Getting lean is something most people want to do. How many of you want 6-pack abs? That's part of getting lean. The goals you have will undoubtedly have something related to getting lean.

How many of you with the goal of getting lean have actually paid attention to the bodybuilding community and what they have to say on the topic?

The Bodybuilding Community Perspective on Getting Lean

Unconventional Tips for Getting Lean

Muscle and Fitness has an article called 6 Little Known Tips for Getting Lean. This article recommends things like training on an empty stomach, not eating immediately after a workout, being sure to eat saturated fats and managing stress. Losing fat through these tips will make you stretch your thinking and that is a good thing.

Getting Lean with 25 Ways to Lose Fat Faster

Men's Fitness has an article called How to Get Lean: 25 Ways to Lose Fat Faster. This article contains some conventional as well as unconventional approaches to fat loss. For instance, using HIIT for your cardio was not exactly mind-blowing to me, but it is extremely important to note.  Losing fat by hitting the weights is one I think everyone (especially the women) should pay attention to. Getting lean with an all over approach is also something everyone should pay attention to. There are so many other wonderful tips that you should definitely read the article.

Hugo Says Getting Lean is Possible in 8 Weeks

Hugo Rivera wrote an article called Hugo's Rules for Getting Lean in 8 Weeks. I agree with Hugo. He says that weight training needs to be the emphasis. He claims that cardio should be used as a tool to increase calorie burn. One extremely important tip is to start higher with your calories for the best possible chance at getting lean. He even suggests adding 500 calories from carbs on Sundays. It is all very practical advice and contains things you can put into effect immediately.

Getting Lean Using Barbell Complexes

Chris Albert of Getting to Shredded teaches that you will have an easier time getting lean if you use barbell complexes as the basis for your weight training workouts. Chris also recommends using prowler pushes in place of cardio. He teaches you how to eat properly for getting lean. His program is amazing and he even has a membership site that gives advice about getting lean.

Weight Training: The Key to Getting Lean

It is evident that the bodybuilding community sees weight training as the key to getting lean. This is because muscle burns fat and that means muscle helps us in our quest to getting lean. Like Hugo Rivera said, weight training should be the emphasis while cardio should just be a tool to burn additional calories. What tips have you got? Leave them in the comments section.

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Halloween is a time where many people fall off the wagon when it comes to their diet. As I have mentioned regarding the holidays (12 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain) it is all about having a strategy in advance. You see anything relating to diet and nutrition is all about planning ahead. Failing to plan is planning to fail — cliche I know, but completely true. Let's have a look at the strategies you can use to survive Halloween without falling off the wagon.

The first suggestion I have is allow yourself to indulge in moderation. We have a tendency to binge when we are overly restrictive about things. This is in relation to anything we do. If we overdo trips to the gym we wind up skipping a bunch of sessions. If we restrict carbs too low and for too long we wind up binging. Halloween is no different.

Allow yourself to eat some candy, but limit how much you eat. Try not to keep candy around for too long. Be sure to ration it out each day that it does exist in your home. If you are at work and there is an influx of candy offerings feel free to partake of a particular candy dish just one time. That's right! Once you've taken one piece of candy from Sally's desk do not allow yourself to go back for another one at any point. By following this advice you can't overdo it.

If you have children let them know that you are trying not to eat too much candy. Children will work very hard to keep their parents on track. They love you and want you to succeed. Have them hold you accountable.

The main thing here is to have will power. Don't give up. Remember that you have worked hard to get to where you are, so don't allow yourself to just simply fall off the wagon because of a holiday. I strongly suggest reading my article 12 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain to get an even better perspective of how to handle this situation. Plan ahead and you will stay ahead.

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Trying to eat clean and gain mass is a difficult proposition. To gain mass requires an increase in calories, but you aim to keep fat increase to a minimum, so the calories you add need to be clean. Have you ever tried to consume 3600 calories of chicken, lean beef, veggies, oatmeal and other “good for you” foods? It isn't easy. However, with a little thought you can make this happen.

When I want to boost my calories and keep it clean I insert protein shakes into my nutrtional plan. They add at least 200 calories and usually more depending upon what you put in them. I don't need lots of variety, so I do my protein shakes about the same way every single time. However, I add or remove ingredients depending upon my personal needs at that point of the day.

A typical shake upon waking up would include the following ingredients:

1 scoop of whey protein
1 cup of frozen berries
1/2 cup of oatmeal
Tablespoon of MCT Oil
1 cup of Greek yogurt
Water

I blend this all up until I can drink everything down smoothly.

Later in the day I may need a boost in calories so I will modify the same shake. I will make one with the following ingredients:

1 scoop of whey protein
1/2 cup of oatmeal
1 cup of Greek yogurt
Water

This amounts to a smaller amount of calories.

Immediately after a workout I will have the following protein shake:

2 scoops of whey protein
1 tablespoon of maledextrin
Water

The point is that protein shakes bring the win. You can add calories safely and keep your protein intake high at the same time. You can control what's in the shake and in doing so, make it extremely nutritious. It is really a wonderful addition to your diet and fat loss regimen.

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Myths infiltrate every area of life and bodybuilding is no different. Here we will destroy 11 commonly held myths about bodybuilding and fitness that many have believed for a long time.

1. High scale weight means you are fat. Honestly this is so false it isn't even funny. Muscle weighs more than fat. When you train hard you gain muscle. You will eventually weigh more but your clothes will fit better. MYTH DESTROYED!
2. It isn't possible to build muscle with veggies. In order to grow, muscles need three types of stimulus–consistent weight training, calories and nutrients to support growth and recovery. Veggies have slow-digesting carbs, vitamins and minerals in them. Along with some lean protein, veggies are a major component towards building muscle. MYTH DESTROYED!
3. Fruit has no place in a bodybuilder's diet. Fruit, when eaten first thing in the morning, is actually very important to a bodybuilder's diet. It helps to revive the metabolism after a night of sleep. It gives you the energy needed to complete your workouts. MYTH DESTROYED!
4. Women tone while men build. Men and women both build muscle the exact same way. Every single person secretes growth hormones when training with weights. Muscle is important for staying lean. It actually helps by burning fat. Women generally want to be leaner than men which is why they claim to only want to tone. MYTH DESTROYED!
5. If you take a long break your muscle will turn to fat. Building muscle requires sufficient stimulus to the muscles to cause them to grow. If you stop that stimulus your muscles will atrophy. What then happens is that your appetite remains the same so you eat more food, but are lacking the muscle to burn the fat. It isn't muscle turning to fat, it is you getting fat from eating too much. MYTH DESTROYED!
6. Salt is bad for you. You need salt to be healthy. When you are low on sodium your body holds on to it. You wind up getting bloated. Instead, give your body enough salt and eventually it will get good at letting it go. MYTH DESTROYED!
7. You cannot be in great shape all year long. This is also false. If you eat properly all year you will stay lean all year. The key is that you won't be in contest ready shape, but you will be pretty darned close. MYTH DESTROYED!
8. Carbs are bad. If you want muscle growth you will need to take in some carbs. Carbs fuel the intense workouts we go through. MYTH DESTROYED!
9. Training with weights turns women into men. If women aren't supposed to have muscles, why do we have them? The definition of “manly” differs from one individual to another, but we all have a different body structure. Some women have more feminine lines, others more androgynous. Wide hip bones and narrow shoulders are typical female shapes, but that doesn't mean an athletic woman is less feminine. Our society forms our ideals; you choose what you find attractive. MYTH DESTROYED!
10. To lose fat you must avoid fat at all costs. Fat is necessary to maintain a healthy level of hormones and to aid in our use of vitamins. Leave fat out of your diet and your hopes of being lean and muscular go with it. MYTH DESTROYED!
11. Cheat meals are the same as refeeds. A refeed is a strategic meal aimed at replenishing things in your body. A cheat meal is more psychological, but has some physical benefits as well. MYTH DESTROYED!

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