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11 More Bodybuilding Myths Destroyed

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bodybuilding myths

Bodybuilding myths are everywhere. Not that long ago I published 11 Myths About Bodybuilding Destroyed. The response was so good that I decided to expand the list with another 11 bodybuilding myths that need to be destroyed.

  1. If women lift heavy weights they will begin to look like a man. The facts are that any woman who lifts weights will become stronger over time, but that doesn't make her look like a man. Women produce just a fraction of the natural muscle-building hormone testosterone that men do. Even serious female trainers with many years of experience can't build the bulky muscle seen on male bodybuilders. Of course, anyone—man or woman—who injects themselves with testosterone or anabolic substances will super-enhance their muscular development, but that's well outside of what one can do naturally. MYTH DESTROYED!
  2. You must train your legs daily in order to get a curvaceous butt. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, training your legs daily will eventually lead to injury. Give yourself the required 48 to 72 hours rest before hitting those legs again. MYTH DESTROYED!
  3. The amount of protein bodybuilders eat is bad for your health. Protein is the raw material that helps you build muscle. Once digested your body breaks all protein down to individual amino acids. The facts are that you need a variety of protein in your diet in order to not shortchange your workouts. MYTH DESTROYED!
  4. Eating more than 3 meals a day will make you fat. Honestly the number of calories eaten each day is much more important than the number of meals you eat. Bodybuilders “graze” all day long. They eat many smaller meals rather than 3 larger ones. The number of calories is the same. You won't get fat doing this. Just look at how lean a bodybuilder is for further proof. MYTH DESTROYED!
  5. Women need no supplements. While the supplement plan for a woman is different than that for a man, this bodybuilding myth is ridiculous, but repeated over and over again. Most women need at least a multi-vitamin. They will also benefit from fish oils. Eat right, train hard and get on the right supplements and you will see massive changes in your body. MYTH DESTROYED!
  6. There is a “best” exercise for each body part. This would be a direct contradiction of the Experiment of One. There is no “best” exercise for each body part. The fact is that your “best” exercise, the one that hits that body part the best, will change over the  years. MYTH DESTROYED!
  7. Training like a bodybuilder will make you look like a bodybuilder. The people making this claim tell you to do more cardio than anything else. They believe they don't need weights. Obviously they are wrong. The most dangerous aspect of this bodybuilding myth is that it sets limitations that don't need to be set. MYTH DESTROYED!
  8. Over training will happen if you push yourself too hard. This one bugs the hell out of me. I personally believe this bodybuilding myth came about because people don't want to train as hard as they can. I say get in the gym and push yourself to the limit. If you consistently hit the gym and keep pushing the intensity to the next level you are doing real training. MYTH DESTROYED!
  9. It is best to follow the training plan set up by a professional. Everyone has done this. I have done it. These workouts are a great guideline and by studying them you will learn a lot about programming your own workouts, but you won't ever get the kinds of results you want by copying other people. MYTH DESTROYED!
  10. There is a quick fix to gaining muscle. This bodybuilding myth is also ridiculous. There are no quick fixes in bodybuilding. This sport takes hard work. Changing your physique takes hard work. Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can gain 30 lbs of muscle in 30 days or any of the other quick fixes. MYTH DESTROYED!
  11. The longer you lift the harder your workout. This bodybuilding myth is completely false. I have had some of the most intense workouts in just 45 minutes per session. The difficulty of your workout is directly related to the effort you put in. It has nothing at all to do with the time you put in. Try doing a Tabata workout and tell me that 4 minutes isn't intense enough. MYTH DESTROYED!

 

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Cardio Techniques: Body for Life Cardio Plan

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Body for Life cardio

The Body for Life cardio plan is one that is extremely intense. It is an interval plan, but not in the manner you are used to. I would qualify it as a type of HIIT plan, yet it is quite different at the same time. You can find out the Body for Life philosophy here.

Body for Life Cardio Benefits

As with any cardio program, the Body for Life cardio plan has some major benefits. It will increase your metabolic rate and keep it that way for many hours after you stop the workout. It will increase the release of growth hormone. Your cholesterol levels will improve and your digestion as well.

Body for Life Cardio vs. HIIT

As  you may already know, I am a big proponent of HIIT cardio. At the same time I use Body for Life cardio all the time. To me the main difference is that Body for Life doesn't give you the kind of rest that HIIT does. It appears that the program was designed to take on the benefits of steady state cardio and mix it with HIIT. It results in a really intense workout.

Body for Life Cardio – How to Execute It

Body for Life cardio can seem complicated to some, but it really is not. My basic plan is to do 20 minutes of Body for Life cardio each time I use it. The following is how I handle my 20 minutes.

4.0 mph – 2 minutes
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
4.0 mph – 1 minute
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
7.0 mph – 1 minute
4.0 mph – 1 minute
5.0 mph – 1 minute
5.5 mph – 1 minute
6.0 mph – 1 minute
6.5 mph – 1 minute
7.0 mph – 1 minute
3.5 mph – 2 minutes

20 minutes total

The intervals stay the same length, but the intensity slowly builds. I find that I am extremely winded when doing this program. When done you know you've done some intense cardio.

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Expose Podcast Episode #1: Let’s Talk About IIFYM

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podcast-iifym

Listen to Expose Podcast #1: Let's Talk About IIFYM

Today our topic is IIFYM — If It Fits Your Macros. What is IIFYM? IIFYM is an eating strategy designed to keep you in your best possible shape year round. It has recently gained in popularity among physique competitors who don't want to constantly live on a restrictive diet plan. While IIFYM has some major names backing it there are also many in the industry who are picking it apart. Let's have a look at this and see what we conclude about IIFYM.

As I did my research for this episode I came across a lot of things I know do not define IIFYM, yet they attempt to do so over and over. It is definitely a heated topic and one that probably will be for quite some time. This approach requires a change in thinking and so many people are not ready to change their thinking, especially when it comes to their way of eating.

On one side of this discussion is the clean eating crowd. This group claims you need to focus on what you eat and to some extent, how much of it you eat. They claim their way works because the food they eat is “clean” and that by watching their caloric intake they are able to take the fat off and keep it off. The clean eating crowd looks at IIFYM and claims it is about how much you eat with no regard to food quality.

On the other side of this discussion is the IIFYM crowd. They claim you need to pay attention to calories and macronutrient ratios and the rest will follow. To them it is more important to hit your macros than pretty much anything else. They see the clean crowd as being far too restrictive. In fact, it seems they believe most people will fall off the wagon with the clean crowd's approach because it is too restrictive. To me, the best term to fit this is “flexible dieting.”

So what really is the story with IIFYM? Basically it isn't much different from the clean eating crowd at all. It is a way of counting calories because it actually tracks your macronutrients which translates directly into calories. Confused by that? Don't be! One gram of protein or one gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. Thus, via the macronutrients, IIFYM counts your calories automatically. You might now be wondering where the controversy is. If both crowds seemingly believe the same thing where is the problem?

The part of IIFYM that throws people for a loop involves what they say you can eat. The IIFYM crowd says that as long as you hit your macronutrient numbers every day what you eat to get there won't affect your body composition in a negative way. Thus, you could get your protein from 99% lean turkey or you could get it from fatty ground beef, as long as you hit your protein macronutrient target it won't matter. The question on everyone's mind should now be “Does this really work?”

The short answer is that it definitely works. But why does it work? When you are trying to lose weight and/or fat the calories  you take in must be less than the calories you put out. In the strictest sense, while trying to lose weight and/or fat, a calorie is a calorie. The source of the calorie truly is irrelevant. However, in terms of body composition, macronutrients begin to matter a great deal. You will need to take in an ample amount of protein to maintain muscle. You will need an ample amount of carbohydrates to maintain training intensity. The right amount of healthy fats plays a huge role in hormone synthesis. It is at this point that we can understand why tracking your macronutrients is the key.

If you hit your macronutrient numbers you are going to hit your calorie goal as well. It is just that simple. So the clean eating crowd is completely wrong, right? You can eat whatever you want and as long as you hit your macronutrient numbers you're going to lose weight, right? We just said that, didn't we? Well hold on just a second because I am about to throw you a curve ball.

Eating junk food to get shredded is idiotic. The food we put into our bodies provides us with many vitamins and minerals that assist the physiological functions of the body itself. Candy and junk food are very deficient when it comes to micronutrients. These are essential to a healthy functioning body. So, this is where the clean eating crowd has it right. Health is more important than how you look. I will now suggest that merging the mindset of the two crowds is the correct answer in the long run.

I would like to suggest that you can implement the principles of IIFYM in the following manner and be very happy in the end with your results from both an aesthetic and health standpoint.

  • Get 80% of your calories from a healthy source that you actually like. By “healthy” I mean micronutrient dense. This addresses one problem people have when trying to stick to the clean eating group's approach–they get tired of chicken and vegetables all the time and one taste of something savory sends them off the wagon. If you want steak instead of chicken, merely adjust for the fat content. If you want whole fat Greek yogurt, adjust the other fats you intake that day.
  • Don't be afraid to eat some small indulgences. As long as those indulgences work into your macros for the day you will not derail your progress. You want some chocolate? That's great! Just fit it into your macronutrient numbers for the day and all is good.
  • Adjust your meal timing if necessary. So many people love food that is calorie dense. If that is you, don't be afraid to eat less meals. Your body won't slow its metabolism down by eating 3 meals instead of 5. I personally prefer smaller, more frequent meals, but that's me. Follow the Experiment of One when it comes to this and you are going to be just fine.

Like everything else in physique transformation, the Experiment of One is an essential tool. Don't try to force the approach of others to fit your own needs. It just isn't going to happen. Your body will tell you (or perhaps show you) what works best for it. Follow along and you will have great success.

Hopefully I have taken away some of the confusion surrounding this debate. Simply put, focus on your health before all other things. Don't use IIFYM as an excuse to eat horrible junk food non-stop. At the same time, use the flexibility built in to eat something savory every so often. It will keep you on track.

Thanks for your time and I look forward to the next episode of Expose Podcast.

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Monday Madness: Tabata for Fat Loss

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tabata training protocol

Tabata is an extremely intense training protocol that does wonders for fitness and fat loss. Tabata sessions are extremely short in duration. This makes them very attractive to many people.

Dr. Izumi Tabata – Inventor

Dr. Izumi Tabata is the inventor of the Tabata protocol. He conducted a study on the best way to incorporate an interval training model. His objective was to see if athletes would benefit from a 20/10 session repeated eight times. 20/10 means 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This adds up to four minutes total.

Dr. Tabata selected two groups of people and put them on an exercise program for six weeks. His control group did one hour of moderate-intensity exercise five times a week. The other group did the high-intensity Tabata-style training. That adds up to 1,800 minutes of training for the control group versus 120 minutes of training for the Tabata group over the six-week period. The results speak for themselves. The Tabata group improved both its aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels. The anaerobic fitness level increased 28%.

Tabata Workout Examples

You can incorporate tabata into your training very easily. It is a 20 second work interval followed by a 10 second rest interval repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes of training. Some example programs follow.

Tabata Example 1:

Sprint for 20 seconds
Walk for 10 seconds

Repeat the above 8 times

Tabata Example 2:

20 seconds of push ups
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of squats
10 seconds rest
20 seconds of medicine ball slams
10 seconds of rest
20 seconds jumping rope
10 seconds of rest

Cautions About Tabata Training:

  1. Tabata training is not for beginners. Tabata training is best for advanced exercisers who are comfortable with high-intensity exercise. The intensity accumulates, peaking near the end. It's easy for the intensity to become too challenging if you're not used to this type of training.
  2. If you go all out during the high intensity intervals, the 4-minute cycle will feel like the longest, most uncomfortable 4 minutes of your life. It may be too intense for some people.
  3. There is always a greater risk of injury when you're doing high-impact, high-intensity exercise. Minimize that risk by ensuring you're fit enough for this type of training. This would include working your way up to the intensity and duration. Also make sure you completely warm up before you start into your Tabata routine.
  4. Four minutes of the same exercise, even with rests in between, can get monotonous and quickly fatigue your muscles. This can cause your form (and motivation) to suffer if you aren’t mentally prepared!

Some Exercises to Use with Tabata

Mountain Climbers
Burpees
Squats
Sit ups
Sprints
Stairs
Leg raises
Calf raises
Bench press
Deadlift

Always pick exercises that utilize larger muscle groups.

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Holiday Tips – 2014 Edition

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holiday-tips-2014

This is the time of the year where most people get concerned about weight gain. Many people get depressed because they fail to achieve unrealistic holiday goals. They eat their way through the holidays, planning to lose it all after the New Year holiday. Many New Years resolutions have their origins in what happens during the holiday season. What follows are seven awesome holiday tips that will help you get through the holidays as though there was no challenge at all.

  1. Create a training schedule for the entire holiday period. The holidays are a very busy time of year. For many, this is the only time all year they meet up with extended family members. As a result, many training sessions get missed. Instead of succumbing to this, sit down now and plan every workout for the rest of this holiday period. Make them unbreakable appointments. Take into account the holiday pressures you are facing so that your plan will be bullet proof. As holiday tips go, this one is a must do. Put that shield up and get to work!
  2. When time is an issue, emphasize weight training. The holidays cause a time crunch like no other time of the year. As you create your training schedule, be cognizant of this fact. Be sure that you emphasize weight training over cardio. Muscle keeps the metabolism running at a higher rate. It is very important that you keep all of your hard earned muscle during this time of the year. It will help offset the eating that you do during the holidays by giving your body a better chance at burning off the calories. Weight training is going to be your holiday friend. Most holiday tips lists avoid this one.
  3. Limit alcohol consumption. Most people don’t realize how many calories alcoholic beverages add to their diet. In addition, the carbohydrates that exist in alcohol can lead to massively increased fat storage. Alcohol calories count too. You can combat the ill effects by limiting your alcohol consumption. Set limits and then stick to them. By doing so you will limit the fat gain that can occur as the result of alcohol consumption.
  4. Don’t keep “trigger” foods around. We all have them—“trigger” foods that send us into binge mode. For some it is something seemingly healthy like nuts. For others it is chocolate. Whatever the food, by making sure that “trigger” foods are not kept in your home you will avoid the binging that usually accompanies them.
  5. Plan your cheat days. Most experts will tell you that the road to long term nutritional compliance is paved with cheat days. We need cheat days so that we have something to look forward to. A planned cheat meal will help you get through even the toughest nutritional challenges because you will know you have something great to eat in front of you. Take advantage of this fact during the holidays. Plan your cheat days for the actual holiday itself. Don’t drastically change your plans because of the holidays, simply insert cheat days strategically. Knowing you can partake in holiday cheat meals will keep you focused on your goals.
  6. Change Your Workout Time. The holiday season makes most of us extremely busy. If you normally workout in the middle of the day consider moving that to the start or end of the day to insure you get the workout in. Missing workouts can cause you to “fall off the wagon” and that is not something any of us wants.
  7. Know Your Gym's Schedule. An easy holiday tip is to make sure you know your gym's holiday hours. This is how you can avoid missing any workouts due to your own mistakes. Gym's routinely change their schedule during the holidays, even the 24 hour variety.

The holiday season is no excuse to skip workouts and eat terrible food. These holiday tips will keep you focused and on track. By putting these tips into your program you will find that your focus increases and you power through your goals even during the holiday season.

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