Cardio on an empty stomach- does it burn more fat?

March 23, 2012 Leave a comment

For fat loss, there’s nothing like a little cardio to start the day. Or is there?

 

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Even though this is more a strength orientated website, most athletes still do some form of cardio and, lets face it, most of us want to look good. So fat loss is a topic worth covering.

For ages, people have gotten up at ungodly hours and performed cardio on an empty stomach since the body then has no other choice but to burn fat. It sounds great, but is it true? Aside from the fact, that I do not think cardio is necessary to get lean (there, I said it), lets have a closer look at cardio in a fastened state.

In short, no. For the long answer read on.

 

While it is true that the body will use mainly fatty acids as an energy source when performing any exercise on an empty stomach, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will lose more body fat. How so?

In the end, it is the overall calories that are being burned that matter. So while someone who does cardio in the am might use up more fatty acids than someone who does cardio in the pm, they still burn the same amount of calories. Now, if we assume a caloric deficit they will both lose weight.

I personally have several issues with doing cardio in a fasted state. First off, there is a drop in performance so the overall amount of calories being burned is lower than if the athlete had consumed some food beforehand.

Secondly, there is muscle loss. Foods (glycogen and amino acid) are anti-catabolic, hence they help prevent muscle loss during exercise. If muscle is lost, that means your metabolism will slow down, hence you will have to diet stricter to achieve the same results. now to me, muscle loss is one of the worst things that can happen. As a natural athlete, you are bound to lose some muscle during a diet as is (if everything goes well , you will lose 1 lbs of muscle for every 3 lbs of fat), but you shouldn’t try to create a situation where you are endangering your precious muscle tissue.

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me:)

If you feel you should separate from cardio from weight training, at least have some BCAAs beforehand to avoid catabolism. Otherwise, do it after you hit the weights, your glycogen stores will be then be empty and fatty acids are used for energy.

‘Til next time
Maik

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How to eat donuts and still lose weight

February 17, 2012 2 Comments

That statement should have gotten everyone’s attention. But what does flexible dieting mean?
OK, the donut part was more of a hook to get you to read the following. As we all now, dieters are failing by the millions, due to a number of reasons , the biggest one being a lack of will power.
Some of them are so motivated that they don’t stray from their diet for weeks, counting every calorie, eating at the perfect time and then….they implode. Due to stress or worries they fall off the wagon completely and stay off it.
This is where flexible dieting comes in; you need to allow yourself to live. If you are on a mild caloric deficit (400 calories per day or less), schedule a cheat meal once a week, so you can go to dinner with friends without worrying. I would give myself a 4-hour window for this and eat a side of fries or a dessert to your liking.
Athletes who run a more severe deficit and have a competent coach need to have a 2-3 day re-feed every week, combined with a heavy weight training session.
This will allow them to stop the muscle loss and revive their metabolism in order to continue to lose body fat. What does that mean?
When you diet for an extended period of time, such as more than 14 days, bad things start happening in your body: HGH and testosterone drop, cortisol goes up and leptin drops. This goes especially  if excessive amounts of cardio are being performed. The results: you get hungrier, more irritable and start losing muscle. Fat loss, on the other hand, comes to a screeching halt. Not a good situation for a bodybuilder or strength athlete. Flexible dieting or smart cheating reverses that.
The added calories ( which should mostly come from carbohydrates) will cause the body to produce testosterone and HGH again as well as raise leptin levels, which regulates your satiety. You can optimize this hormonal state by doing a heavy whole body workout the day after your cheat.
Won’t  I get fat from the extra carbs? No, here is the situation: imagine you have 20000 $ credit card debt and someone gives you 10k. Would you pay off the credit card or start a savings account? Your body works the same way, first it will replenish muscle and liver glycogen, then start storing fat. This only occurs after 48 h of overeating so you should be safe unless you grossly overdo it.

If oyu want to read more about how to properly introduce cheat days into your diet, my book has more info and its only the cost of a Starbucks latte :)
Most importantly, flexible dieting  gives you a psychological break and you don’t feel that your diet is done for good, if you have a donut…hmmmm donuts….
It will actually help you to get lean!
Till next time
Maik

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Setting goals to achieve your dream physique

February 10, 2012 2 Comments

I was recently asked to write about the journey of training and dieting. While this seems like a rather arduous task, it really isn’t. In a way, bodybuilding is somewhat similar to business. You need a vision ( of yourself) and a strategy as to how to get there.The biggest mistake people make is to say : I want to get in shape. This is way to general, getting in shape means vastly different things to LeBron James than it does to the average gym rat. You need to be more specific : Do you have body parts that lack? Do you want to add another 15 lbs of muscle? Do you want to compete?

From there on you draw up a plan for 6 or 12 months and set the stage. As you go along ,you need to have smaller goals that are achievable within a 4 week time frame. ( upper abs coming through, bench up by 5 lbs etc). In my experience, athletes with a poorly laid out plan still do better than without one.
Another very important tool is visualization , you need to have a vision of yourself what you would like to look like. If that presents a problem, pick someone out of a magazine, or choose Tom Platz’s legs, Arnolds biceps, Ronnies back ,Cutlers haircut :-) as your model. Even if you only get 70% to what your idol looks like, you are still far ahead of the game.

Another thing: set a time frame, do not train for infinity. There are different ways to do that, you can a. compete in a bodybuilding show. Standing in your 9 skimpy) underwear in front of 100+ people will definitely motivate you to get in shape. Another way to it is to book an expensive photo shoot 6 months out. Pay up front and you will have the motivation to do the right things.

Lastly, and this I stole from Arnold, tell everybody what you are about to do so you can not back out.
Equipped with these tools, you should reach your potential!
Train hard,
Maik

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Top 10 most effective diet foods

February 8, 2012 1 Comment

When it comes to diet foods, I consider two things essential:
1. do they cover your nutritional needs?
2. how filling are they are?
During a diet, it is critical to consume foods that will curb your hunger for an extended period of time.Here are my most effective diet foods:

1. Chicken breast: a lean protein that can be prepared in a variety of ways and it is easy to eat in office or on the go. An alternate would be tilapia.
2. Flank steak: red meat is often being shunned during a diet but it has its benefits. Iron, zinc, and creatine will enable you to make it through your workouts with greater intensity, further leading to greater fat loss. The fats in red meat are also critical since they are building blocks for hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, that play a crucial role in maintaining a high metabolic rate. Flank steeak tends to be a tougher cut so I recommend marinating it in lime juice and soy sauce for 24h.


3. Eggs: I highly recommend eating eggs during a diet. They are a complete protein with many vitamins (D, E) and stearic acid. If your calorie count doesn’t allow for many whole eggs, mix them with egg whites in a 1:2 ratio. In general, all proteins are a great hunger-suppressant so it is advisable to consume them during a diet at every meal.
4. Oats: a very filling complex carb, that is easy to prepare and even be kept at the office (just add water)
5. Brown rice: a good alternative to oatmeal. It complements most meats and will keep insulin levels stable. By doing so, the dieter will not experience any hunger pangs.
6. Nuts: it is critical to take in the right fats such as mono- and polyunsaturated. Nuts are a great and an easy way to achieve this. They also provide a certain amount of protein, which makes them an interesting choice for vegetarians. As for calorie content, granted it is high, but there is a loss of about 30% in the calories in nuts which can not be fully explained. The best available explanation is that their thermic expense is rather high during digestion.
7. Avocado: another source of good fats and a good addition to salads, omelets, etc.
8. Broccoli/lettuce/spinach/califlower: I label those free foods; due to their low caloric content, they can be consumed in unlimited quantities and they provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Plus, most of them are alkaline and will balance out the typical western diet which is more acidic.


9. Asparagus: hardly any calories, very filling and a mild diuretic. The initial water loss can be very motivating for people to stay on the diet since they already lost a couple pounds.
10: Grapefruit (whole fruit, not juice): there is some evidence that grapefruit itself is promoting fat loss but the evidence is questionable. However, grapefruits contain nargenin, which is a substance that blocks the metabolization of caffeine in the liver. Caffeine has fat burning properties which is why it is the main ingredient in many commercial fat burners. If consumed with grapefruit, one extends the active life of these products by 2-3 hours which over time sums up to greater fat loss.

In summary, the best diet is one you can stick to. If you can not stand chicken, find another lean protein. And yes, calories matter most, as there are no magic foods. if you like what you read, my book goes into greater detail!
So keep cooking and training!
Maik

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