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Gain Muscle, Lose Fat: 5 Simple Rules

These rules are simple, but not easy. Simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain is pretty straightforward, though it requires some serious lifestyle changes that aren’t always easy to implement. You really have to want to change. You really have to commit to a healthy, active lifestyle, following these parameters:

  1. Eat clean 90% of the time. Keep your carbohydrate consumption low. Only consume processed carbohydrates for your designated cheat days or cheat meals. On normal days, opt for lots of vegetables, lean meats, and legumes, preferably organic.
  2. Don’t shy again from strength training. Cardio is not the answer to gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously. So, get out of your cardio comfort zone if you’re in one at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Get into a solid strength-training regimen. Start getting into big, strength-enhancing movements like squatting or deadlifting, pull-ups, pushups, overhead presses, and a variety of core exercises. Let that be your focus combined with some occasional cardio workouts. For cardio, sprinkle in interval training instead of steady state cardio. For example, do some sprints, which will really get those glute muscles strong and sculpted.
  3. Be mindful of your carb intake. Your body can handle carbs more effectively post-workout. To stay lean or work towards a lean physique, get those carbs in after a powerful workout at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.
  4. Discover and do away with intolerant foods. You know you are intolerant to particular foods when they induce symptoms like bloating, gas, stomach pains, etc. anywhere up to 24 hours post-consumption. Typical foods to avoid: wheat and milk. Other foods may not be so obvious. To figure it out, try an elimination diet. Cut certain things out of your diet for one to two weeks and review the results. If you feel better, that thing was probably causing some issues. If you feel no different, it’s likely something else.
  5. Try a pilates or Greenville yoga class. Pilates and yoga are practices that cultivate a lot of strength, especially deep core strength. Plus, these forms of exercise enhance body intelligence and awareness, which is especially important for weight lifting.
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The 30/30 Rule

According to health and fitness guru, Tim Ferriss, one of the most effective ways you can promote weight loss is via the consumption of a protein-rich breakfast. Within 30 minutes of rising, it is highly advised that you consume at least 30g of protein (such as 3 eggs or a protein shake). This amount of protein has been proven to boost the metabolism and ward off potential cravings during the day. This breakfast, as opposed to a high-fat or high-carb breakfast, has proven way more successful in promoting fat loss and keeping the fat off.

It’s so simple. Just rise and within 30 minutes consume a breakfast fortified with 30g of protein. Hence, 30/30. Then, go work it at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

If you don’t have the time to prepare a complicated protein-rich breakfast, bring out the blender. Here’s a simple protein shake recipe of sustenance (inspired by Tim Ferriss) to support your activities throughout the day at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

  • 24 oz (3 cups) 2% or whole organic milk. Note: Use almond or soy milk if dairy free.
  • 30 g whey protein isolate (chocolate tends to work best). Note: Use rice protein if you’re lactose intolerant.
  • 1 banana
  • 3 heaping tbsp almond butter with no added sugar, maltodextrin, or syrups (preferably organic).
  • 5 ice cubes

Caloric and protein profile with 2% milk (approximate): 970 cal, 75 g protein.

Protein shakes are an acceptable meal replacement, especially for breakfast. Don’t, however, make a habit of replacing a lot of your meals with protein shakes, as you will miss out on the benefits of whole foods. Also, remember that protein has dehydrating properties. So, be sure to drink plenty of water when you are playing with protein shakes. Lastly, be careful with these protein dense shakes. If you aren’t a bodybuilder or elite athlete, you could very well overdo it, exceeding the amount of daily protein you actually need and thus, the amount of calories you actually need, resulting in unintentional weight gain.

Remember: All things in moderation. If you want my advice, just stick to these protein dynamos as occasional breakfast alternatives.

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4 Reasons NOT to Run

There is a cardio craze going on out there (especially for women) and it needs to stop…or at least hugely subside. Excess gym cardio is not the answer to sustainable fat loss. Excess gym cardio is not the way to burn off all of those weekend delights and indulgences. Excess gym cardio is not the way to a slimmer, fitter, and healthier you.

Okay, I’m not dissing cardio altogether here. I’m just saying it’s over-emphasized as a fat loss dynamo, when in reality, it’s really not so. Cardio in moderation is just fine. Dedicating yourself to it likes it’s a part-time job is not.

Here’s why:

  1. Too much cardio can impair the production of the thyroid hormone T3 and its effectiveness and metabolism. This has been shown to lead to a potential hypothyroid condition. Yikes.
  2. Running on a regular basis tricks your body into survival mode. Your body views all of this consistent running as serious stress on the body. To preserve itself, it will change the way it releases fat cells overtime. In fact, it will stop releasing them altogether (its way of conserving energy). It will accumulate them making it incredibly difficult to burn fat. Where does the body take its energy from, then? Keep reading.
  3. Muscle. Too much steady-state cardio actually initiates the loss of muscle, which triggers a bone density decrease and the loss of strength. Not good.
  4. Another thing: Frequenting the treadmill is basically asking for a chronic injury to go down. Because the belt is propelled by itself, you don’t actively engage your posterior chain (hammies, glutes) that would normally be needed to “pull” the ground in front of you. Hence, you get over developed quads, which causes an imbalance in the body. Treadmills should be used in moderation.

Release yourself from the confines of excess gym cardio. Go lift some weights next time you are at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Go practice some Greenville yoga. Build strength. Eat a healthy, wholesome diet. Consider these health and fitness initiatives your main priorities. Cardio should be an infrequent, short side note.

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Water: A Fat Loss Dynamo?

Fitness, health, and nutrition experts and enthusiasts consistently claim that water boosts fat loss. But does it really? And if it does, how does this process work?

Let’s tackle the first question: Does water enhance fat loss?

The answer is YES. Okay…but why?

  1. Water serves as an appetite suppressant. If your water intake is sufficient, you are less likely to experience cravings. If you drink enough water, your hunger pains will be legitimate cries for food. If you don’t drink enough water, your hunger pains, more often than not, are probably cries for hydration.
  2. Your kidneys require an adequate supply of water. If they are leeched of water, they will not be happy and your body’s waste dumping process will be compromised. When the kidneys don’t get enough water, the liver ends up operating poorly. Your liver is responsible for receiving fat cells and converting them into energy (instead of letting them sit around and accumulate). With enough water, this conversion happens quickly and effectively, optimizing fat loss.
  3. When you start shedding fat, the body senses an emergency. Evolutionarily speaking, lack of fat suggests lack of food, which in turn, suggests lack of resources, including lack of water. Drinking an abundance of water helps to keep that biological panic and a potential binge at bay.
  4. Consuming lots of water increases urine output. Urinating is a process of thermogenesis – a mechanism by which the body produces heat. When your body produces heat, it’s using up energy i.e. burning calories. So, the more trips to the W.C. you take, the more calories your are burning.
  5. Drinking water boosts metabolism because the body has to warm the water up to body temperature. This increase in heat production burns more calories. It is recommended that you drink 1 liter of water first thing in the morning to really jump-start your metabolism.

Clearly, water appears to benefit the process of fat loss. However, I wouldn’t label it a fat loss dynamo. While it does offer mild support in aiding fat loss, it takes much more to burn fat and keep it off. It takes a clean, balanced diet combined with an active lifestyle. Drinking lots of water will not prevent weight gain and cut fat in the absence of the other healthy-living components. But if you have a healthy diet and keep up with your workouts at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, water holds promise to augment your fat loss.

If you do both strength training and cardio at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club, try to drink about 1 gallon of water per day to sufficiently augment fat loss.

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7 Simple Fat Loss Wins

Diet is just as important (even more important) as the time and sweat you put in at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. For increased and sustained fat loss, diet is key. Fortunately, there are some simple dietary (and lifestyle) changes that you can implement to engender impressive, fat loss results. These tips, combined with an effective workout routine at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, will score you major fat loss wins.

  1. Eat Breakfast – Within 30 minutes of rising, consume 30g of protein. My 30g breakfast of choice consists of 2 eggs, 2-4 pieces of bacon, ½ cup of legumes (usually red lentils or black beans), and sautéed spinach. If you’re in hurry, whip up a protein shake. This is an awesome way to kick-start your day and ward off potential cravings.
  2. Drink More Water – Keep your liver happy. When your liver is dehydrated, it does not metabolize fat as effectively. So, keep hydrating!
  3. Eat More Protein – I can’t stress this enough. Get at least 20g of protein per meal. At breakfast, this is especially important.
  4. Drink Green Tea – Green tea has fat burning properties as well as caffeine for energy. Studies also indicate that it is a good post-workout beverage.
  5. Don’t Drink Your Calories – Just stick to water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee. 1-2 glass of red wine per day, you may be happy to learn, is also allowed. No juice. No soda. No cocktails. No beer. If you have to ask, it probably isn’t allowed (unless it’s your cheat day, of course!).
  6. Walk There – I’ve made a habit of walking places even when it is more convenient to drive or rely on public transportation. Walking is good, low impact cardio and, also, very meditative. It’s an awesome way to clear the cobwebs!
  7. Choose High Protein Snacks – If snacking is just something you can’t rule out, turn to snacks high in protein: Raw, organic nut butters, nuts, cottage cheese, etc.

Sure, there’s a bunch of additional techniques and life changes you can explore further to promote rapid and sustained fat loss. These tips, however, are among the simple.

These changes, though simple, are not easy. It may be hard for you to forgo on soda or give up your sugary snacks. These tips, though simple, require discipline just like your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym workouts require discipline. It’s amazing, however, how a few simple changes can create meaningful and lasting results.

For more fat loss tips and nutritional guidance, consult the team of personal trainers at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.

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