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).

By Matthew Sgro

This is part of a continuing series provided exclusively by MuscleSport Mag entitled, “This is Your Magazine,” where we profile the every-day athlete. If you would like to see yourself profiled here, please send us your story and photo to superbas@optonline.net.

There are many ways to improve one’s physique and fitness level. One example of this is kettle bell training. Under the guidance of a properly trained professional this can be a highly effective and safe manner of training. As many physical therapists and professional personal trainers will tell you, training of this type with an unqualified trainer can be dangerous. They can say this because they’ve probably seen people after they’ve recieved this training.

There are very few exercises that are “wrong.” With the right form and instruction, you can get in phenomenal shape with many different types of training. Someone who specializes in a type of training such as kettle bells is exactly what you need when training with such type of training.

A personal trainer that specializes in general fitness, weight loss and muscle building will often times incorporate many different styles and types of training. He or she won’t claim to be an expert in anything besides safe, effective training. Being a quality, well rounded trainer, they will make themself familiar with all types of training that’s out there. This is because they WANT to. They have the interest level and drive to learn. That’s the type of trainer that will take an interest in YOU, the client, and what your special concerns, goals and conditions are. This is who you should be looking for when interviewing a trainer.

It’s your job, as the boss of your body and fitness to do this. If it doesn’t feel right, interview several trainers. A good suggestion may be to do this anyways, just to get a feel for what’s out there. Take control of your fitness journey. Don’t let someone else make the decision for you. Don’t let the first person you talk to rope you into a year of training you’re not sure about. This person is a salesman, not a trainer. Ask for a sample workout session. Ask for credentials. Interview your trainer like you’d interview a nanny taking care of the most percious thing in your life. Your body is extremely important and what you do to improve it is too.

A WORD FROM MATT: My connections in the fitness industry and contacts go from the Philadelphia area to Los Angeles California. If you would like help in finding a quality trainer in your area I would gladly help you do so. Just send me an email on my website and I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction.

Matthew Sgro, in addition to being a MuscleSport Mag staff writer, is the President and Founder of Elite Personal Training Studios, Inc. and Boot Camps with a Purpose, Inc., located in Exton, PA. For details, visit www.TrainAtElite.com.

One month ago, Jessica Hardy had gold medal aspirations and most likely began to prepare for the trip to Beijing. But following a positive test for clenbuterol, the young swimmer has seen her career take a turn for the worse. After claiming her innocence, she now has publicly stated through her attorney that the test was correct and has accepted the fact that she will not represent the United States in the 2008 Summer Olympics, choosing to turn her attention towards getting back in the water as soon as possible.

A two-year ban will be extremely difficult for Hardy, 21, to overcome. She has claimed that she has never even heard of clen and has no idea how it appeared in her system. That will be a tough task convincing anyone of that, since it’s intended and prescribed use is as a breathing agent for asthma sufferers and is more commonly used for weight loss. Unless Hardy has a prescription as an asthmatic, her chances are not good to get the ban reduced.

Her lawyer, Howard Jacobs, read from Hardy’s prepared statement, “She accepts the fact that the testing was properly done and the results properly reported,” and that following their determination of the reason for the positive test, that Hardy “will seek to have her period of suspension reduced substantially.”

Hardy should come clean and plead her case by jumping on the sword. Having both her “A” and “B” tests show the banned substance is basically a cut and dry case. She has a better chance of getting some time chopped off her suspension by being up front. It is unreasonable to think that people would believe her with the evidence that is there now.