The Best Way To Increase Muscle and Lose Fat - Part One

If you are like many of us, then you must also struggle with either losing fat, gaining muscle, or a little bit of both.  There are a number of reasons why you are struggling with this and hopefully this article will give you a starting point to help you understand this and achieve your fitness goals.  The problem can be divided into three different reasons: Diet, Workout and your Psychological outlook on your goals.  This is the first article on this topic and it will deal mainly with the dietary aspects of gaining muscle and losing fat.  The next few posts will deal with the workout and the psychological aspects of gaining muscle and losing fat.

There are a number of different thoughts about diets for weight loss.  Just look at all of the fad diets on the market.  Some of these diets have some sound nutrition and dietary principles and others are just crazy.  You have to figure out which diet is good and which is bad. 
A good diet is very obvious, one that is full of fruits and vegetables, lean meat and complex carbohydrates.  To gain or retain the muscle you desire your diet has to be at its optimum and you need to have adequate protein intake.  I must specify lean protein.  You could eat a lot of fatty beef, but the fat will just do harm to the arteries and blood pressure however, it's good to have a nice steak when your desires are high.  I would choose sirloin cuts or tenderloin cuts as those seem to be the best lean protein in regards to steaks.  However, I am a firm believer that you need to alternate your sources of proteins with fish, chicken, turkey, etc...  You can even go exotic and try buffalo or ostrich, both of these are great protein sources with very little fat.

As far as fruits and vegetables, you must just eat as many of the green leafy vegetables as you can as that will help the digestive system especially with the increase in protein.  They will definitely help your digestive system stay regular.  Furthermore, the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables are beneficial to all aspects of cellular life and some experts believe they can help with cancer prevention.  Therefore, try to eat a fruit or vegetable with just about every meal. 

Carbohydrates are a tough issue with many people.  There are so many choices with carbohydrates that anyone can get confused rather quickly and suffer with carbohydrate overload.  So let's breakdown the carbohydrates into their two forms.  Simple carbohydrates and Complex carbohydrates.  Simple carbohydrates are basically simple sugars.  This is the typical white sugar at the dinner table and is needed for quick energy for the body.  The problem with simple sugars is that they are easily digestible and if you do not use them rather quickly by burning calories they get stored rather quickly in the body.  These sugars are not desirable unless you are going to consume them right before a workout.  In that scenario they will be used quickly for fuel and therefore allow a better workout because of the boost in energy.  Checkout Gatorade and you can see why it is an energy drink for athletes during a game or with exercise.  However, it should not be a post-workout drink, because you do not need the energy after the exercise but before the exercise or during the exercise.  Sugar is also in a lot of processed foods for flavor and in baking for the sweetness.  As you may notice, diets high in processed food and high in sweets will tend to lead to a lot of weight gain.  This is true because the calories you would be consuming would need to be used up quickly or stored as fat.  Since you cannot readily exercise all day long while you are consuming this type of carbohydrate it will be stored for later, typically as fat.  These carbohydrates are sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc...

Complex carbohydrates are the most recommended carbohydrates for weight loss and workouts because your body actually BURNS CALORIES to digest these carbohydrates.  These are not simple carbohydrates and therefore are complex and have to be broken down into simple sugars for energy.  As you may have deduced if you take a complex carbohydrate and slowly digest it over time and therefore slowly release the simple sugar in your body, then you will utilize the broken down simple sugaar over time and lead to a steady release of energy for use and reduce the likelihood of storing sugar and subsequently fat.  Also, that slow release of energy will keep your energy levels at a steady rate and decrease the incidence of burnout throughout the day.  These carbohydrates are the typical non-white carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc...

Finally, everyone has to put these dietary tips to work for them in their own way.  Your body makeup and how you utilize food is different from the next person and therefore everyone has to individualize their diet to utilize the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables to achieve their weight loss goals.  Some people are carbohydrate sensitive and store a lot of weight with very little carbohydrates, while others can eat a lot of carbohydrates and it doesn't ever seem to impact their waistline.  I recommend to consume about 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight with as many vegetables as you can stand.  In regards to fruit and carbohydrates, this is mainly individualized due to the sensitivity factor of your body.  Experiment with these to find the right breakdown for your goals.  Keep in mind that fruit has a significant amount of simple sugars in them as that is what makes them sweet and therefore are categorized as simple sugars.

There you have it the first part in the series on the best way to increase muscle and lose fat.  Keep checking back for the next part in the series.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Interview About ABS!

I found this interview and thought it would help some of us on our quest for the perfect six pack of abs.  I hope you like the information.

If you're interested in discovering some areas where you may be going wrong in your abs training and your attempts at losing stomach fat, I have an interview for you below that you'll want to read.
In it, Men's Health Magazine writer Craig Ballantyne, grills Abs-Expert Mike Geary, author of the internationally popular book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, on the topic of abs training and the biggest myths and mistakes he sees in this field.
Also, be sure to check out Mike's site at:
Truth About Abs
Here's a copy of the first half of the interview below. In this part of the interview today, we'll just deal with training aspects.
In a couple days, I'll send out the rest of the interview, which Craig and Mike covered the nutrition aspects we need to consider to lose stomach fat and get those hidden abs to show. Enjoy!


CB: Okay Mike, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response.
This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath!
Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.

CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.

CB: What about ol' school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.

CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.
One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up". It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises.
We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.

CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
That wraps up our training portion of the interview. For more info about whether the Truth about Six Pack Abs Program is right for you, be sure to check out the following site:
Truth About ABS

Sincerely,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
PS - feel free to forward this email to any friends or family that you think would enjoy these training tips.

Weight Loss For Women

" I need to lose 10 pounds!"

"I would like to look great in my bathing suit this year!"

"If only I could fit into my skinny jeans and clothes"

Does this sound familiar?  This is the typical thing I hear throughout the day.  However, the above statements are goals and not really plans on how to accomplish those goals.  The plan to accomplish these goals are the typical sticking points in everyone's diets.  I see this with women and their diets more often than men because they want to lose the weight but not gain any muscle.  Most are afraid of getting big muscles and not looking feminine.  So, let's get to the bottom of this and try to put a plan together that everyone can follow, especially the woman trying to lose those 10 pounds.

First thing to change is always the diet.  The diet is the main building block of any fitness or health related changes.  Everything you eat has consequences to your health, fitness level and look.  Before beginning with a diet change try to take a look back on your diet and figure out what you are eating throughout the day.  Is it processed?  Is it mainly sugar?  How much protein are you eating?  How many vegetables?
Once you can see where you started from, then you can realize what simple things you can change that will make a big difference.  For example, you have to try and limit the amount of simple sugars and simple carbohydrates in your diet.  Simple sugars are obvious, as they are the sugar in drinks and anything you eat that is full of sugar.  By doing this one simple tip, most people will drop a few pounds quickly.  Try to use alternatives like Stevia or Splenda, but if they don't taste the same then try and do without if you can.  Furthermore, try to increase your protein intake as that will be the building block of muscle and you will burn calories to digest the protein.  Protein also makes you fuller quicker so you typically eat less at that meal.  Eat every three hours or so because that will keep your metabolism elevated.  I am not suggesting eating a huge meal every three hours, but a small meal composed of protein and either vegetables or a small complex carbohydrate (such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc..).  Serving size should be simple as it should be the size of your fist or the palm of your hand.  Simple enough?

Workouts.  Try to have a mix of cardiovascular exercise and weight training.  Yes, I said weight training as all quality weight loss programs has a form of weight training.  Women should not worry about getting huge muscles, because it is not in their genetics.  It is extremely hard for women to pack on enough muscle to make them look like a bodybuilder.  Even the women bodybuilders typically have to take supplements to get the huge muscular results that you see.

The weight training workout should fluctuate between low reps with heavier weights and high reps with lower reps.  This will allow proper stimulation of the muscle to allow strength and growth.  By exercising the muscle through weight training you build a more efficient muscle that will burn more calories throughout the day.  Furthermore, lifting weights will also provide a cardiovascular workout provided it is done in a circuit training fashion with little rest breaks between sets.  Just keep the workouts enjoyable and fresh so you don't get too bored.

The cardiovascular workout should be hard enough to build up a sweat and should be at least 30 minutes in length.  I do not recommend doing cardio while watching a movie or TV as most people slow down their pace so they can pay attention to the television.  If that is the only way of getting your cardio in to where it is enjoyable then watch the television.  It is more important to do something then not do anything at all.  Just try and keep up the pace to burn more calories.

The frequency of your workouts should be at least two days per week of weight lifting.  One day with upper body and another day for the lower body.  Instead of the upper and lower body days you can do a full body circuit training workout twice per week for your weight lifting workout. In regards to your cardio training 2-3 days per week is appropriate.  Just remember to keep all of your workouts fresh and entertaining.  Try different workout programs and regimens to keep it new and exciting.


Finally, just follow the three simple steps above (diet, weights and cardio) and you will start to drop 1-2 pounds per week.  This will happen rather quickly once you start and 1-2 pounds per week is the recommended healthiest weight loss. 

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Typical Workout For Weight Loss

I get asked this on forums and in person all the time.  What is the best workout to start a new exercise regimen?  How much cardio?  How much weight lifting?  Well here is the best scenario that I can give you to jump start your workout efforts.

I believe that the first thing you need to work on is your diet.  I will get to the workouts, but if your diet is horrible, then your workout efforts are useless.  If you do not eat the right foods at the right time,  then your recovery from your workouts will lag behind and your weight loss efforts will suffer also.  You need adequate protein intake throughout the day, especially after a workout.  Also, you need the right kind of carbohydrates at the right time.  Check out the many articles written on this topic at HealthyWeightLossASAP.

Cardiovascular Training.  I believe that this should be done formally 2-3 days per week and then throughout the week with general outside activities, like playing with kids, tennis, golf, etc...  Furthermore, I recommend you do it either first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, or right after a weight lifting workout.  By doing it in the morning you don't have many calories in your system and therefore you will utilize the fat on your body for the energy needed for the exercise.  If you do your cardiovascular after your weight workout, then it will lead to the same outcome as above, because most of the calories in your system will be used for the effort of your weight workout and then you will utilize the fat on your body for your fat burning cardio efforts.

Weight lifting is a different story.  When you are doing weight training it is always a benefit to warm up with some light cardio to get the body ready for the workout.  It is also recommended to stretch prior to and after lifting to get your muscles ready for the workout.  When you start your weight lifting efforts for the first time, I recommend doing 3 days per week of weights with a day of cardio between each weight lifting day.  Two of those days should be upper body and then one day of lower body.  Then the next week you need to increase lower body to two days per week and upper body one day per week.  Then alternate weeks so the upper and lower body get the same amount of time working out.  In regards to the amount of weight and number of reps I like to recommend alternating between low reps and heavy weights with high reps and lighter reps.  By alternating between these two types of workouts your muscles will continuously adapt to accomplish the workout.  The heavier weight workout will increase strength and fiber size and the lighter weight with higher reps will increase the volume of muscle cells and lead to bigger muscles while trimming fat from the body.  Don't forget that weight lifting burns calories also and can lead to fat loss also.

Finally, before your weight workout it is good to eat a small amount of carbs or drink an energy drink to get you the energy you need for your workout.  Prior to cardio it is recommended not to eat anything so you can burn the fat on your body for energy.  After your workout, you need to drink a recovery drink with lots of protein and some carbohydrates.  This will replenish your carb stores in your muscle and the protein will give the body the right building blocks for your muscles to grow.  Keep track of your efforts by utilizing a journal and then check the journal with each workout and increase or decrease your weights to allow continuous muscle stimulation so it has to adapt to grow.  Remember to get your rest as your muscles grow when you rest and sleep.  Stick to it daily and take it one day at a time.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Lose Body Fat The Right Way

Have you ever just wanted to lose body fat?  I mean real body fat and not lose the muscle that you have been fortunate to pack on with your previous workouts?  Well, let me explain how you can lose fat the right way and not lose muscle mass. 

First thing is you have to make an accurate assessment of how overweight you are.  There are many different ways you can do this, but there are many bad ways also.  The first thing you should do is throw away the scale.  The scale gives you a number that really doesn't tell you too much in regards to your overall health.  It can be distorted depending on whether or not you are starving yourself or if you are bloated or constipated.  It does not give you the accurate number you need to begin your true fat loss.  I recommend going to the store and buying a nice set of body fat calipers.  When you buy the calipers they will come with a guide on how to use them and a chart to give yourself an accurate measure of your body fat.  There are newer scales on the market that will not only weigh you, but also use impedance to get a number for your body fat percentage.  They are fairly accurate, but the best way in my opinion are the calipers.  Go out and get yours when you are serious about your weight loss.

Second thing is you have to figure out your caloric needs.  Your caloric needs will be dependent on whether or not you exercised for the day.  It also depends on your daily activity; are you sitting, standing or walking throughout the day.  Your activity level will dictate how many calories you need to maintain your body weight.  For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and your activity throughout the day is mainly sedentary, then your calories will be different for the person who weighs 180 pounds with an active lifestyle.  Therefore, you need an accurate assessment of your body fat percentage and more importantly you need to have an honest assessment of where your activity level throughout the day.  

Third, you need to figure out your exercise regimen and make your diet regimen coincide with your exercise program.  Therefore, you will provide the muscles the right nutrients at the right time to build muscle and limit breakdown.  By eating the right foods at the right time will ignite your metabolism and muscle growth.  For instance, if you are weight lifting you want to consume a nice protein shake after your workout that contains carbohydrates and protein.  If you are on a cardiovascular day, then you typically want to wait at least an hour after your workout before eating.  This will allow your body to burn fat instead of calories that you recently consumed.

Finally, you need to put all three things together to accomplish your weight loss goals.  You need to get an accurate assessment of where you are today and where you want to be in the future.  Then, you need to set goals and customize your workouts, diet and activity level to work together so you can achieve your goals in a rather quick fashion. 

I hope this helps your efforts!

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Eating To Lose Weight

It is interesting to me that so many people go on diets and then just starve themselves into oblivion.  Once they have starved themselves significantly they then end up getting sick of their diet and then quit the diet rather quickly.  Once they hate their diet then the wheels are set in motion to quit.  Furthermore, by starving themselves they will lose muscle mass, which is the furnace they need to burn calories.  So now you may ask how does eating throughout the day help you lose weight?  Let me explain...

The method for this is really simple and can be broken down into three key components.  Now there are really more than three components, but for beginners sake these three areas will carry you through any weight loss you are trying to achieve.

1.) Doing the right workouts.  It is true, you have to realize that the kind of workouts you do make a difference.  The basic philosophy is that you need to train your muscles to grow and burn calories to lose fat.  You really need to make sure you do 2-3 sessions per week of cardio for fat burning.  Also, you need to realize that you need at least one full body weightlifting workout per week.  You can divide this up however you want to adjust to your workout schedule, but remember to lift all body parts with equal time.  In other words, don't always do two days a week of upper body and one day per week of lower body.  You can vary the reps and the weights to achieve different results.

2.) Eating the right foods.  This is very important.  Remember the term "empty calories".  Empty calories do not apply to the basis of this article.  You cannot eat empty calories all day long and expect to lose weight.  Empty calories are processed foods with NO nutritional value.  Typically it is potato chips and snack foods that are not nutritious.  Empty calories also come in beverages and these are typically sodas and other drinks that have sugar calories and provide no real nutritional value.  You need to eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats or proteins if you are a vegetarian.  You want to keep the carbohydrates that come from sugars to a minimum and you want to eat complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and whole wheat breads.   Try to eliminate all sugar and all white carbohydrates.

3.) Eating the right foods at the right time.  This is another important part of the equation.  You need to try and eat a lean protein and a small carbohydrate or vegetable at least every three hours or so.  This will keep your body burning the calories you consume to rebuild the muscle that you worked in your workouts.  By doing this your body burns calories to digest the food and then burns calories to repair the muscle.  Thereby two different avenues for fat burning and weight loss.

Finally, you can now see how a proper plan with your workouts, your diet and the timing of your diet can lead to a lean fat burning machine.  Once your metabolism increases then you just keep up the routine until you drop the desired weight you are hoping to lose.  Of course you may need to tweak it a little here and there to keep the workouts and diet new and fresh.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B