I’ve had a few close friends ask me to add some information pertaining to weight loss and how to go about adding muscle. The first thing to remember is that everyone is different. Bill might be able to lose weight with ease while Gary struggles to lose weight despite counting calories and doing everything by the book … don’t get discouraged is what I’m trying to say. With that said, the GOLDEN RULE OF NUTRITION is the way to go: ‘If you can’t grow it or kill you shouldn’t put it in your body’. The golden rule basically says you should stick to natural plant and animal food sources: lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, etc. … you get the picture.
When you’re trying to lose weight the simplest advice I can give is to burn more than you’re putting in (referring to calories). You need to make sure the calories you’re taking in are being spread out throughout the day and that you’re taking in good calories. Put away the pop tarts and granola bars and substitute in some apples and peanut butter or whatever combination of fruit and protein you might prefer in the morning. In terms of lunch, I like grilling or baking a couple pounds of chicken on the weekend to have for my lunches throughout the week, I pair the chicken with steamed vegetables usually. I also suggest a late morning and early afternoon snack – stick to fresh fruit or vegetables. When dinner rolls around, go with a lean protein (salmon, tuna, chicken, etc.) and vegetables. I’ll occasionally do an evening snack of cottage cheese or greek yogurt but you’ll want to go easy on the dairy as they’re rough on the digestive system. In addition to your diet, you should be getting plenty of rest and exercise. The key-takeaways: burn more than you’re putting in, calories need to come from natural sources, spread calorie intake throughout entire day, drink a lot of water, and do your weekly food-prep on the weekend when you have some downtime.
Muscle building is a similar process but requires the addition of moving heavy weight and taking in more calories. If you’re not interested in pulling, pushing, or picking up and putting down heavy shit then stop reading. If you aren’t familiar with the deadlift, squat, and cleans (and bench press to a lesser extent) then I suggest reading up on them as these are the building blocks of adding mass in an efficient manner. Perhaps you’re looking to just get toned … if such is the case then Jane Fonda might be a good resource. There’s no such thing as ‘toning’ you’re either building muscle or you’re not, plain and simple! That said, I would suggest beginning lifters look into a 3-day or maybe a 4-day split, the more advanced guys probably aren’t reading this so we won’t get into that. Bodybuilding.com is a great resource for beginning lifters. Once you’ve put together your workout then it’s time to get to work. Like dieting, when adding mass you’re going to want your calories coming from natural sources, I would suggest looking into a protein supplement as well … I use Muscle Gain by Advocare and have had great results with it. When looking into supplements, you’re going to get overwhelmed, try to enlist the help of a friend or reliable source who can help you identify what supplements are going to best suit you. The key takeaways here are: lifting form is critical for beginners (study up on your building block lifts), caloric intake from natural sources, plenty of rest and water, 3-day/4-day lifting split, do your research if you think supplements are needed.
AND KEEP A FOOD LOG/JOURNAL!!!!
The Fine Art of Masculinity 