Last Update: February 2018
Welcome! This post will take a significant amount of time to read. And may require you to take some notes to get the full benefit. But contrary to the original title, it is not just for fat loss, but also for fitness in general, and a complete transformation. Whether that means you want to lose fat or gain lean mass, this will work for you. You're probably here because you met or interacted with Brian in real life and learned that over 99% of Americans are unhealthy, and probably learned how to diet and exercise from someone who was also taught the wrong way. You should walk into this with an open mind. And know full well that most things that "personal trainers" say, even certified ones, is complete crap. Can a certified trainer help motivate you to an end goal? Absolutely. Should you take advice from them about lifestyle, integration, biomechanics, and nutrition? NO. If I were to tell a CPT that snorting whey protein worked better than drinking it, I might even be able to track the increase of sinus infections across the city. For the lazy, you can scroll all the way to the bottom of this extensive article to check and verify my credentials before moving forward.
Before we begin, I would like to clear the air regarding workout programs and diets. I think "fad" diets are designed to do nothing but thin your wallet. You can get all the food from Atkins/South Beach/Whatever Beach for a fraction of the cost and a little bit of prep and a much better quality from your own grocery store. There is another article here you can read that covers this part in detail. A disturbing trend has emerged in the recent months regarding workout "programs". The popular ones are P90X, Crossfit, and Insanity, just to name a few. The problem is not that they don't work, all workout programs WORK. Most of the time simply because it takes a normally sedentary person and makes them perform physical activity, which is fantastic. The problem is that it fools people into buying something they don't need, to workout in such a way that isn't sustainable, and often is the wrong program for their body type.
Crossfit is even worse in the sense that it promotes people to perform largely compound movements with horribly poor form and under fatigue. It is the best way to cause musculoskeletal injury before significant progress is even made. Even in it's young age, there has already been significant documentation to show that persons engaging in Crossfit are sustaining a great amount more injury than normal athletes, unnecessarily. Let's be clear, Crossfit is an excellent test of overall physical shape, but should never be used to get there. It took me four years of school above high school and another three years of training just to know what I know today. It takes two days and $1000 to become a "certified" Crossfit "trainer". Would you learn to drive from someone who learned to drive two days ago? Would you get surgery from a surgeon that learned human anatomy two days ago? So why would you learn to workout, make changes to your entire physical being, from someone who learned how to lift two days ago?
Here is an excerpt from WebMD regarding Crossfit:
"Be aware that the CrossFit coach may not have an appropriate
educational background in sports conditioning. Strength and conditioning
specialists spend years learning proper technique of explosive
exercises and some have degrees in exercise science, biomechanics, or
kinesiology.
CrossFit claims that the system is “empirically driven and clinically
tested” which insinuates that the methods are scientifically supported. A
review of the current scientific literature, however, shows no
published studies about CrossFit in top-rated peer-reviewed strength and
conditioning or exercise physiology research journals.
Not only are the exercises themselves risky, but performing them under
a fatigued state, such as during an intense circuit, increases the risk
of injury even further"
To quote a Dutch neurophysiologist Kenneth Jay:
"With an increased HR to VO2 relationship it will never be as good as
typical cardio exercises. It is simple physiology really. Increased
heart rate decreases the time available to fill the left ventricle of
the heart, which means that the left ventricle will contain and eject
less blood per contraction. This means that the 'stretching' of the
heart wall, which is necessary to increase your stroke volume and your
VO2, does not happen. It’s the Frank-Starling mechanism in full effect
and it’s basic cardiorespiratory physiology. Moral of the story:
stop thinking you can “get your cardio in” by lifting weights—no matter how fast you lift them!"
Additionally, a study from Hak (2013) shows a 310% increase in rates of injury for CrossShit versus traditional bodybuilding (Eberhardt, 2007). In a published study of Giordano (2014) in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine shows an independently studied rate of 19.4% of injury for all participants. In a self-reported study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows over 73.5% injury rate, many of which required corrective surgery as a result of Crossfit training. The bottom line is, stay away from this cult like following. Stay away from these undereducated people who spent 2 days learning how to "train" without adequate knowledge or experience. I can't emphasize enough, save your body in the long run, and stay away from that stupid shit.
And let's not forget what happened to Dr. Atkins of the Atkins Diet...he died.
So here we go:
You’re probably reading this because you want to make a change in your life. Since high school a large portion of people you’ve known have gained weight, had kids, both, or otherwise become lardasses. Maybe you’ve been trying to lose fat and its just not happening. Or you were told that you somehow have to lose muscle to lose fat, which is a complete lie. Well…keep reading! Let’s start by debunking a few myths.
Myth 1: Doing the hard work, burns the fat.
In reality, spending all day doing high intensity on the treadmill will do nothing but make you tired. Fat is a compressed energy source. It takes an extended low intensity exercise to coax it out. Imagine a fat kid with a pile of cupcakes. He’s greedy, just like your body. If you try and take it all at once, he’ll probably eat you instead. If you slowly take one cupcake at a time, he probably won’t notice until its all gone.
Doing cardio (heart rate 160+) is great if you’re training for a marathon. Not so great if you’re trying to lose body fat. I use the word “weight” loosely, the idea behind it is to lose BODY FAT, and minimal muscle.
This is a great place to stop and discuss the concept of "cardio". There are actually several different types of cardiovascular exercise, each designed to accomplish different tasks. Traditional cardio, which brings your heart rate about 160, which is around 80% of a younger human's MHR (Maximum Heart Rate) is designed to increase the body's total RBC (Red Blood Cell) volume, resulting in increased time to fatigue and significant progress in weight training. It also increases what is known as VO2M or VO2 Max, which put simply is the maximum oxygen exchange your body is capable of, or the overall efficiency of your body to absorb and utilize oxygen. Therefore, HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is designed to increase the overall EPOC, or Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption. This results in actual muscle tissue damage that is repaired by thermogenesis and is a great way to burn fat in a short amount of training duration. And lastly is LISS or Low Intensity Steady State, this can burn the same amount of fat over an extended period of time, often found on treadmills or bikes as the "fat burn zone", keeping the heart rate near or below 120 for an hour or more.
Myth 2: “I don’t want to build muscle, I just want to tone.”
Well, we’ve all heard this from one person or another. Take this time to correct them and laugh, or simply distract them and punch them in the face. The idea behind “toning” USED to be doing low weight high rep weights to “cut” a certain muscle. Human anatomy for the last few decades has told us that it is IMPOSSIBLE to “spot reduce” a muscle. The most common example being: Doing a ton of situps will give you a six pack. So when I say toning is a myth, this is exactly what I mean. It is often referred to in the professional industry as "the dreaded T word" because it leads mostly females who would have otherwise created excellent physiques into fooling themselves into lifting light weights for fear of becoming "huge".
Avoiding lifting heavy weights thinking it will make you massive is like avoiding driving thinking it will make you a NASCAR driver. The claim is absurd and unfounded.
It is important to incorporate different rep schemes into your workout, one week you may perform 5RM (five rep max) workouts. The next you may perform 20 rep workouts. Supersets, dropsets, double dropsets, bookends, pyramids...
Myth 3: Running on an empty stomach burns fat.
When you wake up in the morning, your insulin levels are at an all time low. Your body has been in a catabolic state for the last six hours or more. Once you wake up, the only energy source your body has remaining is to burn off all your hard earned muscle. EAT. Wait an hour or two. THEN do your running or morning gym session. Recent studies have shown that you may preserve muscle breakdown if you exercise before cardio by using BCAA supplementation and low intensity (below 65% MHR) cardio.
Lets break this one down too, since some people are confused. At all times your body is in one of two states. There is no middle ground. These two states are catabolic and anabolic. Which is why you hear of "anabolic steroids" or simply "roids". An anabolic state is a state in which a positive nitrogen balance exists in your body, energy is being expended in the form of carbohydrates instead of muscle tissue. In a catabolic state, your body is in "survival mode", burning your hard earned muscle tissue and storing excess energy in the form of fat. This is a basic survival mechanism that dates back a gazillion years. A good fitness professional will be in an anabolic state 20 hours in a day. Some even more dedicated will wake up in the middle of the night to have a protein shake or some extra carbs.
Myth 4: The girl who says she doesn’t do weight because she doesn’t want to look like Schwarzenegger.
The best way for a female to burn fat is using weights. Most girls don't touch weights because they're afraid they're going to look like Schwarzenegger. But in reality it takes a huge amount of testosterone to build muscle, which thankfully most girls have a significant shortage of. So using muscle will only cause energy to be used.
Myth 5: Take short breaks between sets.
This one is mostly for males. Here, like many things in life, consistency is the key. Regardless on what you decide, make sure you time it, and the time is consistent between sets. And when I say “build” I should say “rebuild”. It is impossible to create more muscle fibers. You are an adult with a steady amount of muscle fibers. What your body is building is called muscle hypertrophy. Or simply making the existing fibers bigger.
This is why most workout routines for mass recommend a 90 second rest between sets.
This includes an important update in the recent years. Research has discovered that short rest periods, 60 seconds or less, result in a significant increase of peripheral HGH, that is Human Growth Hormone found outside of the central endocrine system. If you want quick gains using lighter weights, reduce your rest periods. So should you take short breaks? The answer is multifaceted, it depends on your goal.
Myth 6 (Added 06/16/2014): Always drink a protein shake after workouts.
This one is OLD. It has been believed for decades that you should have a protein shake after working out because of the "anabolic window". This somehow magical 60 minute time you have to drink a protein shake or lose your work. This is false for two major reasons. Firstly, your body's repair is performed during sleep cycles, not after you work out. It would be wise to have some simple carbs after a workout to replenish burned glycogen stores, but not for muscle building. Secondly, a standard NHWPI (non hydrolyzed whey protein isolate) must undergo digestion before it is absorbed. This means even if you drank a protein shake the SECOND you reracked the last weight, it would be more than 2-3 hours before your body even began to get the first amino acids from the protein shake. The shake must be digested, then absorbed, and metabolized, before it can finally be used. This is where BCAA (or Branched Chain Amino Acids) come into play. These are four essential amino acids that can actually be directly absorbed into your bloodstream and have been proven to prevent or reduce catabolic effects.
IMPORTANT:
This update (3/3/11) is so important I decided to put it near the top. It is common knowledge, but not as common as one would think. Ask ANY regular gym goer what the two best exercises are. If their answer is not immediately "squats and deadlifts", they have absolutely no business being in the gym. The experts say "the squat is king" for good reason. And mostly they mean the back squat. Your shoulders and traps are used to hold the bar in place, your back and chest are used to keep the bar stable, your core is used to keep the bar upright, and your lumbar, hip flexors, and legs drive the weight through the lift. It IS a total body workout. For males, it is entirely possible to have a big upper body without ever doing a curl or bench press by doing squats, the massive release of Free Testosterone FT, Human Growth Hormone HGH, and Insulinlike Growthfactor 1 IGF-1 are systemic effects, causing muscle hypertrophy everywhere.
Another great use is its universality. It is just as effective as a fat loss workout as it is a mass building workout. Because so many muscle groups are involved, it also induces the use of fat as an energy source and for recovery.
A question I get asked a lot is about stalling or the dreaded "plateau". People reach a peak of fitness where they can't seem to get any more progress regardless of what they do. I ask "Have you been doing squats?" Typically, the answer is no. And once they start, they blast right through the plateau.
And now some common errors:
Error 1: Machines
Its not that machines are bad. They create specifically isolated single joint movements. But sports science over the years have taught us that multijoint movements are the gold standard of routines. Such as squats, deadlifts, etc. There are two main reasons why most beginner routines don’t use many machines.
One. It doesn’t allow the use of stabilizer muscles, which are important when you increase in weight. It creates a bad habit of resorting to machines when you SHOULD be using free weights such as barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, etc.
Two. Most people when they get to a single joint movement, use momentum to move the weight. When you do, you not only significantly increase the risk of injury, you also defeat the purpose of the single joint movement. We’ve all seen them. They set the machine to a huge amount of weight, and use their body or legs to “kick” or “jerk” the weight for reps. The key is going SLOW. This boils down to TUT. Time Under Tension. A good set lasts 45 seconds or more. This allows the small tears to happen in your muscle fibers which your body then has to rebuild, resulting in a larger stronger muscle fiber.
When I say machines, I mean one you are typically seated to use. Cable machines on the other hand are great. They are a key part of many routines and differ significantly from exercises involving freeweights. This is because a freeweight is let off when you get to the full range of motion. But a cable keeps constant tension on the muscle.
Error 2: Bench No Back
There are those guys who can bench a huge amount of weight. They brag to people about it. But at a certain point they begin to wonder why they can’t do any more. Its because they have neglected the complement muscle, the back. There are two of the most important muscle groups in your body. Your core (abs, obliques, etc) and your posterior chain. Which consists of everything from your traps (shoulders), down the back, and the back of your legs. Without strength in these areas, your gains in other places will be minimal.
Error 3: Blasting Through Sets
This has been covered above. TUT. If you work hard just to get the set over with, you might as well not even waste your time. Just sit at home and eat ice cream.
Error 4: Up No Down
These are the worst. You’ve for sure seen them in all stages, from the huge guy to the beginner. They work only upper body, get HUGE. But they have peg legs. With calves that look like you could snap with a kick. Every gym has dozens of them, every one as comical as the last. Fitness is not about size, its about that…TOTAL BODY FITNESS.
But oh I'm sorry, you're not into fitness, you're into bodybuilding? Are legs not part of your body?
Don't look like an upside down bowling pin. Do your fucking squats.
Error 5: Late Night
Sometimes even I have to break this rule. Try not to go to the gym past 2100. As a human being, this is when your melatonin levels begin to rise to prepare your body for sleep. This will be counterproductive to what you are trying to accomplish at the gym.
I did have one person try to correct me on this. And let me assure you, it is MELATONIN and not SEROTONIN. Serotonin is a hormone responsible for adaptive and innate immune response to foreign pathogens, and imbalance causes depression. Not what we're talking about here.
SO! This article is mostly for people trying to cut body fat. I might write another for anyone trying to add mass, but most guys seem to be doing it right.
This block is added in 2017:
The Greatest Killers of Success:
Problem 1: MISINFORMATION
You don't need that special drink. You don't need that fancy machine. You MOST CERTAINLY do not need a "detox." That's what your liver is for. At the time of this update, less than 1% of Americans are healthy anymore. Over 70% are overweight. The problem comes from people who do things wrong, see a little progress, and lead other people into doing things wrong. I don't like to have internet debates with who is right or wrong. They are free to believe who they want. I've had people point out inaccuracies in this article. I rechecked the sources, and made the appropriate updates.
Problem 2: BAD WORK ETHIC
I see them every day. They go to the gym, spend about 90% of the time on their phone, do about three half-assed sets, and leave. Then they complain to me they aren't seeing results. Leave the phone in your car, or in the locker.
Most importantly, your diet. For the next six weeks, try this.
Phase I: Weeks 1-3
Days 1, 4, 6:
Breakfast:
2 whole eggs, 4 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal, 1 orange
Midmorning:
1 cup low fat yogurt, 2tbsp ground flaxseeds
Lunch:
1 wheat tortilla, 6oz chicken breast, ½ cup black beans, 2 cups mixed green salad, 2tbsp oil/vinegar
Prework:
1 banana, 1 Pro Complex
Postwork:
2 Hydrowhey, 2 slices white bread, 2tbsp jelly
Dinner:
8oz sirloin steak, 1 cup green beans, 1 medium sweet potato
Bedtime:
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
Days 2, 3, 5, 7:
Breakfast:
1 whole wheat English muffin, 3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, 1oz low fat cheese
Midmorning:
1 cup low fat cottage cheese, 2tbsp peanut butter
Lunch:
6oz chicken breast, 2 cups mixed green salad, 2tbsp oil/vinegar
Prework:
1 cup oatmeal, 1 Pro Complex
Postwork:
1 medium potato, 2 Hydrowhey
Dinner:
8oz salmon, 20 asparagus
Bedtime:
1 Casein, 1oz almonds
Phase II: Weeks 4-6
Days 1, 4, 6:
Breakfast:
1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup low fat milk, 1 Pro Complex
Midmorning:
1 cup low fat yogurt, 2tbsp ground flaxseeds
Lunch:
6oz chicken breast, 2 slices whole wheat bread, ½ avocado
Prework:
1 apple, 1 Pro Complex
Postwork:
2 Hydrowhey, 24oz Gatorade
Dinner:
9oz tilapia, 2 cups mixed green salad, 2tbsp oil/vinegar
Bedtime:
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
If you're like me, I would rather starve to death than eat cottage cheese. Have a casein shake with 2% milk instead.
Days 2, 3, 5, 7:
Breakfast:
3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, 1oz low fat cheese, 1 cup spinach, ¼ cup salsa
Midmorning:
1 cup low fat cottage cheese, 2tbsp peanut butter
Lunch:
6oz tuna, 2 cups mixed green salad, 2tbsp oil/vinegar
Prework:
½ cup pineapple, 1 Pro Complex
Postwork:
½ cup sorbet, 2 Hydrowhey
Dinner:
8oz pork, 2 cups broccoli
Bedtime:
1 Casein, 1oz walnuts
Now Phase 1 is Weeks 1-3, the amounts total out to about 2700 calories a day, which is calculated for a 180lb individual. Since most girls are nowhere close to that, you can figure maybe 20-30% less per serving. This diet uses the concept of carbohydrate cycling. This allows your body to use fat as primary energy, while still maintaining a healthy carbohydrate supply for healthy lifestyles.
Phase 2 will cut even more for the remaining three weeks. About 2400 calories total.
And this is STRICT. DO NOT deviate from this schedule. Don’t skip days at the gym. In the end you’re only cheating yourself. If you are not used to a fitness routine, DO NOT jump right into any routine. It will only throw your body into survival mode and cause you to gain more weight. Ever see Week 2 of the Biggest Loser? If you are already in reasonable shape and have a properly controlled diet, you can jump right into Phase II. If not, you should start at Phase I and slowly taper into it.
I covered this first because your work in the gym is only a small part of the puzzle, the majority of change will come from your diet. You should ALWAYS eat before bed, contrary to what your mom told you. The best thing is something like 100% Micellar Casein and a handful of almonds or walnuts. While sleep is one of the best things for the body, its also one of the worst. One one hand, you repair damage from the previous day. But also after four hours you start burning muscle as a catabolic process.
Now that you have your diet figured out, we can cover what you’re doing in the gym!
Start with the weights. LISS (which we will cover later) burns glycogen, your body’s high energy short term energy source. Weights requires short periods of extreme activity, which requires a good amount of glycogen. You can find a solid routine with a simple Google, but I can also design one for you if you’d like one. But for body fat loss, you’ll want to do a bit higher rep, maybe 8-10. This will allow you to build a bit of muscle in the process. But this brings me back, you won’t look like Arnie.
The workout without a partner should only take you an hour or so. With a good 90 second rest between sets. Now you should LISS. This is Low Intensity Steady State. A bicycle or treadmill works best. Pick a speed that keeps your heart rate at 120-130. Then, and ONLY THEN is fat actually burned. Because fat is a compressed carbohydrate, it takes longer to break down. When you do dedicated cardio, you will be burning only the carbs your body has for that day. Because it is a faster energy source. Maybe 30 or 40 minutes in will you feel tired, like you cant run anymore, “hitting the wall”. This is because you’ve burned off all your body’s precious energy source and FINALLY you begin to burn fat. So why waste your time?
On weekends when you don't have to go to work, is when you should be doing HIIT. Now the real fun begins. High Intensity Interval Training. A good one would be finding a football field, do a bit of jogging to warm up, and then SPRINT from one endzone to the other, and walk back to the start. Repeat 6-8 times. It should only take you 10-15 minutes, but it better be the hardest 10-15 minutes of your life. Proven by studies, there is not a HUGE difference between HIIT and LISS, but the amount is significant. HIIT will result in a much greater fat loss than LISS. But HIIT takes people out for a few days, do LISS in the meantime. The reason for this is called EPOC or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. And because your fat stores are rich in oxygen, its the best source of energy to burn in this time. For this reason your body and muscles will feel "hot" for a few hours after HIIT sessions.
But most of all, good luck. And DON’T QUIT!
Oh and one more thing! Body types and genetics. While true, body type will have a HUGE impact over genetics. Because well, using genetics as an excuse for being fat is unacceptable. The total genetic influence for your body's ability to obtain or shed fat, is about 4%. Every race and individual will have different qualities. In general for all human beings, there are three body types.
(following is copy pasted)
"Ectomorph:
The extreme ectomorph physique is a fragile and delicate one. The bones are light, joints are small and muscles are slight. The limbs are relatively long in proportion and the shoulders droop. The ectomorph is a linear physique. Straight up and straight down, and may appear longer than he or she really is, due to the length of limbs coupled with lack of muscle mass developed on those limbs. The ectomorph is not naturally powerful and will have to work hard for every ounce of muscle and every bit of strength he or she can gain.
Mesomorph:
The mesomorph has well-defined muscles and large bones. The torso tapers to a relatively narrow and low waist. The bones and muscles of the head are prominent. Features of the face are clearly defined, such as cheek bones and a square, heavy jaw. The face is long and broad, and is cubicle in shape. Arms and legs are developed and even the digits of the hand are muscled.
Endomorph:
The body of the extreme endomorph is round and soft. The physique presents the illusion that much of the mass has been concentrated in the abdominal area. This may or may not be true. The arms and legs of the extreme endomorph are short in length and taper. This may give the appearance of stalkiness. The hands and feet of the endomorph are comparatively small, and the upper arms and thighs are often more developed than the lower parts of the arms or legs. The body has a high waist."
Most significantly will be your race. Most Caucasians will find they build muscle and burn fat more readily than most. Most Asians will find they build muscle at a slightly slower rate than others. And well, if you’re black you can do a single curl and have 20” biceps. Ok so that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But when was the last time you saw a black guy that wasn’t easily ripped? Or a fat Asian? Exactly.
Some people asked, great there is a diet plan, but what if I can't do it? And what should I do in the gym?
Ok. If you're like me, you don't like to spend tons of time in the kitchen when you're hungry. If you're eating right, you should NEVER feel hungry in the day. The night before or the week before I will use a lot of Tupperware style containers, and grill, bake, fry, chop, and otherwise prepare all my food for the week, labeled and documented before putting it in the fridge. If I get in a jam where I need to grab and run, I can. A "food bugout" if you will.
So...weights.
There are THOUSANDS of routines out there, most of them are great. You can either use one for a month and switch, but the problem with most routines is in the name. ROUTINE. As a human, your body is highly adaptive to what you do to it, result..in a few weeks your progress will slow to a crawl regardless of what you try.
So here is what I do. I make a list, with a section for each of your major muscle groups. Chest, Back, Core, Legs, Shoulders, Bi/Tri. Each day I pick two muscle groups and three exercises for each group. This makes sure I hit each muscle group at least twice a week and eliminates the need for an unnecessary "day off".
Secondly, supplements. While you can do everything without supplements, modern sports science has made it possible to increase your progress and gains by record amounts. I also have a list of supplements available.
Here is the exercise list I've been using. Use it to develop a routine that works for you.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B2M0CryGQ3iCNDNkYjRlMTktOWY1Yy00YzgyLTgwNGUtMmIyZmUzZDQ5ZTUw&hl=en&authkey=CNi-9fcE
From doing lab research and working in the Body Mechanics and Ergonomics Lab, as well as staring at every body part known to man under a microscope for hours on end, I've come to a few of my own conclusions this year.
First, I think preworkouts are silly. Utterly ridiculous money pits for workout enthusiasts. Most of these are called "nitric oxide", however it is impossible to consume nitric oxide in a usable form. The actual product is called arginine, which stimulates the release of NO in the body, which is ordinarily a toxic byproduct. This substance is responsible for vasodilation, or the expansion of blood vessels. HOWEVER, the supplement is often also spiked with caffeine, a vasoconstrictor. The two work hand in hand and as a result, almost nothing happens except you feel better and very hot in the gym.
You can have the same effect for $2, buy a bottle of 200 capsules of 200mg caffeine, take one with 400mg of EGCg before the gym. Done. You can also use intraworkout supplements such as IntraVol, but 16oz of Gatorade will work just as well.
Secondly, cardio is a CRITICAL component of any workout program, bulk or cut. The reason being, in order to increase your endurance, your body must generate and maintain a larger amount of RBC, or red blood cell, the primary oxygen carrier with hemoglobin in your body. It becomes hugely important past the 3rd or 4th rep of an exercise, when your anaerobic system has been exhausted and your aerobic system is kicking in.
I've added this section because I found it necessary in the new year of 2011. Industries love exploiting your wallet in the new year, to buy into "fat burners" or sometimes called in the industry as "thermogenics". Granted, some of them work, if you put in the effort. This comes back to my original statement that preworkouts are silly, similar concept.
After seeing so many ads, each touting their own "clinically proven" studies, I decided to go to their websites, look up the studies, and interpret them as a biologist. First off, a "double blind clinical trial" is just a study done properly. Its like a "2011 Ford F150" is a "truck". Regardless of what you add to the title, it is STILL a truck.
I found two major flaws. One, most of these studies are not published. Which in the science world, means the study is useless, unreliable, and technically never happened. Two, the studies that can be slightly reliable, are performed in labs outside the United States with no controls, or in low reputation small labs in the US and untrained technicians. The studies research fat loss in "brown adipose tissue". Scientifically, this is true, as any adipose tissue can be advertised as "fat". HOWEVER, as a human being, you have not had brown adipose tissue since the age of ONE. A huge majority of your fat stores occurs in the form of WHITE adipose tissue. As a result, they can legally advertise substances and drugs that have no real effect on the body.
Additional:
On today's agenda, high fructose corn syrup. Its not that you shouldn't be consuming a fair amount of calories and sugar, they call them "empty calories" because they provide you with no real nutritional value. But there is a world of difference between HFCS and sugar, like comparing a Glock to a 1911. The issue at hand comes from the way they are processed. The human body cannot process and directly use fructose as an energy source. When it is encountered, it must be processed through the liver to become a usable form of energy. In excessive amounts, the fructose provides an energy surplus, which the body will convert directly to longer chains, or drops of fat. These drops are then stored in the form of white adipose tissue, body fat. SUGAR on the other hand, is a short chain glucose or sucrose. Glucose interacts with insulin as a membrane carrier and allows glucose to be used directly by the body without processing. If you still have an addiction to soda, try something like Sierra Mist Natural. It costs more because sugar costs more than HFCS, but you won't gain fat as readily, and it provides a short energy boost.
Also two, salad. Some people have asked a tough question, why are vegetables so good if humans cannot digest them? An entire bowl of salad may only provide 45 calories if not dressed. Two reasons. Firstly, the simple food volume fills your stomach readily, removing the urge to eat, thus giving the indication that you are "full", and therefore causes you to eat less by craving. Secondly, it provides fiber, a great component of digestive health and regularity. This is because vegetation like lettuce is mostly plant cellulose, what you are eating is the remaining material of cell walls in the lettuce. Humans do not have cell walls, and therefore does not have the mechanism required to process cellulose. In animals such as cows, cellulose is processed by bacterial colonies in a separate gut.
As always, remember to stay properly hydrated and use electrolyte replacements such as Gatorade or Powerade. Its not just a ploy to sell you a sports drink. You need to replace elements such as K+ (potassium) or Ca2+ (calcium) because they are used up in the process of signaling that causes your muscles to contract and relax. Its the same idea as fatigue. Your muscle never really gets "tired", or you would be dead. But simply your central nervous system and peripheral nervous system can no longer send as strong of a signal to your muscle, and as a result it feels weaker.
Supplements:
Now that you have a good diet and you probably know how to run a proper workout, now we are on to the next most important thing, supplements! An intense workout regiment requires many energy sources and amino acids that your body is unable to naturally produce at the rate you are consuming them. As a result you may not see results as good as you would like.
Just like last time, lets go over a few basics first. One, if you want to do anabolic steroids (or simply “roids”), don’t bother reading. You’ll probably be dead by the time any of this actually applies. This is only for people who want to exercise and stay healthy, the PROPER way. As a clinical biologist, I’ve been able to see through the bullshit that supplement makers write on their bottles.
Its important to note, that AS A SUPPLEMENT (meaning not essential for normal human beings), ALL supplements are not subject to FDA approval. There are many supplements that can cause significant harm if used in excess or timed incorrectly.
So let’s jump right in!
First off is the most common. Whey. Otherwise known as 100% Whey Isolate. You will often see them in two forms. Whey Isolate and Whey Concentrate. Whey Isolate is far better, I tend to stay away from Whey Concentrate, its like buying concentrated juice. Why buy the concentrate if you can have real juice? The best I’ve used personally is Pro Complex made by Optimum Nutrition, typically runs about $50 for a 1-2 month supply, depending on how fast you use it. For the guys trying to add muscle, the same price will get you double the amount of Pro Complex GAINER, which is basically doubled in mass with maltodextrin, a long chain sugar that your body will have to process to use, that way you don’t just add fat instead of muscle. You may also see “hydrolyzed” whey. In reality its nothing but a process that chops the protein chains into smaller pieces so your body can absorb it faster. Best for after the workouts, its why I added “Hydrowhey” to the routine. This is also made by Optimum Nutrition in the form of “Platinum Hydrowhey”.
Secondly, casein. Or 100% Micellar Casein. You’ll want to consume this before going to bed. Upon contact with stomach acid, it solidifies into a bit of a gel, causing your body to work and digest it throughout the night to reduce the amount of time your body is in a catabolic state. Also the best one here is made by Optimum Nutrition, a 4lb jug for about $55 will last you a few months. It may sound like a lot, but that’s less than a dollar a day. You will also find this as "hydrolyzed" casein, this is much like 100% Whey, which is a great alternative if you are allergic to any whey ingredients. Casein is mostly a milk product, so stay away if you are potentially or have had issues in the past with milk products.
In REALITY, you can get away with just the three listed above. But for even better gains and overall health, you can add the following.
Nitric Oxide: In reality, its impossible to "consume" nitric oxide (or NO), what you are really consuming is L-arginine. But since the word blows most meatheads' minds, NO is used. The effect of arginine is the increased production of nitric oxide. Normally, nitric oxide is a toxic byproduct of cellular metabolism, hell your immune system USES nitric oxide in the defense of your body by promoting cell lysis (bursting of cell membranes). HOWEVER, in short periods of use, it acts as a vasodilator, increasing blood flow to your muscles. While you may not necessarily lift more, your focus and recovery times will be incredible. Because of this, you'll feel like your body is on fire, much like taking a thermogenic. Therefore it is not a good idea to take the two together, even though it can be done safely. But you should never have to. NO is used for a bulking season, and thermogenics are used to cut, so there would be no logical reason to combine them. Some good ones are BSN's NOexplode ("award winning") or Muscletech's NaNO Vapor. Runs typically $30 for a good month or two supply. Black Powder is also a good one. Unless your name is Marlon, in which case it just makes you angry.
The problem I have with this is that pre-workout supplements are silly. I've mentioned this before.
BCAA: These are “branched chain amino acids”, see above. There is already a good amount of this in Pro Complex, but you can supplement it too if you’d like. A good one is Xtend. Xtend the workout supplement, not to be confused with the fake penis enlargement pill. Basically this reinforces to your body that you are now able to burn fat, and NOT muscle.
Fish Oil: Well, the benefits of fish oil and Omega-3 has been proven for a long time. Omega-3 being just a fancy way of saying that the double bond of a fatty acid occurs on the third kink in the chain from the Omega side of the chain. Basically it promotes a healthy metabolism and reduces the absorption of bad fats. To a point. This doesn’t mean you get to go out and chomp down burgers. But there are only good benefits, so why not? Two per day.
Vitamin C: You can almost never get enough. Its good for your immune system, maybe a good 800mg or more a day, eat an orange or two, or take a supplement. One word. Scuuuuuuuuuuuurrvy.
Calcium Carbonate: A recent study reveals that taking calcium supplements increases your chance of heart attack by 30%. But you’re a young and active individual, you need the excess calcium for reconstruction. It’s a risk I’d rather take. But instead of using pills, just drink a good supply of milk. Maybe one gallon every 3-4 days.
Caffeine Anhydrous: If you start your morning with a cup of coffee, try the pill instead. Its faster, MUCH cheaper, and much more effective. A typical cup of coffee has 85mg of caffeine, most pills have 200mg. Combine this with 400-500mg of EGCG (which we will get to later) and you have an excellent jumpstart to your morning. Caffeine has been proven to not only allow you to work harder, but promote your body to deplete its adipose tissue stores more readily (your fat). I found a bottle of 200 capsules (different than caplets) for $1 on eBay. And hey, Boise people, its in Boise, you could buy it then ask to just pick it up!
EGCG:
This stands for Epigallocatechin gallate (yes I had to Google Machine it because I can never spell it right). Its found only in Green Tea Extract, and typically in 50% concentration at its highest. Which means 400mg of GTE would only yield 200mg of EGCG. You could also drink about 10-12 cups of green tea, but I wouldn’t really recommend this. This is an important part of any exercise routine, especially ones involving any type of thermogenics (up next). This is because not only does it have great antioxidant properties, it is responsible for keeping the norepinephrine and synephrine levels up in your blood. I bought the Now Brand EGCG from eBay, $10 maybe.
Thermogenics (aka fat burners): We all know from high school science that heat is everywhere in the universe. You cannot create nor destroy energy. So in order for your body to create energy, it generates it in the form of heat, which results in the work performed by your body. A good thermogenic typically has two counteracting systemic hormones, and a simple thermogenic. For example, a good one to start with is Lipo6, it also comes in Lipo6x and Lipo6Black. Experienced users should use Lipo6Black, it contains synephrine (a synthetic form of norepinephrine, which will raise your blood pressure) and Yohimbe (a powerful medicinal treatment for erectile dysfunction). Well you may ask, why would I want to have a boner all day!? Well the two effects are counteracted systemically, one is a vasodilator, one is a vasoconstrictor. The only effect allows the thyroid stimulating hormone to act on your thyroid and the rest of your fat stores, safely. For the girls, there is also a female version, such as Lipo6 Hers. Another good one that could be worth trying is Hydroxycut, it works in different ways and costs a bit more. Lipo6Black typically runs $55, but I found it on eBay shipped for $28. Like the word implies "thermo" or "heat", best used before or after summer for cutting, since during the summer you might just die of heat stroke. It induces your body to create excess heat, which STILL MUST BE vented off. If you'll remember from earlier, heat results in the burning of energy. And if you're exercising and supplementing correctly, this energy will ONLY come from fat. On the bright side, you'll never be cold in the winter. But I suppose a significant other could help with that too.
But I don't believe that thermogenics work any better than a dose of caffeine, as you've already read above.
*UPDATE*
In 2009 there was a recall of 14 products made under the "Hydroxycut" name, whether or not the deaths of a few individuals were directly related. The recall WAS voluntary. It has since been reformulated and is back on the market.
HOWEVER, Lipo6 "Original", not 6x or Black, STILL CONTAINS a substance listed on their label as "Synthetic 99% Guggulsterones Z&E 1:1", an extract of the Guggul plant. While its long term effects or side effects have yet to be thoroughly researched or proven, this substance is a LIVER stimulating hormone. Anyone with a medical background or knowledge of human anatomy will tell you that the stimulation of any single or multiples of organs without systemic influence can cause a dangerous change in the natural homeostatic patterns of your body. I WOULD NOT recommend you take the Original version. Black (while the most powerful of the three) remains relatively safe because its influence is thyroid stimulating, causing a normal systemic influence.
I’m sure I missed a bunch, so if you have a question about something, post it up! Otherwise your thoughts and opinions are appreciated as always. :D Feel free to delete it, send me hate mail, text blast my phone, kick your neighbor's dog, or however you would like to vent your anger.
Most importantly, don’t quit!
“Go light until you get it right!”
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Trooper Brian is a candidate of the National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), a graduate with a Bachelor's Of Sciences Pre-Medicine in Biology at the University of Idaho, with additional studies in Human Biomechanics and Ergonomics. He received his Certified Nursing Assistant at the age of 16, and an Emergency Medical Technician at age 18.
