.

Comments from Cathy and Lee Priest on their GYM AT HOME:

"The home gym is great. Powertec, Pro Spot Gym Equipment. It is the best! The Pro Spot machine is great and every gym should have one. At home it's quiet and you can focus much better than at a gym. No egos walking around screaming and yelling. I like it because you can do everything you want, any exercise, and nobody is around to stare at you! We are very pleased with the PowerTec equipment because sometimes in the gym the machines are too big (Lee is 5'4") and I can't use it. I like to train with someone so I call some friends to come over and train with me. Our gym is a good size. We have 20 machines so it is enough for us. When I am by myself I train on the Pro Spot machine so I am sure I will be safe. Our gym was good for me... at my last show I was in my best shape ever and some of my muscle was better too. I really have good concentration at home.”

Lee Priest Video




And of course the assumption circling the universe that commercial gym workouts are superior to home gym workouts is partly because gyms want your money. A commercial gym is only better if you’re one of those unmotivated types who needs peer pressure of other gym goers or a Pit Bull of a personal trainer to make you perform at the necessary intensity. If you’re any kind of a trouper or self starter a commercial gym and a personal trainer are probably just a waste of time and money.

Of course if you enjoy the commercial gym experience, driving to the gym, waiting for your turn on equipment, enduring other people's sweat on the equipment, wasting time between sets and exercises, taking three times longer to finish a workout, dealing with distractions like chit chat, showering and dressing in a public locker room, possibly having your stuff stolen, driving back home, and wasting money then a commercial gym is right for you!

Unless you’re bloody rich or one of the rare individuals that haven’t been affected in some way by the recent economic downturns, higher gas, grocery, and services prices (our satellite and water bills have raised their flat rate prices), and God forbid the mortgage fiasco, be my guest and throw your excess cash at you personal trainer and gym.

Home Gyms Versus Commercial Gyms

On the other hand why not bear with me and maybe just maybe save some time and money and get fit at home. What are some of the benefits of working out at home beside saving time and money? Convenience is a big one as you can workout when it suits you or fits your schedule. Another reason is privacy – you can do it in the nude! You can try new things and not worry somebody’s watching. There's no waiting to use equipment and you can blast out intense training in less time. You can take your after workout shower at home – alone – in the comfort of your own bathroom – WITHOUT PRYING EYES. Of course, if you look like a fitness model with a big ego and appetite for gawkers that might be a drawback.

Depending on your fitness level you can start a home gym for under $500, under $100, or even under $50, and I’ll show you how. (Of course you can spend upwards of $50,000 if you’re planning to go pro. Why waste the money if you're not Lee Priest?) I’ll also point out what not to buy because, no, you can’t get six pack abs by twisting on a RED barstool alone. Some home equipment is ineffective while others are prohibitively expensive. You can build an effective and versatile home gym that will get you fit, and you can build it over time.

Add together the cost of a year of a gym membership (the average monthly cost of gym membership is $50, according to a study done by industry trade group International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub), personal training (the normal rates for personal training can be anywhere from about $35 to $60 per session) sessions, and gas or transportation costs, and any of those amounts listed above are a deal. But you may have to change the way you think about working out, what it takes to get fit, and how you get and stay motivated.

Terrell Owens Home Gym - Terrell Working Out With Bands



Next up in part two, I’ll give you three examples of a home gym and equipment that is affordable and versatile and fits the lifestyle of an average Joe or Jane. Then we’ll look at setting up a workout program based on your fitness level that includes resistance training and aerobics that lead to muscle building and fat loss. Later we’ll look at nutrition and diet, as well as avoiding plateaus, using techniques like muscle confusion, and muscle mass training and diet versus training and diet for fat loss.

Give Me The Gift of Muscle Part Two

Post Power 90X Workout & Post Shower Recovery Protein Shake






































The Happy Holidays, Give Me The Gift of Muscle, High Protein Moderate Fat Moderate Carbohydrate Muscle Building Diet and Weight Training Plan

I based this nutrition and fitness approach on years of reading, research, trial and error, correction, and finally results. Not just mine but the trials and results of many other amateur and professional athletes, fitness buffs, bodybuilders, and backyard workout warriors. Below (at the end of this entry) is a list of links to a few good bodybuilding, nutrition, and fitness sources if you wish to read more.

My ratios of macronutrients (protein-carbohydrate-fat) differ day to day but stay within a boundary of roughly 40 percent protein 30 percent carbohydrates 30 percent fat on intense workout days to 50-25-25 on off days. A 2000 calorie day would approximately look like this: 800 calories protein (200 grams), 600 calories carbohydrates (150 grams) 600 calories fat (150 grams).

This approach is not intended to lead to measurable weight loss as I’m aiming for muscle gain and these two approaches don’t always dovetail well with each other. They’re certainly achievable together – I did just that this Summer and Autumn with Power 90X - but this round is for muscle gain.

The reasoning behind moderate carbohydrates versus low carbohydrates is based on sound science (one such study is even discussed in Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories) and anecdotal evidence from the bodybuilding world. You can not achieve the OPTIMAL results on an intense weight training program without the quick fuel carbohydrates provide.

On some days, I cycle calories lower and eat a diet more moderate fats and carbohydrates meaning out of 1800 calories roughly 100 grams of carbs and 100 grams of fat a day to support hormones vital to anabolism while lowering calories. And the protein remains around 1000 calories because high protein is like, duh? We’re aiming for muscle building here and that’s what they’re made of.

As for Power 90X, Tony Horton says these aren’t your momma’s workouts. Right now, I’m limiting aerobics to the integrated cardio in Power 90X and walking. No Power 90X Doubles cardio-licious, ass busting, body fat kicking for 60-90 minutes in the afternoon after a demanding P 90X morning session like I did all summer. Muscle building resistance workouts are KING right now. I want muscle.

Here’s an actual (not sample) line up of my present plan of action with my goal being to gain as much muscle mass as possible in 12 weeks (maximum goal of 2.2 pounds gained).

Holiday Muscle Mass Gain Plan

Day One – Thanksgiving

6 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams Protein

9:00 :am – Meal Two: Homemade egg salad, 2 ounces ham, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

12 pm - Workout – P90X Shoulders & Arms

1:30 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates

4:30 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces ham, 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 12 ounces wine - 590 calories

9 pm – Meal Five: Repeat of 4 pm - 590 calories

Day Two – Friday 11/23

7 am – Meal One: Coffee, ham, eggs – Calories 235, 33 grams protein, 2 grams carbs

8 am – Shopping In Town (No Workout)

11 am – Meal Two – Subway Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich with water - 290 calories, 18 grams protein, 39 carbs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake 130 calories, 25 grams protein

5 pm – One bottle of wine sipped through the evening – calories below

9 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Three – Saturday 11/24

7:30 am – Meal One: Coffee ham and eggs, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

10:30 am – Meal Two: Protein shake, fruit 204 calories, 25 grams protein, 19 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Legs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake, fruit 224 calories, 25 grams protein, 24 grams carbs

6 pm – Meal Four: ½ bottle wine sipped over the evening

10 pm – Meal Five: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1/2 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Four – Sunday 11/25

8 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

2 pm - Workout – P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

3:45 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 250 calories, 25 grams protein, 37 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Five – Monday 11/26

7 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounces ham, 2 eggs, 1 whole wheat toast with SB Margarine -318
calories, 24 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – Power Half Hour Thighs & Buns (1 Hour Total)

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein recovery shake 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Six

Rest Day – approximately 1800 Calories, 150 grams protein, 150 grams carbs in four meals

Day Seven

7 am –Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams protein

10:am – Turkey sandwich 275 calories, 30 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Chest

3 pm – Protein recovery shake with fruit 220 calories, 30 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

6 pm – Beer, cheese & olives – 283 calories, 9 grams protein, 16 grams carb

9 pm – Pizza (ham & pineapple) & Beer – 590 calories 30 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Bodybuilding & Muscle Mass Links To Check Out

I'm Pissed Off by The Angry Trainer

In a society where we're led to believe that eating under 1000 calories per day will lead to the best weight loss, or where "working out" for only 20 minutes three times per week will result in a body resembling a fitness model's, or where Ben Affleck is considered to be a good actor, it's no wonder people aren't making the progress they'd hoped for. And that pisses me off.

Day in and day out, people start a diet or head to the gym on a mission to get a lean, strong, and healthy looking body. More often than not, their efforts are sabotaged by false information from mainstream magazines, books, television shows, infomercials, and "experts" in the fitness industry.

People are very eager to follow training/nutritional advice from the most obscure and random sources. As a result, many end up fatter, slower, weaker, and unfortunately, hurt. I'm not a know-it-all, but I have a fair idea of what works and what doesn't.

Carbohydrates & Bodybuilding

If you ask any bodybuilder to tell you about protein’s role in muscle building you’ll get an in-depth response about the way muscle builds, hypotrophy, anabolic rates and more! But what about if you asked the same bodybuilder about the role of carbohydrates and building muscle? I doubt you’d get a very lengthy response.

Carbohydrates are often overlooked when planning a muscle building diet. This is because a lot of people are not aware of the importance of carbohydrates and the role they play in muscle development. The truth is what type of carbohydrates you eat, when you eat them and how much you eat can have a great effect on the muscle building process.

Using Both Protein and Carbs

Dietitians and nutritionists too often look at the percentage of total energy intake for proteins and carbohydrates. It would be better to look at actual intake levels. Both protein and carbs are needed in high amounts in order to gain muscle for all the reasons discussed above.

The problem in giving general advice is that we are individuals and therefore our requirements for different nutrients vary. If you are trying to gain muscle at the same time as trying to lose body fat, your carbohydrate intake will need to be reduced. If you are a beginner bodybuilder who is very skinny, your protein intake will need to be high and you will need to consume high carb foods regularly to gain weight.


Anabolic Nutrition

Lots of times I will open my e-mails and find tons of questions from people who want to know what supplements work as good or nearly as good as steroids. If there was such a supplement, there is no way the FDA would approve it. There is something you can take though that is more anabolic than the strongest steroid. Most people call it food. Nothing packs on lean mass like a load of food


Carbohydrates Are Back

When you restrict carbohydrate intake, your body responds by converting proteins into sugar; too much = fat. That is sweet's revenge. Fight back: rules to consider the next time you think about leaving out carbs.

Flipping The Holiday Calorie Equation In Our Favor

Or Putting The Happy Back In Happy Holidays or Give Me The Gift of Muscle.
















The majority of dieters, weight watchers, and casual exercisers view the holidays and feasting that accompanies them as a minefield. Each get-together or party is a potential calorie-laden bomb to be feared, viewed with suspicion, and pussy footed around. If I had a penny for every stressed out dieter who resented the Holiday season I could buy out Gold's Gym.

This is wrong thinking on two points (not the part about buying Gold's Gym, I could happily live in one). For one creating stress over your diet or anything is a bad influence on the hormones necessary for fat burning and can actually make you fatter. And two it overlooks the opportunity to put those extra calories to work for us by fueling a ramped up workout schedule. (Which by the way is a great way to cope with the holiday stress you can’t avoid).

Am I saying we should abandon all dietary reason and fall face first into the pumpkin pie and gravy soaked potatoes? No, of course not! But relaxing and enjoying the opportunities to eat luscious foods that can aid in changing your body composition is a wonderful thing.

Making judicious food choices like portion controlling calorie disasters like pecan pie and switching the full fat gravy for a lower calorie version are still essential for mitigating damage to your waistline. I am saying an extra serving of lean protein like turkey or ham (many delicious low fat versions are available) and a few extra carbohydrates like potatoes and stuffing can actually be beneficial to a well planned and well executed workout schedule.

To make this work forget about fat loss until after New Years Day and aim for muscle gain. If you gain a few pounds of body fat along with muscle so what. You can burn it off later and the extra muscle gained will help with that. How much muscle you actually gain will depend on your sex, protein intake, adequate rest, stress avoidance, and how intense you make your resistance training workouts.

With six weeks until New Years Day how much muscle could one expect to gain in this short period of time? The opinion on that varies but one informed source states “…know that beginner and intermediate trainers who train hard and train intelligently towards mass gain can and often do receive gains of 20 or 30 pounds over a 10-12 week period.”

Okay, for a little female squirt like me at five foot even and 115.9 pounds, and with little natural testosterone, this may be an unreasonable goal. But my numbers on Power 90X for two 12 week rounds was 9 pounds of muscle gained. That’s 0.375 pounds of muscle a week or almost 4 ounces. This is a very acceptable goal to me especially since I can eat more now and not gain body fat. I WANT MORE MUSCLE! So over six weeks I could expect to gain 2.25 pounds of muscle. That means I can expect to burn roughly 100 calories more a day from adding that much muscle.

Just think if you’re bigger than me, and particularly male, you can beat that number. How much will depend on the factors listed above.

So I’m game. Bring on the turkey, the free weights, and a butt load of Power 90X workouts.

My starting stats: 115.9 pounds (fluctuates between 116 and 114 in a week), 24 pounds body fat, 20.9 percent body fat, and 92 pounds lean mass. Bust 33.5 - Waist 27.5 – Hips 35.8 – Thighs both 19 – Biceps 11.5.

I’ll report on my progress here including what I ate and my workouts.

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* Post: 5b64b6bb651f3f210870787a6cab5810

Link Up To A Faster Metabolism And Fitter Physique

Apparently I’m too busy, preoccupied with life, or too lazy to write a proper blog entry right now. My son had two short days of school this week due to parent-teacher conferences so I’ve had him home more. (He received straight A’s and has already passed all his 2nd grade targets. His teacher suggested he could skip a grade but seemed relieved when we preferred he stay with his class and peers). And I’ve maintained a full workout schedule this week.

Next week will be practically a repeat with Bruno off on Monday. And I plan a Power 90X boot camp. We expect to produce some new videos though. I’ll try to post a real entry soon.

Until then, here’s some cool links on metabolism, training, and nutrition to check out.

Happy Training! Carol


Dieting and Metabolism by Renee Cloe, ACE Certified Personal Trainer

“Low calorie dieting slows your metabolism, making it progressively more difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The failure rate of most diets is astronomical, yet people continue to try one after another, always hoping that each new scheme will provide the solution. If you’re a veteran of the diet wars, the one word answer to your dilemma may be muscle. Let’s take a look at why diets often fail and how strength training and a healthy appetite can rev up your metabolism.” Read more here.

SLOW METABOLISM PROBLEMS? How To Repair Metabolic Damage And Finally Get The Lean Body You've Always Wanted...

The Proven Science Of Increasing Your Metabolism From: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Do you seem to gain body fat quickly the minute you slack off on your diet or training?

Were you getting results at first, but then it seemed like your metabolism bonked?

Have you been dieting strictly and training hard but you recently hit a plateau and it seems like nothing is working anymore?

If so, then you may have caused metabolic damage. Your metabolism - the sum total of all the physiological, energy-expending processes that take place in your body - can slow down as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in past diet attempts. Once you have damaged your metabolism, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all.

The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time.

The big irony is that most of the diet programs that claim to help you get rid of excess weight, only end up making it harder for you in the long run because they use harsh metabolism-decreasing diets and not enough exercise (almost never any weight training).

It may take a little longer if you have really messed things up with severe starvation dieting in the past, especially if you've lost a lot of lean body mass, but it is never hopeless. Do NOT lose hope! Do NOT quit! Anyone can increase their metabolism with this approach.” Read more here.

Nutrition For Newbies Part Two by Christian Thibaudeau (I linked to part one previously).

“In part 1 of Nutrition for Newbies, Coach Thibs gave you the rundown on the big 3 macronutrients, along with some incredibly useful info on fatty acids, cortisol, and the basal metabolic rate (BMR). He also told you which foods to eat and which foods to avoid.

Now he's going to fill your belly and mind with 14 nutritional nuggets and give some concrete advice on how to accomplish almost any physique goal you might have.” Read more here.

Real Fast Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury

“This is a no bullshit fat loss article. There will be no motivational tips, no psychological analysis, no complicated nutritional plan, and no puny-ass exercises.

In fact, just one of the exercises in this plan is probably more demanding than your entire, out-dated fat loss training program. And that's a good thing.

Listen, your goal with each workout during any effective fat loss plan should be to rev up your metabolism and keep it revved up after you leave the gym. You need a tough workout to do that. Therefore, to lose fat and transform your body you must eradicate single-joint isolation exercises because they'll do nothing for fat loss. But there's more that you need to know. Let's break down fat loss into its five most important components.” Read more here.

Protein Wars. How Much is Enough and How Much is Too Much?

The Protein Prejudice
by John M Berardi

I was in the lab the other day, playing researcher, when an aggressive andself-assured undergraduate student burst in through an unlocked door.

"Excuse me. Is there anyone around that I can speak to about protein?"

Apparently, since the sign outside our door reads "University of Western Ontario, Exercise Nutrition Laboratory," it's clear to everyone that there's an exercise and nutrition help desk inside that's dedicated to dropping everything at a moment's notice to answer any and all questions.

"I guess that's me," I sheepishly replied, afraid of what was about to come. "What is it about protein that you want to know?"

"My question is this: Why do all the magazines say that athletes need more protein when it's clear that they don't."

Deepbreath…

Rather than debating my precocious friend, I just scratched out "T-mag.com" on a piece of scrap paper and sent him on his merry way. You see, I've long ago given up on the notion that I can somehow change the world's false dietary perceptions one person at a time. When placed in such a position, I try not to launch into a full-blown nutritional diatribe highlighting the fact that arrogance and ignorance should not be combined in the same meal. Or is that protein and carbs? I can never remember. Read more here.

PROTEIN: The Pros, Cons, and Confusion By NancyClark, MS, RD

Posted on NaturalStrength.com on September 8, 2007
THE ATHLETE'S KITCHEN - Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD September 2007

”Athletes who want to build muscles and recover well from workouts often feel confused by ads for protein supplements. They wonder how much and what kinds of protein they should consume—and if egg whites or chicken can do the job. The following information can help you optimize your protein intake—and your peace of mind.

Question: "I want to bulk up. I've started drinking three protein shakes per day between meals. Is this enough or too much?

Answer: To determine how many protein shakes you need, you should first determine how much protein your body actually can use. You need adequate protein to enhance muscle growth; excess protein is unlikely better.

Most exercise scientists agree 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a very generous protein allowance for athletes building muscle mass. (More likely, 0.5 to 0.75 gms protein per pound will do the job if you are eating plenty of calories—but let's be generous.) This means a novice 180-pound body builder gets more than enough protein with 180 grams of protein per day. He can easily consume that much with one quart of skim milk, two cans of tuna (i.e., two sandwiches at lunch), and one hefty (8 ounces) piece of chicken, beef or fish at dinner. Consuming protein shakes on top of this simply adds (expensive) calories. You could more wisely get the calories from carbs to fuel your workouts.” Read more here.


Harvard School of Public Health on Protein

Surprisingly little is known about protein and health. We know that (non-resistance training) adults need a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day to keep from slowly breaking down their own tissues. That's just over 7 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. Beyond that, there's relatively little solid information on the ideal amount of protein in the diet, a healthy target for calories contributed by protein, or the best kinds of protein.

Around the world, millions of people don't get enough protein. Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor. Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.

In the United States and other developed countries, getting the minimum daily requirement of protein is easy. Cereal with milk for breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and a piece of fish with a side of beans for dinner adds up to about 70 grams of protein, plenty for the average adult.

Can you get too much protein? Digesting it releases acids that the body usually neutralizes with calcium and other buffering agents in the blood. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in the so-called low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following a high-protein diet for a few weeks probably won't have much effect on bone strength. Doing it for a long time, though, could weaken bone. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, women who ate more than 95 grams of protein a day were 20 percent more likely to have broken a wrist over a 12-year period when compared to those who ate an average amount of protein (less than 68 grams a day).(1) Although more research is clearly needed to define the optimal amount of daily protein, these results suggest that long-term high-protein diets should be used with caution, if at all." Read more here.