It’s not the only reason. . .

Last week, I discussed how I went from following a ketogenic nutrition plan to eating what could best be described as “normal.”  My only goals for nutrition are to stay within my calories / macros, and eat as clean as possible.  Right now, I’m bulking, which means a lot of food over the course of the day.  So what does this look like?

Breakfast:

Italian Sausage with 3 whole large eggs and 3 large egg whites.  451 calories; 2g carbs; 30g fat; 43g protein.
1/2 Cup of Orange Juice. 55 calories; 14g carbs; 1g protein.

Pre Workout Meal:

Smoothie, which consists of : 152g Banana, 40g Spinach, 100g Broccoli, 140g Blueberries, 184g Strawberries, and 6g Fiber Supplement.  341 calories; 82g carbs; 10g protein.
112g Ground Beef with 350g Russet Potato and 1 tsp Olive Oil.  628 calories; 63g carbs; 30g fat; 27g protein.
56g of Granola with 1/4 Cup of Whole Milk: 293 calories; 43g carbs; 11g fat; 7g protein.

Post Workout Meal:

My Standard Post Workout Shake: 42g Honey, 4g Cocoa Powder, 32g Protein Powder, 40g Oatmeal, 16g Carbomax, 164g Banana, and Water.  622 calories; 119g carbs; 5g fat; 33g protein.

Dinner:

266g Chicken with Soy Sauce, 4g Butter, and 42g White Rice.  439 calories; 34g carbs; 7g fat; 62g protein.
108g Vanilla Ice Cream.  280 calories; 23g carbs; 19g fat; 5g protein.

Late Snack:

118g Low Fat Cottage Cheese with 16g Multigrain Chips. 169 calories; 16g carbs; 6g fat; 12g protein.

So where does that bring me?  3,306 calories; 394g carbs; 111g fat; 200g protein, which is pretty close to my calorie and macro goals.  I’m adjusting these weekly as my needs will gradually rise as I gain weight.

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Disclaimer:  If you’re happy with your keto diet, I’m not here to convert you over to eating carbs–  Merely here to help inform.

I used to follow a ketogenic nutrition plan–  I did carb cycling as a way to try and burn fat faster.  I would eat “No Carb” on my non training days (Less than 30g net carbs), and then on training days, I would indulge in carbs only after my workout.

I then started learning about how that’s not very effective for my goals, so I tweaked my plan to where I eat a small amount of carbs pre workout, a lot post workout, and none otherwise.  I thought this would be great.

Luckily, I never stop researching exercise, nutrition, and physiology, and have since learned that none of that was necessary.  I then switched over to eating a lot of carbohydrates daily, and started measuring all of my food using metric measurements–  In the 1.5 months that I did that, I saw more progress in my quest to lean out than the previous 4 months combined.

I’ll pass.

How can this be!?

When it comes down to it, eating a ketogenic diet to lose fat is not necessary.  While it’s true that it may slightly accelerate the fat burning process, it can also lead to muscle wasting, which is far from our desired result.  Muscle creates muscle definition (“tone,” if you will), so it’s more important to keep that and lose fat slower than to potentially lose some hard earned muscle.

“That’s great, but the guy at the gym says–“

It would take about 1,500 words to properly explain why a ketogenic diet is not necessary, and carbs are more important.  Bear with me while I try and sum it up in this post:

Proponents of ketogenic diets claim that the diet will turn your body into a “fat burning machine.”  The problem with that?  Your body is already a fat burning machine.  Unless you’re engaged in an anaerobic activity (Sprinting, lifting weights, etc.), your body will utilize an oxidative (aerobic) process for energy metabolism, and the process that yields the most ATP (muscular energy) per gram of substrate is “beta-oxidation,” a lipolytic (fat burning) process.  Almost your entire day, unless you’re exerting yourself, or have elevated insulin levels from a meal digestion, is spent burning fat for fuel.  That sounds like all the fat burning I need!

“But Insulin is the ENEMY!”

While it’s true that lipolytic processes are halted (or slowed) when insulin is circulating, that doesn’t mean that you will get fat, and it doesn’t necessary say that you will automatically store more fat that day.  As I mentioned before, the amount of time you spend aerobically metabolizing energy will outweigh the amount of time your body can’t, or won’t burn your stores of body fat.  It’s also worth noting that, while digesting carbs may turn off lipolysis, it also turns on glycolysis, a glucose (carb) burning  metabolic pathway.  The result of which is less carbohydrates to be converted and stored as fat when your glycogen stores are full and your activity / digestion is through.

Also keep in mind that insulin is anabolic, meaning you need it to gain muscle mass.

The Bottom Line.

Remember that fat loss is a numbers game.  While nutrition and clean eating are high on my priority list (and I feel it should be high on your list too), if you consume less calories than you use, and have a healthy thyroid, you will lose fat.

“I’m sticking with Keto Dieting.”

That’s fine.  Here are some things to consider though:  Dietary Fat has the lowest “Thermic Effect;” that is, it is digested the easiest, with the fewest amount of calories burned from the digestive process.  For this reason, your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) will actually be lower than someone consuming carbohydrates, and you should take this into account when figuring out your caloric needs.  The Thermic Effect can account for up to 10% of your RMR.

Realize that carbohydrates are muscle sparing, and fat is not.  If your body needs more carbohydrates to perform a task, it will take from circulating blood glucose or stored glycogen.  If it can’t find any here, it will turn to protein stores (muscle)–  Amino Acids will be deaminated, and the left over carbon will be converted to glucose.  If you have no stored glycogen to begin with, and haven’t consumed carbs pre workout, then your body will likely turn to this process (Termed “Gluconeogenesis”) sooner.

Finally, when switching over to a ketogenic diet, you will likely notice a drastic decrease in weight, and possibly even a “leaning out” effect when you first start the diet.  This is side effect of the lack of carbohydrates that many people mistake for real progress.  What happens?  Your body can’t store nearly the amount of glycogen as it could before (as the carbs aren’t there), and glycogen tends to retain a lot of water.  Your body ends up having less immediate fuel on hand, and is not as hydrated as it normally is, leading to a reduction in weight.

Okay.  So how do you setup your macros?

Scientific research supports between 0.6g / lb. and 0.8g / lb. of body weight for protein, which is the most important macronutrient.  For myself, I actually go slightly above this (Between 0.8g / lb. and 1g / lb.), and follow something closer to the bodybuilder recommendation of 1g / lb. of body weight.  From there, I figure out what percentage of my macros protein makes up–  Currently, that would be 22% – 26%.  From there, I figure out how much fat I want to consume.

“How much fat should I consume?”

The accepted appropriate range is 20% – 35%;  20% – 25% is advised for athletes.  I follow 20 – 33% for myself, as I tend to eat a lot of eggs and nuts.  From there, I use the remaining percentages for carbs by adding my fat and protein ranges together.

What it looks like:

This week: 3020 calories target; 165g – 200g protein; 67g – 111g fat; 306g – 411g carbohydrates.

That was quick.

Thanks for sticking with me.  I tried to sum up an entire subject of bioenergetics in less than 1,000 words (For the record: 971), and while it may be a little lean, it seemed to work.  If you have any questions, feel free to comment or Email!  Next week, I’ll post a nutritional snapshot so you can see what a clean bulk, with plenty of carbs, looks like!

Sources, Links, and More Reading

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It’s fall, and that means that most people will be starting up their bulking cycles–  I know I will be soon.  Why fall, though, and why bulk at all?  Well, to start, physique competitions take place in the spring, summer, and early fall, so you use fall and winter to bulk, and spring to cut down.

Great, but why bulk?

Bulking is an opportunity to add muscle mass, which is what will provide your body with muscle tone when you lose body fat.  Also, you can bulk if you want to increase strength and body mass, which have many benefits, including increased metabolic rate, and increased performance.  It’s not just for men, either–  Both men and women can benefit from a bulking cycle, whether short or long.  It’s very easy to make mistakes while bulking, though, and here are some helpful tips to help keep you on track!

Tip #1:  Keep your calories in check.

It’s very easy to say, “I’m bulking” while you scarf down pizzas and milkshakes.  However, many organizations recommend an increase of just 200 to 300 calories above maintenance requirements per day to bulk.  Bodybuilding lore says 500 calories above maintenance so you gain a pound per week.  Either way, bulking is not an excuse to eat whatever you want–  It’s almost a guarantee that you will gain fat while bulking, but eating an excessive amount of calories will increase the amount of body fat you accumulate, which will make your cutting cycle more difficult.  Aim to eat between 200 and 500 calories above maintenance, and stick to it!  If one day you end up going crazy, that’s fine–  It’s just a day.  Try not to make a habit of it, though, or you may be angry about it down the road. . .

Tip #2:  Focus on compound movements.

Work efficiently in the gym.  The big compound movements are fantastic for mass building, and they’re also good at training multiple muscles at once–  Why do triceps press, pectoral flyes, and dumbbell front raise, when you can just do the bench press?  If you spend all of your time doing isolation work, you run the risk of your training sessions stretching out way too long, which could lead to muscle catabolism, which is the exact opposite of what you want during a bulking cycle.

Tip #3:  Adjust your calories as you go.

Remember that as you gain muscle, your caloric needs will increase.  Be sure to weigh yourself regularly, measure body fat regularly, and adjust your calorie and macro nutrients accordingly.  This is especially important if you only eat moderately above maintenance, instead of the 500 or more calories above.

Tip #4:  Keep a workout journal.

While increasing the resistance / load isn’t the only way to increase muscle mass, it is an important factor.  Keep a workout journal as you exercise so that you can track how many reps at what resistance you’re doing.  If you repped out last time you did Squats at 185 lbs., it’s time to add weight.  Without a workout journal, it’s very easy to not know how much weight you did last time.  You can also use this to keep track of how you felt during certain exercises, different settings you used on selectorized machines, and much more.  While we’re at it. . .

Tip #5:  Don’t go to the gym to “workout.”  Go to “train.”

What’s the difference between working out and training?  If you workout, you spend just as much time chatting as you do lifting.  If you workout, you saunter around doing whatever exercise you think feels like a good idea.  If you workout, you may or may not warmup.  If you workout, you do 3 sets of 10 on everything.

If you train, you’re going to go into the gym with a plan.  You will warm up, and will have clear goals.  You will monitor your rest periods, know what weight you should be lifting, and and will track your progress.  You will know how many sets you plan on doing, what rep scheme you should be doing, and will train to failure (or near to it) rather than reach an arbitrary number and call it a day.  You will remain focused.

Training is effective.  Working out is a chore.

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There’s often a lot of talk about my eating habits when we go out, because I’m cutting–  I’m eating at a deficit, and am being very careful so I can lose fat.  It’s not the easiest thing to do, especially while maintaining a social life, but it’s not impossible.  Often times, during these conversations, people bring up the person they know that is ripped but doesn’t have to worry about what they eat.

Body type and genetics aside, they’re already where they want to be.  Their caloric needs are at least 500 calories higher than mine, if not more.

How do you know their needs are higher?

If they’re not cutting, then they’re either eating to maintain where they are, or to gain weight, which by default, makes their calorie needs higher than me.  For example, my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is 2850 calories–  To maintain my weight, I would be consuming 2850 calories;  to bulk up, I would eat between 3150 and 3350 (or more);  to cut down, I currently eat 2350.

To some people, that may sound like a lot, and comparatively speaking, it is.  (For example, Alissa’s calorie goals to cut are around 1800)  A quick look at how many calories are in a typical restaurant meal can reveal just how little 2350 calories is.  If I know I’m going out to dinner, I usually have to allot myself 1000 calories for the meal, and I don’t even drink.

One of the lowest calorie options on the menu– “Naked” Tenders and fries. Over 700 calories.

So just go crazy once in a while!

It’s not that easy.  While cheat meals are allowed, and necessary, you have to look at how consistent deviations can affect progress.  If you eat at maintenance, that means no fat was lost that day–  However, if you eat above maintenance, that means there’s potential for you to gain weight, thus setting you back on your path toward the goal.

Why do you bring this up?

Most people recommend bulking before cutting if you’re starting out.  I’m more inclined to recommend the opposite, which a minority of physique coaches and trainers recommend.  Cutting down isn’t easy, and the less time you have to spend doing so, the better.

Also, just keep that in mind if you’re out to dinner with someone who’s cutting.

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A big part of the NASM OPT Model is identifying postural and muscle imbalances in clients, and I’m fairly certain that everyone suffers from some sort of imbalance.  I was shocked by how many muscles were potentially out of balance when I did my first self assessment, but I’ve noticed a drastic change in my flexibility and range of motion (ROM) ever since working on fixing the imbalances.

There are a number of different postural distortions, and plenty of different movements to identify muscle imbalances, but we’re going to keep it simple today by looking at one postural distortion, what goes into muscle imbalances, and what it means to those who suffer from it:

Lower Crossed Syndrome. A surprisingly hard picture to find.

Lower Crossed Syndrome (LCS)

This is characterized by an anterior tilt to the pelvis from an excessively arched back.  A way to spot this in the wild is by observing the waistband on one’s pants;  If, from back to front, the line of the waistband makes diagonal line downward, chances are you’re observing some level of LCS.  This is usually identified through a static postural assessment, where a trainer would look at your standing posture from the side. From this, we can identify what muscles are “underactive,” and which are “overactive.”

Underactive vs. Overactive Muscles

A muscle that is “Underactive” may also be referred to as “Lenghtened,” or “Functionally Weak.”  These muscles allow the distortion (or compensation) to occur because they lack the strength necessary to keep your body in correct postural alignment.  A example of this in someone with LCS is their transverse abdominis muscles.  The tilt in the pelvis puts the abdominal complex in a continuously stretched position, creating a weak group of core muscles that don’t have the strength necessary to keep the lumbo-pelvic hip complex in a neutral position.  Weakened abdominals also create a counterpart in their imbalance:  A muscle that is “Overactive” can also be referred to as “Shortened,” or “Tight” muscles.  These are the muscles that are continuously shortened / semi flexed, and lose a level of extensibility.  To expand on our example, with the excessively arched back from LCS, the erector spinae (lower back muscles) are continuously shortened, which leads to inflexibility in the back, and eventually low back pain.  It’s worth noting that these are two muscles mentioned as examples, but Lower Crossed Syndrome has an additional 5 overactive, and 5 underactive muscles.  Overtime, LCS can lead to hamstring strain, knee pain, and low back pain.

What can you do to fix it?

First, have a trainer assess both static and dynamic posture to identify postural imbalances.  Once you have your list of underactive and overactive muscles, you can do something about them!  For our underactive muscles, we’ve learned that they’re weak, so we need to make them stronger!  For the abdominal complex, great exercises would be planks and side planks to strengthen the core for posture.  For our overactive muscles, we need them to calm down and regain their proper extensibility.  Good flexibility training will take care of this;  and by “good,” I mean smart.  Start by foam rolling the overactive muscle to decrease muscle spindle activity, and be sure to hold on the tender area for at least 30 seconds.  (I’ll write a post soon about proper self myofascial release technique)  Then, static stretch the muscle for at least 30 seconds.  To improve muscle extensibility, you should engage in flexibility training 4 – 7 days per week.

And there’s your brief primer on muscle imbalances!  If you have any questions, be sure to post them or Email us!

Resources, Sources, and Links

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Stretching is fantastic for you, and you should do it often!

Well that was easy.

Wait. . .  Yeah, I guess that, just like everything else in the health and fitness world, it’s not that easy.

So let’s start with how stretching works.  We’re going to split this up–  For the science, read this paragraph;  If science isn’t your thing, skip this paragraph.  That being said:  Stretching can be easily defined as improving the extensibility of a muscle by moving it through it’s full range of motion.  There are different types of stretching, but for this, we’re going to mostly refer to static stretching, which is holding a stretch for 30 seconds or more.  There is a neuromuscular response in the body known as “Autogenic Inhibition” that is used to increase the extensibility of muscles.  Without getting too involved:  In your muscles, you have muscle spindles that sense the length and speed at which a muscle is lengthened;  In the tendons that attach muscles to bones, you have “Golgi Tendon Organs” (GTOs) that sense the tension and rate of tension.  Autogenic Inhibition is where the tension experienced by the GTO overrides the impulse causing the muscle to contract;  Thus, it forces the muscle spindle to relax, allowing you to increase the extensibility of the muscle.  In order for you to benefit from Autogenic Inhibition, the stretch must be held for 30 seconds;  That ensures your muscle spindles have relaxed.  There’s more to all of this, but this is a very brief overview of how stretching works.

So, to recap, to gain the benefits of static stretching, you should hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds for it to work–  Less time and you may feel better, but you’re not doing much to increase flexibility.  So what are the benefits to static stretching?  Stretching, and Flexibility Training can:

• Increase joint range of motion.
• Relieve joint stress.
• Improve neuromuscular efficiency.
• Improve the extensibility of muscles.
• Decrease tension of muscles.
• And more.

From my own experience, I only ever stretched in between sets, and would hold the stretches for about 10 seconds or less.  (I now know that this was actually getting in the way of my goals;  More on that later.)  I was not flexible at all–  Who am I kidding, I’m still not flexible, but ever since I’ve incorporated flexibility training into my exercises, I have experienced less soreness after exercise, increased flexibility, and increased range of motion.  Alissa has also benefited from the flexibility training and is now going ATG on squats.  So from experience, I can tell you that even 3 weeks of flexibility training can make a huge difference.

Now, there are many people that say that stretching before working out for you is bad.

. . .  And they’re mostly right.  Studies have found that static stretching before activity may decrease strength and power for up to 10 minutes after the stretching, but there is little evidence that it has any impact on overall general performance. So when should you stretch?

If you’re engaging in maximal effort exercises or activities (Powerlifting, Heavy Lifting, Sprinting, Competitive Sports, etc.), it’s recommended that you either don’t stretch, or you do active / dynamic stretching only as part of your preworkout warmup.  If you’re engaging in any other sort of activity, static stretching prior to workout is still recommended, especially if you have particular muscle imbalances.  (Of course, don’t stretch during your workout, as this will further reduce strength and power output.)  After your workout, at a minimum you should be stretching the muscles you stretched preworkout, and it’s also recommended that you stretch muscles that were worked during your workout.

Sources and Links

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Have you ever been really sore following an insane workout, and had someone tell you it was “Lactic Acid Build Up”?  Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but Lactic Acid has nothing to do with you being sore, unless we’re talking about during the workout–  That could actually cause soreness fora minute or so.  If you’re sore after a workout, it’s something called “DOMS:”  “Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness.”

Not pictured: Lactic Acid Buildup.

To start, what is Lactic Acid?  Without getting too far into it:  Lactic Acid is a by-product of Anaerobic Glycolysis.

The chemical breakdown of glucose for the production of “ATP” (Adenosine Triphosphate- Most easily described as a unit of energy for muscles) without oxygen (During weight lifting, sprinting, etc.) produces lactic acid;  When oxygen is present (Jogging, running, bicycling, etc.), the process is “Aerobic,” and instead of producing Lactic Acid, your body produces Pyruvic Acid, which can then be used to fuel other oxidative processes for energy metabolism.  There are two methods for removing Lactic Acid after production:  Oxidation into Pyruvic Acid to fuel the Krebs Cycle, or it can be converted into Glucose in the liver via Gluconeogenesis for energy.

Science aside, what does that mean?  Your body produces a chemical that can cause momentary “burn” in muscles because you’re exerting yourself, and then clears the pathways shortly thereafter.  Think of it like this–   Let’s say you have to climb 10 flights of stairs.  For the first flight or two, you will “feel the burn” in your legs, because your body hasn’t increased respiration to increase oxygen supply, so your body is producing energy through Anaerobic Glycolysis.  After the fourth flight of stairs, your body has increased respiration, and is now producing Pyruvic Acid instead of Lactic Acid, and you’ve begun an anaerobic workout–  At the same time, the increase in oxygen supply is allowing some of the Lactic Acid to go through oxidation, while the rest is being shuttled to the liver.

Here’s another example to demonstrate that it can’t “build up:”  You climb 2 flights of stairs–  The entire process was Anaerobic, so your body produced Lactic Acid;  You feel the burn in your legs as your arrive at your destination on the third floor.  After a very short while, your legs no longer burn.  Why?  You’re now in an aerobic method of energy metabolism–  You’re not taking in any more oxygen, but you’re also no longer exerting yourself;  The Lactic Acid was converted to Pyruvic Acid for energy metabolism.  (Anything left over was then sent to the liver.)

So, if someone says they’re suffering from Lactic Acid buildup from a few days ago. . .  They’re not.  What they’re experiencing is “DOMS.”  DOMS is soreness, inflammation, and pain associated with particularly tough workouts, workouts too intense for the trainee, or a workout that involves intense movements the trainee is unaccustomed to.  It’s often felt between 24 and 72 hours post workout, and is the result of microscopic tears in the muscle tissue that lead to inflammation and soreness.

DOMS is very unpleasant, but is not a sign that you did anything wrong, unless you’re just starting a workout plan–  In that case, DOMS means that you started off too intensely and should have ramped up.

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“Hey, Gabriel. . .  Can you help me get in shape?  I want to tone up for summer; I don’t want to count calories though.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that, or some variation of it.  Everyone wants to get the “beach body,” or “tighten up,” but no one wants to put in the proper work.  Here are a few things to keep in mind about getting in shape:  “You can’t out train a bad diet.”  And of course, “Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.”  And let’s not forget the very true, “A good physique is 80% diet, and 20% training.”

I have had countless people ask, “What’s a good workout to get abs,” but when I tell them they can get a six pack by going to the gym once a week and changing their lifestyle, suddenly they lose interest.  Why is that?  Convenience.  Nobody wants to count calories, but everyone should be counting–  And here’s the important thing to note:  Not only do you need to count calories if you want to lose fat. . .  You need to count calories if you want to gain muscle, and also if you want to just maintain.

What!?  Why is that!?  Counting calories is annoying!?  First, let’s look at it in terms of fat loss:  How do we lose weight?  We figure out our Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE, or “Maintenance”) and eat less calories than we that.  If you’re not counting, how do you know how many calories below maintenance you’re eating?  Are you eating below maintenance at all?

Of course, then comes: “Can’t I just do more cardio!?”  No.  Look above:  “You can’t out train a bad diet.”  If your TDEE is 2000 calories, and you eat 3000 a day, that means that you would have to train long enough to burn 1000 calories.  The more you train, the more you consume, unless you have unbelievable self control, in which case, why aren’t you just counting calories?  Let’s take it a step further, though.  If you’re consistently eating far below your maintenance (Whether intentionally or otherwise), or if you do “Chronic Cardio,” you’re eventually going to run into metabolic problems.  First, your body is going to start feeding on your muscle mass because it takes more energy to maintain than body fat–  In times of “starvation” (Which your body thinks you’re in), this is an efficient way for your body to lower your energy requirements to help you “survive.”  You will slowly become skinny fat, losing strength and definition, and it won’t stop there.  Next, you will run into hypothyroidism and decreased leptin levels, which will stop fat loss from occurring, and will even inhibit weight loss all together.  So at this point, you hit a plateau, and conventional logic says to workout harder if you want to lose more weight.  But that just further damages the little muscle mass you have left, and further damages your metabolism.  It’s a vicious cycle.  In that case, the proper thing to do is eat at maintenance and do no activity to repair your metabolism;  Of course, you would never run into that if you count your calories and diet responsibly.

Side note:  Want to do something frightening and eye opening?  Estimate how many calories are in foods you know nothing about, and then look up the calorie count–  Everyone grossly underestimates energy content in food.  Worse than that, the amount of calories in alcoholic beverages, and caloric drinks in general is even crazier!  This is the chink in the armor of most people’s diets–  They rely on their own estimates for calories.  (Fun fact:  Popular drinks like Long Island Iced Teas, Margaritas and Pina Coladas typically have more than 700 calories per drink.  We won’t go into what happens when you consume alcohol–  We already wrote about that.)

Pictured: Almost 900 calories.

I digress. . .

So what about if you want to gain weight?  Well, if you’re not counting your calories, how do you know if you’re eating enough to gain weight?  You have to eat above your TDEE in order to gain weight;  In the same vein, though, what sort of weight do you want to gain?  When people refer to “weight gain,” they really mean “muscle gain.”  Well, to gain muscle mass, you need to eat between 10% above your TDEE, and 500 calories above your TDEE–  Anything more than that and the ratio of fat gain to muscle gain goes up.

Aw man!  So much work!  What if I just want to stay the same?  You still need to count calories.  Let’s say your TDEE is 2000 calories, but you’re only eating 1200 calories a day on average. . .  What will happen?  The same thing that will happen if you’re a chronic dieter and consistently eating a severely low amount of calories.  (See above.)

So, at the end of the day, unless you absolutely don’t care about muscle mass, aesthetics, strength, body composition, and / or a healthy metabolism, you need to count your calories.  Counting calories is not that difficult once you get the hang of it, and is absolutely imperative for your goals.

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Everyone knows the feeling of walking up to a piece of equipment, or a power rack, and seeing someone using it–  It’s not the end of the world, but in most cases, it’s terribly inconvenient.  In the unwritten rules of gym etiquette, you have the option of asking the person if you can “work in;” that is, perform your exercise while they are resting, then vice versa, and so on.

As part of this unwritten rule, that person has the option to decline you’re ability to work in with him, thus either derailing your workout, or delaying your workout.  It’s generally frowned upon to not let people work in, but there is a case where it’s allowed–

Ronnie Coleman squatting 800 lbs.

I’m not going to try and work in with Ronnie Coleman when I’m squatting less than half than he is.  Likewise, if someone is squatting less than half of what I squat, I decline them working in with me–  The amount of time it would take to load and unload the plates will mess with my rest times.  Unless you’re doing the same weight (or a similar weight), it’s a hassle to work in on some exercises.  Of course, you can always ask, as there’s no harm in asking, but in this situation, I just patiently wait for the power rack to open up.

That’s a situation where it’s acceptable to decline. . .  Is there a situation where it’s never okay to decline, though?  Yes.

A “Selectorized” Weight Stack.

If you’re on a “selectorized” machine doing a single exercise, and you decline someone working in with you. . .  That just means that you woke up that morning deciding to mess with people that day.  (Side note:  If you’re super setting on the same machine, that is the only time it’s acceptable to decline a work in on a selectorized machine.)  There is no reason for you to not allow someone to work in–  The amount of time it takes to change the setting is about 2 seconds, and the amount of time it takes to perform the exercise is well within anyone’s rest target.

While people will try and justify most other situations where you decline someone working in, most of them don’t really apply.  Unless there’s a huge difference in weight lifted, or it’s something plate loaded (Barbells, Plate Loaded Machines), there’s no reason to decline a work in.  (Unless they’re trying to be rude and take your stuff to the other side of the gym.  In that case, decline, and tell them to adhere to “Wheaton’s Law.”)

If you’re not familiar with Wheaton’s Law, it’s important to live by in order to be a great citizen in the gym, and in life.

Filed under: Body Building, Nutrition by DeVinePhysiques
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This is a purely informational article, mostly in preparation for our post next week.  Most people are well versed in what we’re going to discuss today, and it’s the method by which we move weight. Everyone knows about “Free Weights,” which are our barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, body weight exercises (Pull Ups) and weighted exercises (Weighted Pull Ups).  What is everything else called!?

Lever (Selectorized) Leg Extension

A “Lever” machine is one where the movement is restricted to a single movement of a lever;  These are what most people refer to when they’re referring to “machines.”  There are two types of lever operated machines–  Selectorized lever machines, and plate loaded lever machines.

Lever (Plate Loaded) High Row

They differ in one giant way–  How the weight is added and / or changed for the exercise.  You select which weight you want to move on a “Selectorized” machine by placing a pin in the hole of your desired resistance on the weight stack.  A plate loaded lever machine, like the name suggests, accepts traditional weight plates to change the resistance / weight moved during the exercise.  Gyms typically opt for selectorized machines over plate loaded machines because they’re more convenient for gym users, regarded as “safer,” and typically take up less space.  If a workout calls for “Plate Loaded Chest Press,” or “Selectorized Chest Press,” these are what they’re talking about.  (Pro tip:  If it only says “machine,” they mean the selectorized version 99% of the time.)

This is a Smith Machine.

The Smith Machine is a barbell with a hook & latch safety system built in so that you don’t become pinned while performing “dangerous” exercises without a spotter.  Smith Machine’s should typically be reserved for pushing yourself very hard on the bench press, but is widely used for any workout.  (At my gym, everyone uses it for shrugs and upright rows for some inexplicable reason.)  I’m not here to talk about how you should really stay away from the Smith unless you’re pushing yourself on the bench press (or variants), and how it makes every exercise insanely easier by taking most muscles out of the exercise–  That’s the subject of another post.  If a workout calls for “Smith Machine Squats,” they’re talking about this.  (While some would argue that you could use the Smith to push yourself with Squats, many would disagree.  Ask for a spot.)

“Sled” 45 Degree Leg Press

The sled is a plate loaded system where you load the weight plates onto a sled that moves along a track.  Pretty straight forward–  Typically reserved for leg press type exercises.  If a workout calls for a “Sled Hack Squat,” they’re talking about something like this.

A Cable Cross Station.

This is a cable cross station–  There are many variations of cable sytems and cable machines, but they all share something in common–  They used a “selectorized weight stack” attached to a cable and pulley system, and carabiner secured interchangeable handles.  They offer a lot of versatility when it comes to exercises, angles, and range of motion; but be careful–  Don’t opt for the multiple pulley systems when there’s a single pulley system available to use. Remember back to your middle school physics class–  Each additional pulley adds mechanical advantage and makes the work easier.  This is why I can Triceps Press the stack on a two pulley system, but am only pressing 100 lbs. on a single pulley system.  (Side note:  I know older cable systems were sometimes plate loaded, but I think the most recent evidence of one of those existing was from a picture of Arnold in the early 70s.  For that reason, I make the claim that they’re all selectorized.)

It’s worth noting that all of these have a place in your routine–  Free weights are the best, but machines and sleds have their place as well.

If you learned something today, that’s great, if not–  Good on you for reading through the end and knowing about all of these!  Like I said, this is mostly to make sure everyone knows what we’re talking about for next week’s post.

Filed under: Body Building, Nutrition by DeVinePhysiques
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