First of all, I want to congratulate you on actually making it a point to do some cardio.

Some of you reading this might love cardio because of its therapeutic effects and health benefits. Whereas, some are on the other end of the spectrum – liking memes on “F cardio”.

Cardio. The battle is real. 

But you have found good reasons to ease your way into getting some cardio done.

Either way, you’re on a journey to make the best out of every cardio session.

Is Pre-Workout Before Cardio a Good Idea?

We all know how effective pre-workout is for going HAM and lifting weights. What about cardio? Do I need pre-workout? If I do, which active ingredient should I look out for? And most importantly, is it bad for me?

In this article, you’ll get your answers to:

• What are the different types of pre-workout supplements and their evidence-based benefits
• Does Vitamin B help in Pumping Up for Your Cardio Workouts???
• What are the 2 types of cardio and which pre-workout supplements suits them best
• Why you might want to consider NOT taking pre-workout supplements for cardio

Different Types of Pre-workout Supplements

At the mention of pre-workout, many of us would think of some powdered supplement or even a canned beverage that contains caffeine and other stimulants.

We have man-made pre-workout options with varying active ingredients. We’ll be looking the top 5 that you might find familiar. Then, we will see how the different types of pre-workout supplements can help to boost your performance in different ways.

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Creatine

Sprinting is a good power-related cardio activity.

Creatine here is a go-to for many – newbies and experienced athletes alike. A recent 2017 research has shown over that creatine is great for improving strength and power-related performances.

The same study adds that it facilitates in muscle recovery, injury prevention, and thermoregulation (as the name suggests, regulating your body’s core temperature so you don’t get cooked inside out or, frozen for the matter of fact) as well.

Another study in 2015 also resulted in individuals who took creatine to show improved lower limb strength for short duration activities (< 3 minutes).

Caffeine

If you need caffeine to wake up and head to work or school, you’ll probably figure that it’ll be necessary for a bout of cardio.

Right… Not the wisest thing to do.

Caffeine is a stimulant that increases your heart rate, alertness, power, and endurance.  It’s prowess to boost up your energy levels is actually suppressing the antagonist molecules, called melatonin in your brain. Melatonin makes you feel sleepy and lethargic. Caffeine increases alertness by blocking out melatonin from telling your brain that you should take a nap.

Beta-Alanine

A type of amino acid that assists you by increasing your tolerance to lactic acid build-up in your muscles. Lactic acid build-up causes muscle fatigue and results in having to stop the exercise once your threshold is reached.

Research from a prestigious journal in 2015 shows that beta-alanine can help to improve performance by helping you last longer as it buffers the lactic acid build-up. Thus, prolonging the time before you reach your threshold and eventually, stop your exercise.

Beta-alanine is a precursor for carnosine synthesis in the body. Excess beta-alanine in your body can help in producing carnosine.

Why’d you want carnosine in the first place?

Well, research has shown that carnosine acts as a buffer against lactic acid build-up. Lactic acid is notorious for causing muscle fatigue, leads for legs and, unbearable painful sensations. This is due to the hydrogen ions.

Lactic acid build-up causes muscles to feel pain and heavy thus, ceasing the exercise.

With carnosine, the build-up is slowed down thus, increasing your endurance performance.

BCAAs

Must have heard about this raved-over supplement, haven’t you? You might even use it on a regular basis as well – always on the gain-train, aren’t ya?

BCAAs is an acronym for branched-chain amino acids and it primarily contains three types of amino acids that are vital in muscle building and are on the list of nine essential amino acids A.K.A we can’t synthesize it and need to consume from external sources.

The three amino acids are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

Research has shown that BCAAs can improve your running endurance performance, help to reduce both mental and physical fatigue, and even aid in lessening muscle aches after running and weight training. Plus, BCAAs has muscle building properties too.

Nitrate

Okay, maybe Nitric Oxide would ring a bell for some of you. Yes, no, potato?

Beetroots are natural sources that are high in nitrate.

A quick intro on nitrate – it is found in vegetables like spinach, turnip, and beetroot. Nitrate or its consumable form, nitric oxide is taken to help in increasing blood flow. Increasing blood flow can assist in giving you a better performance with activities related to endurance.

Vitamin B helps in Pumping Up for Your Cardio Workouts???

I’m sure you’ve heard how vitamin B-complex helps in giving a lift in your energy levels.

This, however, is only true for those who are deficient in vitamin B. If you’re on the healthy side and follow a wholesome and nutritious eating lifestyle, the extra water-soluble vitamin B would simply be passed out through urination.

Bye-bye Bs!

NO, you’re lying. I get some kick from drinking energy drinks that contain vitamin B!

Yes, I feel it too. I love my energy drinks and I do feel the “kick” too. But, it may be due to the other stimulants such as caffeine, guarana, and ginseng as research has proven so.

Reading the nutritional label for the energy drinks can help you make
a better decision on your pre-workout.

Densie Webb Ph.D., R.d., mentions that vitamin B does not directly provide you with energy. Energy comes from only the three macronutrients namely, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. However, vitamin B does help to convert these energy sources into Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in the presence of oxygen that takes place in the mitochondria.

ATP is the currency for energy in our body. Your muscles require ATP to contract and pull the bones to create movement – like scrolling down while reading this article.

2 Types of Cardio & Which Pre-workout Supplements to Use

I think you’ve probably caught on a pattern on the benefits of pre-workout supplements – it’s either to increase your endurance, boost muscle building capabilities or, get Zeus to grant you strength and power.

Let’s take a look at the two types of cardio and which pre-workout would give you the edge that you desire.

LISS: Low Intensity Steady State

This is the opposite of the popular HIIT cardio that we all know and “love”.

LISS exercises are like brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, etc. But, done at the 60 % heart rate where it is known as the “fat-burning zone” and, for at least a 20-minute duration.

The goal of LISS cardio is essentially for health and well-being. Or, if you really detest cardio but are trying to make it part of your life right now, LISS would be a good start as compared to HIIT. It also helps to train your cardiovascular system and endurance.

Thus, you don’t require much power, strength, or even caffeine to be more alert or awake. Just don’t trip over your leg while you’re on a jog.

Pre-workout Supplements for LISS Cardio

• BCAAs
• Nitrate

Both of these pre-workout supplements aim to help you increase your endurance thus, it’s very suitable to help you maximize your LISS cardio sessions. By maximizing your LISS cardio sessions, you’ll be able to last longer or, endure more thus, more work can be done.

Increasing endurance can be seen in two ways. They are lasting a longer duration and, being able to work at a slightly higher intensity.

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training

HIIT is king when it comes to fat-loss. Many might have an aversion for this sweat-busting alternative but isn’t sweat the tears of fats?

The HIIT cardio is known for its fat-loss benefits together with maintaining or even building your muscles. Contrary to many opinions on not being able to build muscles and lose fats simultaneously, HIIT begs to differ.

Research has shown that HIIT exercises not only can help you with fat loss and muscle building at the same time, it can also improve your cholesterol levels, regulate your blood pressure levels, and inflammatory markers (risk of stroke, acute coronary symptoms, and heart diseases).

HIIT exercise poses a greater challenge because it will bring about more metabolic stress as opposed to LISS. The nature of HIIT is fast, powerful, and all-out for a short interval then, taking a short break. This is repeated several times.

Oh, how true is this?!

Exercises can include sprints, plyometric (jumping activities), commando push-ups, burpees, and the list goes on. However, as mentioned, the execution of these exercises has to be all-out (!)

Hopping onto the HIIT bandwagon is a pretty demanding thing to do because it requires 100% effort for each and every rep/second of the workout. The goal of HIIT would be to generally lose fats, build muscles, and increase power, strength, and even muscular endurance.

Pre-workout Supplements for HIIT Cardio

• Creatine
• Caffeine
• Beta-alanine
• BCAAs
• Nitrate

All of the discussed pre-workout supplements aim to help you increase your power, strength and, endurance thus, all of them are suitable to help you maximize your HIIT cardio sessions. By maximizing your HIIT cardio sessions, you’ll be able to last longer or, endure more at an even higher intensity.

Why You Might NOT Want to Take Pre-workout Supplements for Cardio Sessions

Don’t Need It At All

Unless you’re running miles after miles, like a marathon, pre-workout supplements aren’t the most important thing on the list.

The demand of LISS just isn’t too much that a medium-sized banana can’t help you with. It’s always best to rely on strong willpower and natural sources of energy and, LISS is one of the types of exercises that doesn’t call for a pre-workout supplement.

That being said, if you really need some “oomph” for the LISS cardio session, you can consider BCAAs and Nitrate as sources of pre-workout supplements.

The Type of Runs You Don’t Want

HIIT might be a better fit for pre-workout supplements to make a difference in the quality of your workout. Due to the strenuous and challenging requirements, a pre-workout supplement may seem like a helpful pump.

However, watch out for the runs!

No, not running – the activity. The ones that make you run straight to the loo.

Sugar-Filled – There Are Better Options Out There, Really

There are some pre-workout mixes that come in liquid forms, either canned or bottled. Those pre-made concoctions are usually sugar-filled (always good to take a look at the nutritional label).

They’re like the carbonated sweet drinks that we only drink during cheat days, but with either added stimulants such as caffeine, guarana, ginseng, etc. to give you the extra boost.

Money

Save your money and invest in a bunch of bananas instead (don’t know why bananas seem to be especially important in this article but, they are awesome sources for quick-releasing energy).

However, if you already have a container of pre-workout powder, it’s totally cool. Save that scoop for weightlifting days instead. They’ll be put to better use than consuming them for LISS cardio.

On the other hand, HIIT cardio can be a good time to utilize the “power-powder”. Just don’t forget about the caution on its side effects like diarrhea.

Conclusion

Pre-workout isn’t bad before cardio sessions because it does come with ergogenic effects that help boost the quality and performance, be it LISS or HIIT cardio.

However, it’s always better to go natural as the side effects like diarrhea, halfway through your workout is minimized.

Bananas here probably needs a little more time to ripen.

I’d recommend you to go natty and take a banana instead.

The post Pre Workout Before Cardio – Is it bad for you? appeared first on Gymshock - Supplement Reviews & Fitness Guides.

Is it any wonder that the science of fat loss is confusing? If everyone had a guide like this, they’d all be walking around with a shredded six pack.

Thermodynamic principles, adipose tissue physiology and whatever else the fuck is in those dusty library science textbooks make calorie burning, cutting and shredding sound so boring that the only way you’d burn anything was if you set those sonoffabitches alight.

You’d need to be Good Wil Hunting to make sense of those calculations too, right?

Well this article is here to change that. Why? Because i know how you feel.

We’re all idiots when it comes to something. I’m a complete dumb fuck when it comes to cars. There, I said it. Who cares. I don’t know the difference between a carburetor and a manifold pipe… but I do know the difference between a carburetor and a carbohydrate.

We all have our own knowledge and if your’s isn’t in fat loss then don’t worry, that’s where I come in.

What I’m going to do in this titanesque, biblical-length monster cockslap of a guide is tell you everything you need to know to drop your body fat to single digits.

I can’t guarantee that it’ll make you any better looking, but it’ll certainly give you the confidence to at least try and get laid.

You want rock hard abs without having to get a degree in sport science first?

You’re in luck my man. Welcome to Fat Loss for Idiots Read on to find out more…

Calories – You can’t escape them; they know where you live.

Let’s set the scene…

It’s a dark night and you’re walking home alone. It’s misty, grey and the air has that damp autumn smell that’s cold and dry in equal measure.

As you walk cautiously home, You hear a noise. Footsteps. You daren’t turn around for sheer fear. You quicken your pace. But the footsteps get faster.

And louder. They’re gaining on you. You can feel their breath on your neck. And then silence…

You ded. They gots you bro.

Was it an escaped patient from the local asylum? A Dexteresque serial killer? A deranged axe murderer?

Nah mutha fucker. It was a calories. Bitch ass excess calories. They jumped your ass and now they’re stuck on your, erm, ass.

You are the fat cell. The killer was excess energy. And when excess energy’s around it’s getting pushed into the fat cell whether you like it or not.

So calories are like murders in the night?

Sort of. Calories are like friends. You love em, they’re your life. But they can also be absolute cunts that you’d love to smash in the face with a shovel and bury deep in the everglades never to be seen again as well.

We need food to survive. But that doesn’t mean we should eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and eat.

But unfortunately, calories is where we need to start this journey because energy balance is the most important part of fat loss.

Energy Balance explained for Idiots

Calories act within the laws of thermodynamics – a term you might have heard in high school physics that explains what happens to energy.

When you eat the same amount of calories than you burn off you give yourself enough energy to fuel your brain, muscles, digestive system, eyeballs and dick to do their daily jobs without any issues.

This is what’s called maintenance and because you use all of the incoming calories for important jobs, with nothing spare, you don’t need to store any spare energy in your fat cells. You lucky fucker.

If you eat more calories than you burn off your body has a lightbulb moment. It thinks ‘okay, I’ve got some spare energy here. I’ll store it somewhere for now just in case I don’t find my next meal* for a while’.

And where does it store extra energy? In fat cells. And what does it store it as? Fatty fat fat. It doesn’t matter if those extra cals were from fat, carbs or protein – eat too much and it gets stored as fat.

The result? A positive energy balance… Dude, you got fat.

*from an evolutionary perspective our brain still thinks we’re cavemen with nothing to do but fuck loads of cavehonies (according to that Adriana Luna caveman porn I ‘researched’ for this article, anyway).

But take in less calories than you eat each day and guess what? No, not more cave porn unfortunately.

You achieve a calorie deficit.

And the result of that is that your brain makes up for the lack energy by tapping into your fat cells and letting you use those spare fatty acids to get through your day.

God damn celebration time.

You’re not fat anymore.

Working out your calories – do you need to be Stephen Hawking?

Do you need to work out your own calories using your old high school scientific calculator? Fuck no, there’s an endless amount of apps that’ll do it for you these days. So use them.

You don’t get bonus points for calculating it yourself. We all know that a maths geek gets laid less than anyone else on the earth.

Even less than scientists – and I can vouch for that one because that’s what I do for a living.

“You’re here to get paid, get laid and drink Gatorade… so download a calorie tracker and leave the calculations to the computer”

Energy balance and the importance of numbers – Fat Loss for Idiots

The purpose of a calorie calculator is to give you a more precise number of calories to achieve fat loss.

They use built in formulas and algorithms that are well-evidenced and tried and tested…

(just in case you want to bolster that knowledge base, most use either the Schofield or Mifflin St-Jeor equations to work out your energy needs)

Basal metabolic rate

Based on your age, gender, height and hair color (not really), these calculators will firstly give you your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

This is the number of calories you’d need to properly fuel your heart rate, brain function and other basic needs at rest.

If you’re currently a student you’ll get this – it’s measured by sitting on your ass for an 8-hour period doing nothing but blinking.

Basic BMR functions account for up to 70% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). And like me right now, that’s pretty high.

So if your BMR was say 1500 kcal and you didn’t move all day other than to eat 1500 kcal worth of food you’d maintain weight and your body wouldn’t chance. More calories and you’d gain fat. Less and you’d lose it.

It’s going to be a low number because you’re not expending really any energy at all.

But do you sit like a proverbial lazy ass all day? Of course not. You’re more active than that. So we’d need to factor in all other aspects of energy expenditure.

Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

NEAT refers to any activity that is unstructured and includes day-to-day activities such as walking, fidgeting, foot tapping and masturbating to that cool new Lisa Ann film.

Not only does the term ‘NEAT’ give you endless puns to work with, it also accounts for a pretty high energy expenditure – as much as 30% if you’re an on-your-feet, fidgety kind of bro (and if you are you probably annoy the shit out of your friends with your fucking incessant thigh tapping and Dave Grohl-like pretend drum playing. Dick).

Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT)

Oh the irony. The juicy, throbbing irony. Why would you make an acronym that spells ‘eat’ related to fat loss?

Anyway, EAT refers to the structured physical activity that you may (or currently may not) take part in. Cardio, strength training and the discopump arms workout you squeeze in before you hit the bars for the weekend are all EAT.

And whilst smashing the gym might be tough and feel like a great contributor to TDEE it only accounts for around 15% of your daily calorie burn.

Thermal Effect of Food

The final contributor to TDEE is called TEF. It refers to the small (only 5-10%) of TDEE your body burns digesting the food you eat.

So when you eat those oats, salads or fucking jumbo burgers your body has to work hard to digest it. And that takes energy.

Interestingly, each food source or macronutrient has a TEF value:

• Protein: 20-35% of calories burned through processing
• Carbohydrates: 5-15% of calories burned through processing
• Fats: 0-5% of calories burned through processing

So when you eat protein you use twice as much energy to digest it as you would eating carbs. Interesting and useful information. Let’s have a look at macros in more detail…

Just as a final note on this; if you’re savvy with numbers and added all of the TDEE percentages up, you’ll have noticed that they total more than 100%. Remember, these are relative values and are individual to you. We’ve noted just predicted maximums for each energy cost.

Factor in your activity levels

So as you can see, EAT and in particular NEAT play an important role in TDEE. That means that the more active you are, the higher your calorie expenditure each day.

This is where you have to be honest. Fucking Christian truth serum honest.

Because if you’re not telling the truth about how active you are then the whole house of cards falls down and you’ve just wasted half an hour reading this intelligent yet witty article.

Once you’ve worked out your BMR using the online calculator you need to factor in your activity levels using a ‘physical activity level’ (PAL) score. These are dead simple to work out.

Take your BMR and multiply it by the following (see guidelines for assistance):

BMR x 1.4 if you are a lazy ass man or woman

BMR x 1.6 for a woman that is moderately active

BMR x 1.7 for a dude that is moderately active

BMR x 1.8 if you are a jacked female that loves training on the regular

BMR x 1.9 if you are a manly man who likes to do lift heavy things in the gym (this is me by the way)

Once you’ve punched a few numbers into your calorie calculator, you’ll get a number. That’s your maintenance total – the number of calories you need to stay the same weight and not drop any fat.

If we take Joe Shmoe, a 250 lb, 6 foot tall guy at 40 years old then his BMR would be 2,266. Joe is a snapback-wearing, selfie-loving douche.

But he doesn’t want to be a fat douche so he wants to work out his calories.

He’s always at the gym because other than his job selling poor quality weed to high school kids he doesn’t work. Joe takes his 2,266 and multiplies it by 1.9.

His total maintenance allowance each day is 4,305 kcal.

Now we need to work out the calorie deficit

Now that we have your maintenance cals sorted we need to work out a deficit that will help you drop fat quicker than my ex girlfriends panties, that’s what.

How?

We take off 20% from maintenance. That’s it. Simple.

Is 20% some magic industry secret? Nope. It’s a starting point, that’s all.

But that 20% is a perfect balance between a fat shredding deficit and going too aggressive (which is harder to adhere to, could lead to loss of muscle, and more than likely turns you into a ‘hangry’ bitch ass).

Let’s use Joe again. His maintenance cals were 4,305. Minus 20% and we get 3,444.

That’s it. That’s Joe’s calorie deficit sorted.

Macros and Dropping Fat for Idiots

Once you’ve worked out your calories you next need to start thinking about what makes those calories up.

Here’s what you need to know:

Protein

There’s a reason I’m starting with protein. And that’s because when you’re dieting to drop fat it’s the most important macro.

Protein gives you an energy value of 4 kcal per gram. 

When you’re in a deficit your body likes to not only use stored fat as fuel, but lean muscle too. But keeping protein high helps to maintain lean mass by elevating what’s called muscle protein synthesis, even at a 20% negative balance.

Not only that but protein also has the highest TEF value out of all of your macros too – around 30% of the energy in that Nando’s chicken is used to help you digest it.

And because TEF is negatively correlated with feelings of hunger, eating protein-rich food helps to keep your appetite down and reduce overall energy intake for the day.

Bravo protein, bravo.

Recommendation: 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

Carbohydrates and fats

The next thing to look at once you have your calorie deficit and protein requirements laid out is to fill up the remaining calories with carbs and fats. This is dead simple too.

There are so many myths, misconceptions and straight up untruths about carbs that they might as well be called carboLIEdrates. Yeah, I went there.

In fact scrap that. Carbs are so nice that I’m gonna call them carboMYdrates.

Anyway, now that I’m out of grainy (ha) carb puns let’s look at how this nutrients fits into your fat loss goals.

Firstly, do carbs make you fat? No, unless you eat so many that you hit a calorie surplus. Dumb fuckers like Gary Taubes (I’m not linking him in this article because you seriously don’t need to read his shit waffle stomp writing).

At 4 kcal per gram, carbs have the same energy yield as protein. But it’s not as satiating and has a TEF of 5-15%.

Although technically you could live without carbs (your body can make its own by using a special process called gluconeogenesis), we wouldn’t advise it. Carbs are the body’s primary fuel source and despite the popularity of low carb diets they aren’t special.

When it comes to fat, it’s much like carbs – it won’t ‘make’ you fat unless you eat too much and fall into an energy surplus. And unlike carbs it’s essential for making steroid hormones such as testosterone that regulate reproductive, metabolic and vascular health.

The only thing to bare in mind with fat is that it is higher in calories than both protein and carbs – 9 kcal per gram. And it has a very low TEF of up to 5%.

Here’s where preference comes in…

If you’re the sort of person that likes their carbs then you can add more carbs into your remaining cals. And you just drop fat to accommodate it. If you aren’t a carby person then prioritize fat at around 0.6 grams per pound of body weight and then backfill with carbs.

Just don’t go over your remaining calorie allowance!

Recommendation: up to 0.6 gram of fat per pound of body weight. The rest from carbs. But adjust based on preference – if you want more carbs just take fats down to compensate.

Let’s use Joe Schmoe as our example again

Okay Joe, take those Rohypnol out of your back pocket and come over here a minute will you?

Nice one, thanks.

Right, so in terms of Joe’s macros, remember he’s a 250 lb guy. So protein is dead easy to work out – it’s 250 grams per day. Sorted.

Because protein is valued at 4 kcal per gram we need to multiply 250 by 4 to get the calorie count on that…. (*punches calculator buttons)…. That’s 1000 kcal.

Take 1000 kcal from Joe’s 3,444 deficit and were left of course with 2,444. That’s 2,444 of fats and carbs to play with.

Let’s say for arguments sake that Joe wants prioritize fats (because he knows that having optimal testosterone gets you jacked).

We take his 250 lb body weight and multiply it by 0.6 (remember, that was the recommended fat intake value) and we’ve got 150 grams of fat to eat per day.

At 9 kcal per gram we can get calories from that – it works out at 1,350.

If we had 2,444 calories from fats and carbs and Joe’s just used them to swallow up 1,350 worth of fat that’ll leave him with 1,094 (273 grams) of carbs per day.

Totals:

• Calorie deficit = 3,444 kcal
• Protein = 1000 kcal (250 g)
• Fat =  1,350 kcal (150 g)
• Carbs = 1,094 kcal (273 g)

Joe is going to be one jacked up, ripped son-of-a following these macros. He’ll still be a lil unaware and an idiot when it comes to fat loss though (because he’s not read this article).

Workout for fat loss…

How do you know which the best diet for you is?

The info for Joe above presumes that a normal, ‘balanced’ diet of macros will take him to absville.

It’s well calculated and takes into account the deficit as the major goal, without neglecting any particular nutrient.

But not all diets use a balanced approach when it comes to macros…

Keto, carb cycling, intermittent fasting, Atkins, clean eating so on and so on. They’re all different kind of diets that involve either completely taking out one or more macro or reducing them significantly.

You know why people lose weight on these diets?

You’ve got it – it’s because they create an energy deficit. Not some fucked up voodoo shit. They only work because they allow you to reduce overall calorie intake and therefore tap into stored fat.

No-one gives a shit which diet you decide to follow. If you drop fat and you can stick to the diet without it having a negative impact on your job, family, health and (most importantly) sex life, then that’s the diet for you. Adherence is key to fat loss dieting.

Footnote – have you ever noticed that the more ‘out there’ the diet is, the more cultist it becomes. If you’re not careful you’ll end up in a 4-hour argument with these people about their dumb shittery. And as fun as that is you just can’t change some people’s minds.

I have a friend named Chad. He’s a privileged lad and because of his parent’s wealth he gets to kick back most days, and use his home gym to make gains.

Now his counselor told him that the best diet is low carb – it ‘annihilates fat’ they told him. ‘It’s the best diet ever’.

Well fuck Chad, his pleated khaki shorts and pink Ralph Lauren Polo.

And definitely fuck his state-of-the-art home gym that he uses to bang prostitutes in at night (yeah, we all know Chad). Because low carb isn’t the best diet. It might work for him, but it might not work for you.

The key is to keep it simple.

Summary

There you have it. Order your gown and mortar board because you’ve just graduated from gainz school. Whilst some of this stuff might seem daunting at first, take your time and break down each part of this article.

There’s no rush and the more confident you are with what’s been covered, the easier you’ll be able to apply it.

No doubt we’ll cockslap you with a part 2 soon, but for now… enjoy your fat loss shred.

The post Fat Loss for Idiots appeared first on Gymshock - Supplement Reviews & Fitness Guides.

Nutrition is the fuel that powers the high powered sports vehicle that is your body. With the wrong, or little, fuel you are unlikely to be performing at the top level you are able to.
It’s very important to remember, as well, you could be eating a great meal for a pre workout, with the correct macronutrients and micronutrients to give you a good burst of energy and allow you to train the session of your life. However, if you don’t like the food, if it tastes of cardboard and makes you want to vomit then there is no way that you will commit and adhere to it.

Taste and personal preference is often overlooked when fitness professionals talk about nutrition. But it is a major part of human enjoyment and psychology. Try and come up with a few options for yourself, to stave off boredom and to suit your own tastes.

An Aside on Nutrition.

If you’re new to nutrition then I might not be able to fill you in sufficiently about it in a short aside such as this.

The basics – 

Protein – 

• The essential building block. This helps in muscle growth and repair, as well as hormone production.
• The general prescribed daily dose is 0.8 to 1.2g of protein per lb of bodyweight. A 200lb man would be looking at 160g-240g of protein a day by this.
• 4 calories per gram.

Fat – 

• While it is the densest of the three macronutrients, with 9 calories per gram, it is also the busiest of them.
• Essential for growth and development of cell membranes.
• Aids in absorption and storage of fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E and K).
• Protects organs and body tissues.
• Supports immune system.
• Regulates inflammation.

Carbohydrates. 

• As dense as protein with 4 calories per gram.
• The body’s preferred source of energy as all of our cells like glucose.
• Fibrous carbohydrates are also necessary for a healthy digestion.

Finding the correct daily balance for yourself is a different article entirely as it is incredibly individual. One 200lb male could have massively different calories to another 200lb male. Things like activity level, intensity of training, diet history and goals will all come into play when trying to decipher it for you.

For a little more on macronutrients, take a look at this.

The Preworkout Meal.

So why should you focus on a pre workout meal?

1.  More Energy.
   I used the analogy of fuel and you being a high end sports car before. I think that explains this one well.
2. Increase Muscle Anabolism.
   This is more for your overall nutrition over a longer period of time. But having the correct nutrition means that you’ll get more from training.

Now you might be wondering what you need to eat. You might be able to guess from the brief aside above as to what types of food you need to eat.
Although, you might wonder why fats aren’t often advised pre workout with them being the most calorically dense, the reason for this is that they are very slow to digest.  It is for this reason that most would recommend that you make up a pre workout meal with upto 35% of your daily carbohydrate intake about 90 to 120 minutes before training. This will give your body enough time to absorb these carbohydrates for you to start training without feeling sick and for you to have energy to train hard and optimally.

What Type of Carbohydrates?

I briefly touched upon how some carbohydrates are more fibrous earlier in the article.

This is what is quite often referred to as simple carbohydrates versus complex. Simple ones are more easily absorbed by the body and provide a quick boost of energy as the body breaks down them down for glucose more quickly than complex carbohydrates. Things like fruits, such as bananas and oranges would be a good source of simple carbohydrates.

Complex carbohydrates would be food options more like porridge oats and bread take a bit longer to break down within the body and as a result these should be eaten with a bit more time to spare before a training session.

An easy way to determine which are simple and which are complex is that simple ones are generally the more sugary ones. This means the body has much less work to do in order to access the glucose for our energy.

Pre-Workout Meal(s).

As you can see, the different types of carbohydrates would mean that your body needs the different ones at different times. Overloading on sugar just before a workout would give you a quick burst of energy but it wouldn’t last. You need to supplement your simple carbohydrates with complex ones beforehand, and interspersed throughout the day.

I would suggest that with the meal 90 to 120 minutes before you train, you keep a focus on complex carbohydrates like oats or potatoes. This meal should give you enough energy to get through your day and your workout.

Half an hour or so before your workout if you find you need more of a kick, in terms of an energy boost, a preworkout shake or a piece of fruit can help you. This is also where a caffeine based supplement could also come in handy. A cup of coffee or an over the counter pre workout could help in this department.
Generally, if you find yourself over relying on pre workout supplements or caffeine then you might need to readjust your diet or recovery schedule.

Nutrition.

So, with nutrition the main thing is eating the right things on the whole throughout your day. Pre workout meals are more about nutrient timing than overall nutrition. The main thing you will need to do is make sure your overall nutrition is on point and then focus on how to split it up around your training schedule.

To Sum up.

Your nutrition is paramount for you to achieve your fitness goals, regardless of what they are. The timing of it is also important for the best possible workout you can have. Find foods you like that fit into what was explained above and have at it.

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It’s easy to say that you need to eat more to gain muscle. But its just as easy to eat too much and gain more fat than muscle too. So: –

• How much should you eat?
• Is it more down to what you eat than how much?
• Is there a one size fits all approach?

As a quick answer, its goes : more, yes, no.
I know this seems as though I’m being facetious, and I am a little. However, when it comes to diet it is very individual to the person, their current weight, their genetics, training and diet history etc.

How much should I eat?

The first thing to determine here is how much are you eating now and how is your body reacting?

Before changing eating habits, it is a good idea to track how you eat, as normal and not to change anything, for a week or so and keep an eye on your weight. You might eat more than expected but not gain, or vice versa.

From this point I will then use the formulae found in Alan Aragon’s brilliant book ‘The Lean Muscle Diet.’ You can find an example of it here.  This takes into account: –

• Your bodyweight.
• Current bodyfat %.
• Goal bodyfat %.
• Hours of exercise per week.
• Intensity of exercise.
• Preferred protein and fat intake.

As above, goal calories are very individual so it is definitely worth taking the time to look into this and work it out.
You can see that this is focusing upon the bodyfat percentage more so than the bodyweight.

If your bodyweight stays the same but your bodyfat percentage goes down then your muscle mass will have increased.

What to Eat?

You can see from the above link and formula that it takes into account the make up of macronutrients into your calories and volume of food.

Some people react better to high carbohydrates, low fat or vice vera. Some people find it difficult to stomach 1g protein/1lb of bodyweight straight away, and this is why the formula has various options to it.

The various options are where things such as your own tastes, culture and habits come into play. Some people will eat more carbohydrates due to their culture or habits, or down to how their body processes it. This is another reason for why it is good to check how a person eats before implementing a diet.

One Size Fits all? 

Unfortunately, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. What worked for Arnold back in the day, Dwayne Johnson or Eddie Hall today won’t necessarily work for you. Unless your workload, body type, culture and habits are very similar to theirs.

The best advice to offer is to use the calculator in the above link to figure out your calories and macronutrients and then fill these with good foods that you enjoy eating. You’ll reach your goal in this manner, and you wont feel sick by trying to copy Eddie Hall’s 12000 calorie a day diet.

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To kick start your 2017 resolutions you need to be buying the right supplements to support what you want to achieve. The supplement market is a minefield. It’s full of cheap and nasty products that can be a complete waste of money, or worse, cause some unwanted side effects. We’ve rounded up our favourite, proven supplements of 2016 into this guide.

Whatever your goals, there is a high chance a solid, premium supplement will help. You spent Christmas buying gifts for others, now is the time to invest in yourself. Use this guide to save hours trawling the web, reading reviews written by fake ‘Experts’.

We are a passionate team of fitness writers who know the score when it comes to supps. 

#1 Fat Loss  – Instant Knockout

First on the list and one of the best fat burners we’ve tried this year. All natural ingredients and precision blend of key fat burning ingredients. Caffeine, Green Tea, Glucomannan, Chromium just to name a few, provide dietary support, increase metabolic rate and gives you a major source of energy whilst cutting fat.

Whilst this may be a fairly expensive product, it’s effective. Their website is also a treasure trove of fat burning tips, free workouts and more. These guys know what they are doing when it comes to shedding off that seasonal weight.

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR FULL REVIEW

#2 Best Whey Protein – Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard

Protein is a crucial part of any bodybuilders diet. To ensure that muscles recover properly from the microscopic tears that happen in the gym, you need to support them with slightly more protein than you’d normally have in your diet. For us there is no better, more affordable version than Optimum Nutrition’s Gold Standard Whey. This really sets the benchmark for both taste and protein content. Be cautious over drinking products like this though, as they do contain a lot of sugar.

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#3 Build Muscle – TestoFuel

TestoFuel is a natural testosterone boosting supplement. Testosterone boosters shouldn’t be confused with illegal steroids, as they use specially selected blends to allow the body to produce more of its own testosterone.

TestoFuel is down as our number 1 testosterone booster as it delivers on the results promised. If you are interested in building muscle, improving recovery and increasing testosterone, we’d recommend checking out our top 3 testosterone boosters.

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR TOP 3 TESTOSTERONE BOOSTERS 

#4 General Health and Well being – Muscle Tech Platinum Multi Vitamin

You’ve got to get a solid multivitamin, especially if you are hitting 2017 with a diet from the offer. This will ensure you are keeping your body stocked up on essential minerals and nutrients.  (If you want to go a little cheaper, you can get no frills products from supermarkets that offer slightly less ingredients, but will give you a similar result.)

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*We get a small affiliate commission when you order this product

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Testosterone Booster, Yes or No?

The short answer is yes. Purchasing a natural testosterone booster is a safe and effective way to naturally increase your bodies levels of testosterone. We’re not talking illegal steriods here though, there are plenty of legal, safe and effective alternatives in the market.

There’s a ton of ingredients that are effective at boosting testosterone on their own. One of the big ones that’s widely used and trusted by the lifting community is D-Aspartic Acid. If you are looking for a testosterone boost and exercising, this will ensure you get a great boost and pack on the muscle.

That’s not it though, premium testosterone boosters are by far the most effective, as they use a combination of natural testosterone boosting ingredients to provide the body everything it needs to make more testosterone.

To read more about the results you could be getting from a testosterone booster, read our current top 3 below!

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What is Prime Male?

Prime Male delivers the results below through it’s completely natural blend of highly researched and proven ingredients.

• Increased Libido
• Greater Strength
• Better Mood
• More Energy
• Lower Blood Pressure
• Improved Cardio Health

The ingredients in Prime Male are:

Who is Dolph Lundgren?

Dolph Lundgren, star of Rocky, Universal Soldier and more recently, The Expendables is in fantastic
shape. While the Hollywood lifestyle will play a huge factor in this (think of all the vitamin D in the California sun), you can be sure he only uses the absolute best and proven supplements.

Is Prime Male Right for You?

If you are aged over 25+ and looking for a libido, energy and fitness boost then yes, you could do a lot worse than doing what Dolph does and purchasing yourself Prime Male.

The product itself carries absolutely no side effects and even carries a 90 day guarantee. So, if it doesn’t work for you, you can exchange it and get your money back. 

We are confident that you will not regret purchasing this supplement. If you decide to buy, or want some advice on Testosterone Boosters, feel free to get in touch with us in the comments section.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPwPm7CgHYc&w=320&h=240

For our FULL Prime Male Review, you can click here.

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Nutrition for maximized athletic performance

One of the most frequently asked questions is: ” what to eat before and after your workout? ” On today’s article this question will be answered effectively.  Did you know that what you eat before, after and during your workout before your workouts is very crucial to your athletic performance? Say for instance, energy foods like gels, bars and drinks can help you spare yourself from hunger. These and other digestible carbohydrates can fuel up your muscle before your exercise. In order to take your athletic performance into a newer height by working around your meals, here are points for you to ponder.

When to eat before your exercise

If you think that exercising while your stomach is full can do the trick, you are mistaken.  The truth here is that food remains in the stomach can cause cramping, stomach upset and nausea. To achieve comfort and enough energy, it is highly advisable that you allow the foods to fully digest before you get started with your event.   For those who have an early workout, it is a great to wake up early to have your pre-work out meal. Otherwise, you might want eat foods that are easily digestible about twenty to thirty events prior to your exercise.

Just in case you are not aware, glucose is the leading source of energy for most workouts and exercises. As such, carbohydrates-rich foods must be incorporated to your meals before the exercise. The best foods you can take before you hit your workout include fruits, breads, pasta, energy bars and energy drinks.

Best foods for exercise

Keep in mind that eating prior to workouts can only be determined upon experience.  However, there are some general guidelines that you can consider. This includes eating solid meals four hours before working out, a carbohydrate-rich snack or drink and fluid replacement before getting started.

An hour before the event

Eat fresh fruits such as bananas watermelon, peaches, oranges, grape and apples.  Taking energy gels and drinking 1 ½ cups of energy drinks may also do.

Two to three hours before the event

Aside from fresh fruits, you can also consider bread, pasta and bagels. Yogurt and water can also do the tricks.

Foods to avoid before your exercise

For a rule of thumb, you have to break off from foods that contain high amount of fiber.  This is because it takes time for these foods to fully digest which means that they stay in your stomach for a long time. Apart from that, they can also pull blood in the stomach in order to support digestion which can lead to cramping and discomfort.  Some of the foods that you have to avoid include fries, potato chips, doughnuts and candy bars.

However, you need to have a sensitive understanding that everyone is different which means that your ideal foods may not be the best for others.  This is because there are several factors in favorite foods and personal preferences.  With that being said, it is very important to come up with a healthy eating plan.

There you have it- foods that you have to consider and avoid before your workout. Consider these points and you are good to go for an improved athletic performance!

What to eat 30 minutes after your workout

Starting the muscle building process by increasing protein synthesis and nitrogen retention requires a quick dose of the right protein and carbohydrates. Within the first hour after your workout has been finished, you should be eating fast digesting protein and carbs. We recommend drinking a whey protein shake with a fruit like a banana or an apple. That will give your body the fuel it needs to start building muscle.

What to eat 1 to 2 hours after your workout

We recommend eating a healthy balanced meal 2 hours after your workout. One of the best options you got for a post workout meal is chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli.  This is a great way to ensure your body gets all the micro nutrients it needs to recover properly.

A lot of people also like to use protein powders to help them meet their macronutrients for the day. This is completely fine and in some cases recommended just make sure that the product you pick isn’t full of sugar or carbohydrates.

We like this Organic Protein available on Amazon.

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• Canned Tuna is a great cheap protein source – Some of you are on a tight budget, still a student or living in expensive cities, These can make it hard to get the protein you need to build muscle. Canned tuna is pretty cheap and it will provide a large amount of protein for the price you pay for it.
• It can be used everywhere – Canned tuna can be consumed where you want it. You don’t even need to freeze it so it doesn’t rot. Many soldiers consume canned tuna while they are on missions, because of how convenient canned tuna is.
• High in protein – You need at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body-weight per day to maintain and build muscle. A typical can of light tuna has around 25-35 grams of protein. That is pretty good considered you need
• You don’t need to cook or prepare anything – The only thing you need to do is open the can, and your tuna is ready to be eaten. This is extremely good for people with tight schedules or lazy people.
• It’s healthy – Tuna is rich in omega 3, which have lately been associated with all kinds of health benefits from warding off depression and cognitive decline to reducing inflammation and the risk of heart disease. The evidence is so good that the American Heart Association recommends we eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids — like tuna and salmon — twice a week. Researchers have also recently discovered that tuna contains the mineral selenium – an antioxidant protection. Selenium is an essential trace mineral important for cognitive function, a healthy immune system and fertility for both men and women.

• Taste is pretty average – some people can’t stand the taste and smell of tuna. We believe that tuna has an acquired taste, and it easily can become one of your favorite protein source due to its many benefits. Another option is putting the tuna in sandwiches and salads that make everything taste a lot better.
• Mercury –  studies show that fish that swim in pollution may contain mercury that can build up in your body systems over time. However, light tuna’s mercury is extremely small to nonexistent. Many athletes and soldiers consume 1-2 tuna cans a day and they are super healthy. We recommend staying away from albacore tuna because it is generally higher in mercury than light tuna.

A special trick to make canned tuna taste better:

Simply cook it with toilet paper. This is a trick that Israeli military forces use all the time to make their frequent rations of canned tuna just a bit tastier. This method is safe, but we still recommend using it outside your house.

Requirements: Canned tuna in oil, toilet paper.
Step 1 – open the can without draining it.
Step 2 – apply 3 sheets of toilet paper on the tuna, and make sure it soaks in the oil.
Step 3 – Light the toilet paper from each side and let it burn for around 20 minutes.
Step 4 – Remove the toilet paper and your delicious tuna is ready !

We cannot emphasize enough the dangers of the mercury content in Albacore tuna, this can be extremely dangerous in high doses. Also try to only consume wild caught Alaskan Salmon, this type of salmon has the lowest amount of mercury and is a great source of omega 3’s!

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