Diet wise its important to keep a PH balance and not over eat the protein, dairy, sugars or acidic fruits. All these foods have their place in my diet and will feature but the volume of these acid forming foods will be kept to less than 30% a day. Ill be relying on greens, root veg and fruits such as avocado & tomato (yes they are both fruits not veg) to help supplement my protein intake and keep my body very slightly alkaline. This will give me the energy to perform exercise and aid with digestion and nutrient absorption so i can lose fat and grow muscle.Greens are so important to help the body function at its optimal rate and when your trying to get results fast you NEED your body on a cellular level to function as best it can. Protein is a must that's a given so Ill need meats, fish, broccoli & protein shakes. Now its important not to rely on protein shakes! They are a supplement not food!
Lets Go Shopping!
Into the basket go:
Oily fish (mackerel, tuna salmon,sardines) is full of good fats that help regulate the bodies leptin which is the hormone that decides whether you burn calories or store fat so that's a must.
Spices are the key to making boring "healthy" foods exciting and enjoyable and they also have some knock on fat loss benefits- coriander has been proven to lower cholesterol, chili, turmeric, curry powder are all linked increasing metabolism while cinnamon is now a must to stabilize blood sugar and help reduce cravings.
Eggs and the protein they contain help regulate the bodies glucose response which again helps reduce cravings throughout the day.
Wild Rice, Sweet Potato & Oats will all be in my muscle building and fat reducing diets. All these low carb high protein diet plans are ridiculous and wrong! Trust me you need good carbohydrate to build lean muscle and to help loss fat, we just need to get the levels correct.
Grapefruit has long been linked to cleansing the body of toxins and helps regulate sugar levels and has a positive effect on increasing metabolism. White Grapefruit is best and also slows down the rate at which you empty your stomach as so you will feel fuller for longer! Get some in the shopping basket!
Cucumber is the old sandwich staple and is full of Vitamin C which helps boost fat oxidation and increases cell hydration.
Lemons & Limes are fantastic sliced and dropped in hot water. Try it first thing before breakfast and see how it perks you uo first thing in the morning.
Olive Oil is an essential fat! YES FAT that horrible word but not all fats are bad. Olive Oil contains monounsaturated fats which help keep cholesterol in check. It is high in calories though like nuts so don't go wild! A little goes along way!
Quinoa is a type of cereal-like seed and is a great source of fibre and protein. Think of it as a carbohydrate and energy source but with the added boom of a protein kick!
Kidney Beans are my final must have. In fact most beans or peas are fantastic. One of my fav lunches is my spicy bean salad and ill be sharing that with you over the next 2 weeks. Beans (not the sugar and salt filled n]baked beans I must stress) are loaded with fibre, protein and low GI carbohydrate. Most are virtually fat free and will fill you up so no need to snack!
OK that's done now lets get today's food plan in check.
Option 1 Muscle Building-first of all its not good to start packing in the calories on day 1-slowly build the calorie intake as the week progresses and we are using more energy. I want to develop lean muscle not bulky fat and water!
Upon Waking: Hot water with a slice of lemon
Cardio Intervals. I'm better not eating before i start pounding the cardio first thing but that's not the case for many people. If you find you just don't have the energy to exercise without food then don't! Its much better to listen to your body, feed it and then hit the gym or the road for a run energized!
Breakfast: Energizer Breakfast. 100g oats, 50 g Bran, handful sunflower seeds, handful of broken nuts (grab a mix of nuts put them in a plastic bag and take a rolling pin to them), cinnamon-mix in a bowl and add hemp milk.
Low Cal Hemp/Pea Protein Shake
Snack: Green Tea & handful of nuts
Lunch: Fry off some tuna steak chucks in a little garlic and chili, throw in a hand full of peas & spinach for the last 5 mins. add 75g boil in a bag wild/brown rice and 2 chopped boiled eggs. Dress with a little olive oil and low cal vin dressing.
Drink 1 pint Green Juice and have digestive enzymes if you have trouble passing food.
Mid Arvo: Green Tea
TRAIN! studies have shown that for muscle growth its much better to hit the weights late afternoon or early evening. After having nearly a full day to fuel your engine you will be more motivated to push put them extra few reps or stack that little bit more weight on those barbells! Today I'm doing a home circuit of supersets. You wont need a gym you wont need fancy equipment just a mat and some dumbbells (my online shop has all the equipment you need for trade prices).
Whey Protein Shake after Training 30g Protein, hemp milk and blend with 25g oats.
Dinner: Turkey Steak and Broccoli, Spinach and Green Salad.
Evening: Spicy Avocado (home made) with celery sticks.
Exercise Details
Cardio Intervals:
For me running on a treadmill is depressing, your missing far to much fresh air and life from staying locked up inside so road running is always my first choice of cardio. However, when your hitting the intervals its more accurate to use a treadmill and note down the exact speeds you have been able to work at. This will allow you to push it and beat them speeds next week! My interval program is easy. I work on a 3 minute split. Basically 1 min walk, 1 min jog, 1 min sprint. To be more specific use my AT training calculator which determines exactly the heart rate intensities you should be working at to elicit the highest calorie expenditure. Iv worked out my Heart Rate zones and for me there only 2 types of equipment I'm going to use over these next 2 weeks-The Treadmill/Road Running and The Rower. Both recruit a high percentage of muscle and are easy to produce heart rate 'spikes'. Here's toady's Treadmill Workout:
i always keep the incline to 1-2% to increase traction and help recruit bum!
Min 1: Speed 6.0 k/h
Min 2: Speed 11.0 k/h
Min 3: Speed 15-16 k/h (this is a high point but a speed i can maintain for 60seconds repeatedly)
I repeat this cycle 5x then I up it for the final interval!
Min 16: 6.0
Min 17: 12.0
Min 18: as fast as I can go. During this minute ill keep increasing the speed (always be careful changing speeds while running as its easy to become distracted and have a nasty fall!). At the end of this minute I'm done! Woo. The final 2mins are all cooldown which for me is a walk on 6.0 then 4.5 k/h. If my heart rate has not reduced to a normal, comfortable level ill stay on the treadmill longer. Do not jump off any exercise equipment with a pounding heart rate-this can lead to serious health implications! Heart Attacks!
So that's it! 20mins and I'm out of the gym. For me splitting my training into morning and evening works for my daily routine. I can get the cardio done first thing before the dreaded school run traffic and the weights session can be done after I have dropped my daughter back from school and between clients. If its easier for you to train all in one go that's fine. The longest you will be in the gym is 40mins-so not excuse!
Resistance Program
Today's training is almost like a set up for the heavier more complex resistance exercise to come in over the wknd. I want to target all muscle groups with each exercise so no isolation training, no machine weights sat on my arse pushing and pulling but very specific body weight and low resistance exercises. Its easy to get carried away with no pain no gain or sweaty the fat out but that's all wrong! Today you need to get your body to activate as many muscles as possible! I going to train my entire muscle-skeletal system in the most effective efficient way! The last thing to note is that I'm training in superstes or couples- so i loop 2 exercises over and over with no rest until i have completed 2-3 sets then I move on to the next superset. The entire routine is based on stability or rather in-stability! The more unstable (shaking due to lack of balance!) I can make today's session while still completing each exercise the more my brain will have to tell lazy dormant muscle fibres to help out! This means more calories consumed and greater level of tone prep for the next 2 weeks!
Here We Go
Tempo SLOW! 2/2/2
Reps HIGH 25
Sets 2-3
Rests-NONE (or very little, if your new to training take 30-60 seconds between exercises)
Superset 1
Superset 3
Single Leg Touch Down-Multi-Plane Lunge
Superset 2
Body Row (feet on ball if your a pro ;))-D/B Squat Curl Press
Superset 3
Deep Squat- Jack Knife Press Up
Superset 4
Deadlift-Ball Prone Row D/B
Ill post some pictures of routine this evening as I train!
KEEP THE TEMPO SLOW! you need to challenge your stabilization and nervous system enough to force it to recruit more muscle fibres! This forced increase will be the reason you can make huge, fast improvements next week! Trust me!
Why Superset?
One it means I can get more exercises completed in a short time (rmbr i want to be in and out of the gym in 20mins!) and most importantly studies have shown supersetting exercises can burn up to 25% more calories! That's amazing and a huge help in week one! Its best the sets involve opposing muscles so pushing-to-pulling or lower body-to-upper body and as I have done adding in the element of an unstable surface (swiss ball) can give an even high calorie expenditure!
Today is all about a New Start and so the interval & resistance routines will work for those of you looking to start building muscle and those looking to drop a few pounds of fat. Trust me and do this program- I cant stress enough the benefits for future workouts. If you start joining in over the wknd into program 3 & 4 because they look more interesting or more "body building" "fat reducing" type plans then you have missed the point completely! Today will make all future routines recruit more muscle and therefore burn more fat and grow more muscle.
Over the wknd we have a shift in diet and training. There will be programs for just weight loss with the relevant recipes and there will be a muscle building program as myself and the team help you look great for this winter.
Gym Time For Me!
Peace & Love
Stuart
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