When we look at muscle growth or fat loss, there are three main ingredients that dictate if we reach these goals. I am going to talk a little bit about each one and how it is important.
I would consider this piece of the pie one of the most important chunks of the whole puzzle. The reason being that even if you exercise and take the right supplements, if your food intake is not what it should be, and things are not timed properly, you may still never accomplish your goals. If you eat the wrong stuff and eat too much of it, you will never have a net fat loss. If you don’t eat enough of the right foods, you may never have net muscle growth. You can’t build muscle out of thin air. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat foods that encourage this, and that will not add fat to counter your other efforts. If you want to have more muscle mass, you not only need the necessary building blocks and energy for this, timing is also very important. When you eat what can sometimes make a big difference in your results. And of course, amounts are always important too as well as frequency of meals. You want to have a calorie surplus when you are trying to grow and a calorie deficit when you are trying to loose excess body fat.
Exercise can be broken down into weight training and cardio. I would consider this the second most important piece of the puzzle. How you exercise is really important in determining if you get stronger, get bigger, lose fat, lose muscle, etc. For instance, a lot of guys I start to work with that are trying to diet down for a competition, the first thing that a lot of them learn is that when doing your cardio workout, keep your heart rate at about 60 – 65% of your maximum heart rate. Why? Because at these levels (low to moderate) the body is more apt to use it’s fat stores as energy. The higher your heart rate goes, you will still burn fat, but your body will also begin to use glycogen as an energy source which will lead to muscle catabolism, and we don’t want that hard earned muscle to get broken down and used by the body to make glycogen just to get our cardio done.
When doing weight training (working out with weights), how heavy you lift, rep ranges, workout volume (total sets and reps), and rest intervals all affect how your muscles grow. The right combination of all of these variables is what it takes to make the type of gains you are interested in, whether it be size, power, endurance, muscle tone, etc.
This is often the most ignored part of a training program. My first response to people that don’t take any supplements is, “Why would you want to only use two out of the three tools you have available?” Adding the right supplements to your regimen will only help you even more to complete your goals. Supplements can help with endurance, energy levels, net protein synthesis, and fat loss. What are the right supplements? That will always depend on your goals, but just a few that I think can benefit just about anyone are creatine monohydrate and an NO product such BSN Nitrix, or MRI NO2. Other supplements might include caffeine (whether from coffee or in pill form), ephedrine (if you are okay with the side effects and risks that might be involved), yohimbe, pre-workout energy drinks, vitamins, or certain amino acids.
Although I don’t consider protein a supplement, it’s a must. I classify protein powders under diet and nutrition. I look at them as part of your overall calorie and macronutrient intake.
A note on supplements, I always encourage people to research any supplement they want to use. Know the risks, know the benefits, and make an informed and safe decision about what you use. Supplements should always be used in small amounts at first to assess how your body reacts to them and then steadily increased before diving in and taking the recommended dosages.
There are three pieces to the pie, so all three need to be utilized. The details is where it’s at. Knowing what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat it, how to train, and having the right supplement program are all important in meeting your goals in developing your physique.
Disclaimer: Rock Solid Physique, LLC (Jason Allinder) is not a doctor, registered dietitian, or certified personal trainer. The contents of this email are not meant to be taken as medical advice, or to replace the advice of a qualified medical professional. Always consult with your doctor before beginning any diet, exercise, or supplement program.
