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After years of study, self experimentation and research into the topics (I'm an amateur powerlifter, bodybuilder as well as a general fitness freak...I also wri

After years of study, self experimentation and research into the topics (I'm an amateur powerlifter, bodybuilder as well as a general fitness freak...I also write fitness related content, books mostly) here are some quick things to help sort this out. It's all about the hormones. The single most important element to not getting fat is identifying yourself and then eating appropriately. Are you a couch potato? Then YES, you need to restrict carb content. Are you an athelete? Go ahead and eat carbs, but eat them AT THE RIGHT TIME (meaning, post workouts* mostly). And eat the right ones (high GI immediately post heavy lifting session, lower GI later in the day (generally speaking)). Protein is your friend. Make sure all meals have it. Eat lots of veggies, mostly green. Drink lots of water. Limit chemical consumption (most diet sodas spike insulin...might as well be eating a candy bar). Getting more specific is going to really depend on our goals. This is critically important. If you can state what your goal is, it is REALLY EASY to understand how to eat, workout and live to meet those goals...but if you don't know the goal, you'll flounder. For instance, to lose weight: Restrict carbs for 6.5 days in a week. Do a carb refeed on the 7th night. Eat only protein, fat and veggies (think eggs, bacon and broccoli) when you restrict the carbs. You'll lose tons of weight and retain the muscle. To put this in to high gear, do a HIIT sprint session on day 1 and 2 to completely deplete your glycogen stores. To gain weight (muscle): Before you workout, water, protein, fat and veggies. After you workout (heavy weight workout), protein, carbs and veggies. Carbs stimulate insulin, shuttling nutrients to muscles, helping them grow. There are TONS of tweaks to each of these if you are having trouble (like, for instance, add milk if you are still having trouble gaining weight or add some light cardio if you are having trouble losing weight), but the basics are the above. I love this stuff.... * btw..when I say "workout", I mean heavy weight workouts (barbell etc). There is something special about the way it stimulates your body that high rep bodyweight workouts just can't do. Bodyweight workouts have their place, but they should be used for a very specific goal...

wdewind 14y ago
Great post. I also am really into fitness, diet etc. One of the lowest hanging fruits I have found in most people's diet (including my own at first) is lack of proper protein intake and a completely unrealistic notion of how much protein should be in ones diet. You should be getting about 1g/lbs of body mass a day, which is nearly 2x the recommended intake by the FDA. If you eat that much protein you're going to have a really hard time feeling hungry enough to stuff your face with carbs.
dfxm12 14y ago
* btw..when I say "workout", I mean heavy weight workouts (barbell etc). There is something special about the way it stimulates your body that high rep bodyweight workouts just can't do. Bodyweight workouts have their place, but they should be used for a very specific goal...* Where do you draw the line for "high rep"? Are you talking >8? >12? >20? I'm just thinking: is there a difference between doing 8-12 reps for 3 sets & 4-6 reps (don't know how many sets I should if I do lower reps)?
- FelixP 14y ago
  It makes a huge difference. Here is a great article that covers a lot of the basics in a very accessible / narrative way: http://archive.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie http://archive.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fit... Basically: - Low Reps / Set = Strength / Power - Med Reps / Set = Mass - High Reps / Set = Endurance / "tone" See these two charts for a little more detail: - http://i.imgur.com/vZ7pU.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vZ7pU.jpg - http://i.imgur.com/4NVGh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/4NVGh.jpg FTA: "...it all starts with understanding the four basic muscular aptitudes: strength, power, muscle mass, and muscular endurance. Strength means how much you can lift once, and it’s the backbone of every sport on Earth, from the crouch-holding power of a skier to the one-finger pull-up of a climber. Power is a more slippery term that means “speed strength,” or how much you can lift very, very quickly, and it gives you the explosive paddling speed to catch a big wave or the pedaling burst to fire your mountain bike up a grade. Muscle mass can be a liability in sports like climbing, where it’s all about strength-to-weight ratio, but mass helps enormously with games like rugby and football, and it can support strength and power — not to mention make you look better in a T-shirt. Muscular endurance means how many times you can lift a given weight in a row without stopping, and it’s the essence of running, swimming, and even a kayaker’s long-haul paddling. As for your training sessions themselves, the number one thing to remember is that each of the Fundamental Four responds to a different number of repetitions per set. Lift a weight so heavy you can lift it only once, you’re building strength (and, oddly, not much mass); lift a weight you can move six to 12 times, you’re building mass (and, oddly, a little less pure strength); ease up to a weight you can lift 50 times, and you’re working muscular endurance (which is great for endurance sports but tends to undermine the first three, shrinking your strength, power, and muscle size)."

wdewind 14y ago

Great post. I also am really into fitness, diet etc. One of the lowest hanging fruits I have found in most people's diet (including my own at first) is lack of proper protein intake and a completely unrealistic notion of how much protein should be in ones diet. You should be getting about 1g/lbs of body mass a day, which is nearly 2x the recommended intake by the FDA. If you eat that much protein you're going to have a really hard time feeling hungry enough to stuff your face with carbs.

dfxm12 14y ago

* btw..when I say "workout", I mean heavy weight workouts (barbell etc). There is something special about the way it stimulates your body that high rep bodyweight workouts just can't do. Bodyweight workouts have their place, but they should be used for a very specific goal...* Where do you draw the line for "high rep"? Are you talking >8? >12? >20? I'm just thinking: is there a difference between doing 8-12 reps for 3 sets & 4-6 reps (don't know how many sets I should if I do lower reps)?

FelixP 14y ago
It makes a huge difference. Here is a great article that covers a lot of the basics in a very accessible / narrative way: http://archive.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie http://archive.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fit... Basically: - Low Reps / Set = Strength / Power - Med Reps / Set = Mass - High Reps / Set = Endurance / "tone" See these two charts for a little more detail: - http://i.imgur.com/vZ7pU.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vZ7pU.jpg - http://i.imgur.com/4NVGh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/4NVGh.jpg FTA: "...it all starts with understanding the four basic muscular aptitudes: strength, power, muscle mass, and muscular endurance. Strength means how much you can lift once, and it’s the backbone of every sport on Earth, from the crouch-holding power of a skier to the one-finger pull-up of a climber. Power is a more slippery term that means “speed strength,” or how much you can lift very, very quickly, and it gives you the explosive paddling speed to catch a big wave or the pedaling burst to fire your mountain bike up a grade. Muscle mass can be a liability in sports like climbing, where it’s all about strength-to-weight ratio, but mass helps enormously with games like rugby and football, and it can support strength and power — not to mention make you look better in a T-shirt. Muscular endurance means how many times you can lift a given weight in a row without stopping, and it’s the essence of running, swimming, and even a kayaker’s long-haul paddling. As for your training sessions themselves, the number one thing to remember is that each of the Fundamental Four responds to a different number of repetitions per set. Lift a weight so heavy you can lift it only once, you’re building strength (and, oddly, not much mass); lift a weight you can move six to 12 times, you’re building mass (and, oddly, a little less pure strength); ease up to a weight you can lift 50 times, and you’re working muscular endurance (which is great for endurance sports but tends to undermine the first three, shrinking your strength, power, and muscle size)."