Once upon a time, we discussed HIIT–  High Intensity Interval Training.  We discussed why it’s so great, and different ideas for a HIIT routine.

Since then we have learned a lot more, and have discovered a fantastic HIIT routine that I would call a definite a** kicker;  I would also call it the most effective cardio I’ve done.  For the record, we did not come up with this. . .  This is actually recommended by Lyle McDonald as part of his “Stubborn Fat Protocol.”   There’s is an accompanying  supplement stack that you take with his program, and while it’s ridiculously effective for fat loss, it’s not necessary, nor recommended in some cases–  We will mention it in this post, though.  Anyway. . .  The workout requires you to go to the gym first thing in the morning, without eating, and to get on a treadmill:

You start with a brief warmup–  We go to a gym that requires a lot of walking to get to, so that’s considered part of the warm up.  We continue with 3 minutes of walking on the treadmill at a speed of 4.  (15 min / mi pace)  Officially, the warm up is to be 3 – 5 minutes.

Your first round of HIIT:  You have to sprint as hard as you can in order for this to be as effective as possible.  You go 30 seconds of sprinting, and 30 seconds of walking or complete rest.  (After two or three intervals, I start jumping on and off the treadmill for my breaks, but slowing down the treadmill so your rest periods consist of walking is just fine as well.)  It’s worth noting that by “Sprinting,” I mean going at a pace that is hard to sprint continuously for 30 seconds.

If I could keep that up, I would be running a 4:17 mile, which is insane for me.

Be careful, though. . .  Most treadmills can’t handle certain speeds, so if you’re a fan of pushing yourself, or are really fast, you’ll probably need to do this workout outside in order for it to be most effective.  Otherwise. . .

I have discovered that Precor Treadmills break every time you go at a 4:17 (14) or better pace. . . So I save that sprint for the very end.

After you finish you first round of HIIT, you sit down.  You can also stretch, and get water, but make sure you sit down and rest for 5 minutes.

Now comes the steady state.  Go to your favorite cardio machine  (We’re a fan of the elliptical, but you can also use the stairmaster or treadmill), and go moderate intensity for 25 – 40 minutes.  When you’re through there, you rest again for five minutes.

And then the second round of HIIT, which is a strange thing–  At this point my legs are so tired from the first round that they don’t want to go again, but they’re so warm, and I feel so good that they will just fly.  Either way, you do between 5 and 10 minutes of HIIT this second time–  Whatever you are physically capable of.  I have trouble finishing 6 minutes, so I usually stick with that.

When you’re through, do whatever you need to do to cool down and hope your stomach isn’t turning too much.  Wait an hour and then have a small protein meal (Whatever that means to you–  The point is no carbs and little to no fat. . .  We opt for a scoop of protein powder with 1/2C almond milk);  Wait two hours after that and eat as you normally would.

And that’s it!  Anyone can do that and you will see fantastic results!

There is also the supplement stack that is only recommended if you’ve lost a significant amount of body fat, or if you already have a decently low body fat percentage.  This should be taken 30 – 45 minutes before your workout, and never done more than 3 times per week (Though we stick to 2):

200mg Caffeine;  2g Vitamin C;  2 – 3g L-Tyrosine;  and 0.2mg / kg bodyweight of Yohimbine HCl.

So why this stack?  To avoid an overly scientific answer, the Caffeine and Vitamin C boost your metabolism;  The L-Tyrosine improves fat mobilization / lipolysis;  And Yohimbine also helps with fat mobilization  and lipolysis, but has the added bonus of targeting alpha receptors in stubborn fat areas of the body. (Hence the name of Lyle McDonald’s program, and why the supplement stack is really only recommended for those who are trying to cut down even more.)

Supplements or not, this is a fantastic option for cardio!

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

The post about our HIIT cardio routine will come next week. . .  For now, we had to debunk an article!

On Facebook, people post a lot of links to articles and tips for health, “weight loss,” and nutrition;  Often times there are quality articles out there, but it seems like almost as often, there are articles posted that are misleading, incorrect, or have their hearts in the right place but don’t understand science.

Case in point, this article.

Now, I admire that they’re trying to give lifestyle advice to people seeking it, but there are a lot of tidbits of information here that are just plain wrong–  You can’t completely fault them, though.  A lot of what they write are recycled health and nutrition myths that almost everyone believes.  (Before I was enlightened, I believed them too.  Honest mistake!)

Error #1:  Fat is the only result of excessive calories.  Let’s start with their explanation of what a calorie is.  They very correctly state that it’s a unit of energy, but then they go on to say that if your body doesn’t use it for energy, it will store it as fat.  What about eating an excess of calories after hypertrophy (weight training to failure) training?  The result of that “unused energy” is muscle tissue.  Perhaps they’ll argue that you’re “using” that energy, but if the author tried to claim this, then they would not be able to claim their “Calorie neutral” stance.  What’s that?

Error #2:  “Practice being ‘calorie neutral. . .'”  They explain that this means you should burn the calories you consume before eating more.  Their logic states that, they’re pretty sure your 400 calories breakfast will be burned off by the time you eat again.  What if you eat a lot of fat, which takes hours to completely metabolize?  I know I’m being picky here, but seriously, a beginner error (that I even I made) is treating all calories equal, when you must take macro nutrients into account–  All calories are different.  (To relate to the muscle building rhetorical claim from error #1, if you’re “calorie neutral,” then you can’t eat enough to gain muscle, ever.)

Error #3:  Nutrient timing is too real!  Be afraid of dinner!  Wrong.  A common beginner error is to believe that you shouldn’t eat after 6 or 7 PM, and more importantly, you shouldn’t eat carbs.  This is an old wives tale, and I really wish this thinking would go away.  To quote the article:  “Now, if you eat a 1,000 calorie dinner, I can guarantee you that, unless you will be sprinting for the next 2 hours afterwards, you’ll store these calories as fat to be used later. It doesn’t matter if you eat carbohydrates, fat, or protein, if you’re body doesn’t use it, it’ll store it as fat.”  At the end of the day, the only way you’ll store those calories as fat is if you ate above your TDEE  (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) throughout the day.  If your TDEE is 2000 calories, and you end the day at 1600 calories, with 1000 of those eaten during dinner, the result is the same as if you ate 4 meals at 400 calories each–  You will lose weight as you will be in a caloric deficit.

Notice I said “weight” and not “fat.”  They also incorrectly state that the macros don’t matter for fat storage (and thus, body composition).  Well, it does if you’re eating above or below your TDEE.  Fat and Protein won’t directly contribute to fat gain, whereas carbs can have a direct effect on your Adipose Body Mass / ABM  (read: Body Fat).  Again–  Not all calories are created equal.  Graduate past this!

On top of all of that, I would argue, as would others, that you should only eat carbs at night.  Thus far I have seen fantastic results by isolating carbohydrate intake to late in the day, after weight training.

Error #4:  Eating breakfast kick starts your metabolism!  This is something that, I’m pretty sure at one point we advocated, but is now in the myth column as far as nutritional research is concerned.  Your body does not need you to “kick start” your metabolism by eating–  If you’re healthy and have a healthy metabolism, your body will burn calories just as it should regardless.  Admittedly, they claim in the article that you’ll burn them at a “normal” rate instead of an accelerated rate, however, the amount of calories you would burn by “kick starting” your metabolism are negligible.  (Also, there are great benefits to skipping breakfast)  If there’s any adjustment to be made to breakfast, it’s to avoid carbs at all costs.  Carbs in the morning can trigger an insulin response, which can promote fat storage and can start the blood sugar roller coaster early.  (We reiterate this in the next point.)

Error #5:  If you skip breakfast, you’ll be so ravenous that you will eat junk food!  Well, that really boils down to self control, and whether or not you have it.  It’s also worth noting that if you eat your carbs for breakfast, you will have a carbocrash earlier, which could lead to making you ravenous.  Instead, if you use Intermittent Fasting to push your breakfast later, or stick to low to no carbs, you won’t run into that problem.

No hunger, and no carbocrash if you control your carbs. (Image stolen from getslimshop.com)

At the end of the day, if this advice is helping you to lose weight, keep on keeping on–  Just understand that the advice given in this article is flawed, and eventually, your goals will likely need to expand outside of the myths.

Filed under: Fitness Myths, Health, Nutrition by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »

Testosterone is a hormone that all bodybuilders strive to elevate, and keep elevated.  Testosterone is 100% necessary to build and maintain muscle mass, whereas it’s counterpart Estrogen can, and will, prevent the development of muscle mass.  In the broadest terms possible, hormonally, men are dominated by Testosterone, and women are dominated by Estrogen.  There are plenty of other hormones, and there are actually two different measures of testosterone levels, but for the sake of this article, we’re only going to talk about them in broad terms.  So, we want to build muscle;  This means that we need to get our Testosterone levels higher. . .  But how do you do this naturally?  Well, here are 9 of the most effective (and 1 that’s fun but not very effective) natural methods for boosting testosterone levels:

1)  Do compound lifts.  In my current workout plan, I don’t have a “leg day,” because I start every workout with either Deadlifts, Squats, or a variant.  Studies have shown that compound movements, such as Deads, Squats, Bench Press, Military Press, Pull Ups, and others, dramatically increase testosterone levels when done with a weight that keeps you in the 5 rep area.  This is why Deadlifts are regularly done in a 1X5 fashion, and Squats in the 3X5 or 5X5.

2)  Supplement with Zinc.  A Zinc deficiency can hinder Testosterone Production, and Zinc is also capable of converting Estrogen into Testosterone.  The best way to ensure healthy Zinc levels is through diet and supplementation of Zinc, specifically ZMA.  ZMA is a fantastic Zinc supplement that is also chock full of Magnesium and B6, and I take it nightly.  (It’s worth noting that ZMA is claimed to be a sleep aid, as well.  See #5)  Great places to get it from food:  Shellfish, poultry, and most nuts and seeds.

3)  Get your Vitamin D.  Whether through fun in the sun or supplements, make sure you get plenty of Vitamin D.  Again, RDI is 400 – 800 IU, but levels necessary to dramatically increase testosterone levels are closer to 3,000 IU.  In addition to helping regulate testosterone levels, Vitamin D can also reduce the concentration of the “Aromatase” enzyme.

4)  Limit (or eliminate) alcohol consumption.  We’ve mentioned what happens internally when you drink alcohol, but alcohol consumption directly affects testosterone levels by halting testosterone production, depleting Zinc levels, and making it difficult for your body to breakdown estrogen in the liver.

5)  Lose body fat.  Body fat contains an enzyme called “Aromatase” that is known to convert testosterone into estrogen.  The higher your body fat percentage, the higher concentration of this enzyme, thus, a higher estrogen level.

6)  Rest harder than you train on a daily basis.  A study by the University of Chicago showed that men who got little sleep had significantly lower testosterone levels than those who got 6 – 8 hours;  A separate study showed that testosterone levels could drop as much as 40% with lack of sleep.   Your body produced most of your daily testosterone while you sleep, which is why it’s imperative you get adequate rest–  Couple that with the fact that sleep time is when your muscles rebuild and grow shows just how important daily rest is.

7)  Stop stressing out!  Stress releases the “stress hormone” cortisol, which can shut down testosterone production, and is proven to store fat.  This can lead to a vicious cycle since (As we saw in #4) body fat can lead to lower testosterone levels and higher estrogen levels.  So try and relax more often, or consider a cortisol blocker, such as. . .

8)  Supplement with Vitamin C.  Our Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of Vitamin C is only 75 mg, which is enough to function, but Vitamin C in high doses can help you in many ways:  Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 mg range can be an effective cortisol blocker;  and Vitamin C in the 1,000 to 2,000 range can also reduce the concentration of the enzyme, “Aromatase.”

9)  Talk to women.  Studies have shown that a five minute conversation with an “attractive female” can affect testosterone levels–  Not as much as anything else on this list, but it’s still worth mentioning!

10)  Become aroused as often as possible.  Yes, it may seem strange, but sexual arousal heightens testosterone levels immensely.  One study even found that watching just four minutes of erotica enhances performance on a 3 rep squat.  (Powerlifting, basically.)  Even better, it was previously believed that achieving sexual climax would adversely affect testosterone levels, however, emerging studies are showing this may not be the case  (Or if it is, it’s a negligible amount).  Have an issue with this?  Increasing testosterone levels naturally (Through the steps on this page) will lead to an increase in libido which will increase chances of arousal, thus, boosting testosterone!

We hope these all help you!  Think of it like this:  There’s a faucet that’s always running–  One knob controls testosterone, and the other estrogen–  Only one side can be opened at once. . .  Which do you want flowing?

Filed under: Body Building, Fitness, Health by DeVinePhysiques
No Comments »