Seeing the scale go down is a nice feeling when you’re “dieting” but if the weight you are losing is lean muscle it will only pose huge problems for you in the future! Muscle weighs twice as much as fat, so if you are dropping weight quite rapidly and not consuming enough protein in your daily diet you are losing valuable muscle! I have been saying this for years – do not just do cardio exercise, but lift weights too! Stimulating and “tearing” your muscle fibers down during resistance training is only part of the equation. You must ingest amino acids (which are in your proteins) to rebuild and recover from those intense workouts!

Lots of cardio exercise without proper protein intake will only result in one thing – weight loss. That weight loss will be some fat of course, some water weight as well but most importantly lean muscle loss. The goal is to lose as much body fat as possible while retaining lean tissue (muscle). I don’t care who you are, nobody wants to purposely lose muscle from their body. The more muscle you have, the more fat you lose. Having more muscle on your frame allows us to eat more food as well because it takes more energy to sustain that muscle.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the “yo-yo dieting” phenomenon? Losing a lot of weight (muscle included) and then finishing your diet only to start eating like you did before your diet will lead to a rebound of rapid weight gain! The difference is this time it will be ALL fat gain and lots more where that came from. Remember I said losing muscle will only pose huge problems in the future? Losing the muscle during your “weight loss” catches up to you because now you have less muscle to combat the fat you had. Fat cells merely shrink when you “lose” so when they begin to get bigger from eating more, you are not packing around the muscle mass you once had to burn more calories. This in turn will make you even fatter than before you started to lose your weight!

How can you stop this from happening? First thing is to change your thinking. Concentrate on losing “fat” NOT just “weight.” Muscle weight is the most important thing you can try and maintain while dropping down on the scale. Psychologically this will be harder because when you do look at the scale it may not go down much. This is why taking measurements is more important than a weigh scale.

Along with taking measurements and using your mirror image to chart your progress it is crucial to maintain a high protein diet everyday to hold on to muscle. Even if the majority of your exercise is of the cardio type, you must remember to not let your body go too long without protein. You want to stay in what is called an “Anabolic state.” (muscle building/muscle sparing). This will enhance your chances of success. Allowing your body to go into a “Catabolic state” (muscle wasting) is a huge mistake that many make.

This is a rather easy thing to avoid. Simply make sure you are ingesting a protein source every 3-4 hours max throughout the day – everyday. Do not forget about the night time either!  You want to remain in that same anabolic state while you sleep as that is when you recover and/or grow. Drinking a slow release protein containing Casein before bed helps this state to be in effect for up to 8 hours. High protein and very low to no carbohydrates is the key. Breakfast needs a high protein source a well. The word Breakfast means to “break the fast” which makes sense, but what I am saying is DO NOT fast over night!

Any questions regarding this or anything else fitness related please email Darren at askgymjunky@gmail.com Good luck with your training!

About my writing: My writing style is my own and to let my reader’s know ahead of time – I say it like it is! My intention is not to offend, but inform. I welcome any questions or even comments YOU the reader has. If for some reason, I do not know the answer, I will find it for you! Please email your questions to:

askgymjunky@gmail.com

I look forward to working with MuscleSport Online Magazine as it is the best online magazine! – Darren Sorensen

My personalized training programs are: $45 US. Personalized eating plans are: $250 US (for 3 months support, included).

Last week we took a look at the concept of low carb dieting and its affect on performance levels. What we discovered on our trip to the ‘ketone state’ was that, contrary to popular propaganda; we do not need a diet high in carbs in order to achieve a high level of performance. In fact, the body responds remarkably well to a low carb situation as long as fats and protein are kept at optimum levels. It is only the initial transition to such a diet that may cause a little discomfort as your body gets used to utilizing its new fuel source. However, there are times when ‘a little icing is necessary on the cake’ and this is during an off-season building phase. So, this week we are going to take a look at those times when a little extra carbohydrate can be your friend rather than your foe…

OFF SEASON CARBS..

In the off-season, when you are trying to gain extra muscle mass, carbohydrates are needed to fuel intense workouts. Too little carbs in this case could compromise your endurance levels and your ability to perform at maximum intensity. Carbs are also important when it comes to recovering from intense training sessions as they spare the protein and fats you consume for the process of repair and growth.

The trick here is to give your body enough fats and protein to build muscle and then just add enough carbs to fuel this process. Products such as CARBOLYZE from Species Nutrition(www.speciesnutrition.com)  can help you to eliminate the guesswork when it comes to pre and post workout carb intake. CARBOLYZE was formulated to address the needs of bodybuilders who were tired of traditional carbohydrate sources leaving them feeling bloated or with incapacitating stomach cramps. The waxy maize starch in CARBOLYZE, due to its high molecular weight, rapidly passes through the stomach without causing indigestion or stomach discomfort. In order to get the maximum results from your workout it is highly recommended to take 40 grams of CARBOLYZE mixed with 50g Whey Protein Isolate before your workout and then after your workout take another 40 grams CARBOLYZE and 50g Whey Protein Isolate. These ratios have been used by many top athletes and have been found highly effective when it comes to gaining quality muscle mass in the off-season.

PRE CONTEST CARB CONTROL

The key to successfully using carbs is to control your carbs and not to let them control you! This is especially important when it comes to using carbs during your pre contest phase. During this time your carb intake will be significantly lower and, as a result of this, your insulin levels will fall. Last time we addressed the importance of a once weekly ‘cheat meal’ to increase insulin levels enough to regulate levels of thyroid hormone. This once weekly ‘re-feed’ should not be treated as if it was your last day on earth, with you consuming so many carbs that moving out of your armchair becomes as hard as benching an overloaded barbell. Remember, the cheat meal is ONE meal and it is an exercise in scientific nutrition not advanced gluttony!

OFF SEASON CARBS

When it comes to building mass a basic guideline would be to consume 1-1.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight. The rest of your diet should be based around 1.5g protein and 0.75g fat per pound. Taking most of your carbs earlier in the day is also a good idea if you tend to gain weight easily.

REMOVING THE MYSTIQUE

Once you understand the concept of using carbs as an agent to spare protein and fats for the process of building muscle it becomes almost instinctual as to how to use them and not abuse them in your diet. Healthy protein and fats should never be overshadowed by carbohydrate in your diet and anyone who suggests that you cannot build muscle without large amounts of carbs in your diet should be treated like the Joker in a pack of cards!

When it comes to the manipulation of macronutrients it is all about successful synergy. Learning to choreograph your carbs to dance smoothly with your protein, rather than treading on their toes and stopping them performing their number one task – repairing and building muscle!

Leigh Penman began her writing career in 1980 when she started her own weekly music column in a Scottish newspaper. From there she went on to writing for all the major music publications in the UK at that time, including ‘Record Mirror’, ‘Sounds’, ‘New Musical Express’ and ‘Number One’. Her work included interview such celebrities as Madonna, Cher, Tina Turner and David Bowie.

The late 80’s saw her moving into writing for nutrition companies and eventually bodybuilding magazines. She rapidly gained a reputation as being one of the top female writers on the bodybuilding scene and was a contributing editor on ‘Muscle & Co’, ‘Bodybuilding Monthly’, ‘Strength Athlete’, ‘Health & Fitness’ and ‘Fit Body’. She was also a major contributor to the Arnold endorsed magazine ‘Bodypower’ –where she went on to establish the position of ‘Show business Editor’. In addition to this she held the position of Ladies Editor for ‘Physiques International’

In between all this she has written for Personal Development magazines and organizations –including Tony Robbins UK division. Has collaborated on book projects with Leslie Kenton –the original Raw Food and female empowerment guru – and written for computer magazines…..and now she is with Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness magazine, Bodybuilding.com, RX muscle.com, Species Nutrition and of course musclesportmag.com!

She is a certified personal trainer, hypnotherapist and has been working out since the age of 15.