I realize that, while we’ve covered a variety of topics thus far, we haven’t gone over what I consider to be, “The Basics.”  We’re going to discuss the basics of Body Building, because regardless of your goals, you need to know this–  Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, or “tone,” everything is grounded in these basic principles:

First, Body Building is split up into two distinct cycles for working out:  “Bulking,” and “Cutting.”  Bulking relies on a major basic fact that everyone should know. . .  You have to be eating a caloric surplus to gain weight.  If you’re trying to build muscle but aren’t eating enough, you won’t be building any mass.  Likewise, if you’re afraid of doing weights because you don’t want to get “bulky,” ask yourself if you’re eating an amount of calories that will cause this effect.  Now, typically while bulking, you will consume 10% – 500 Calories over your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE, which can be done with this post, followed by this post).  This will give your body the necessary fuel to build plenty of lean body mass, while minimizing fat gains.  While Bulking, cardio is kept to a minimum while the emphasis is on the weight training.

Now, notice how I said “minimizing” above? Anytime you bulk at all, you will gain fat along with it, it’s only a matter of what ratio of Lean Body Mass (LBM) to fat you gain.  This is why the second cycle is necessary. . .  “Cutting.”  While this is especially important for Body Builders, it is also crucial that anyone interested in losing weight follow these guidelines as well.

Cutting is when you eat 10% – 500 Calories below your TDEE, so that you will lose around a pound of fat per week.  Now, in order to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss, there are a few very important factors that one must keep in mind:  You should continue your regular weight training while cutting in order to preserve your LBM, and you should also take part in “High Intensity Interval Training.”  (HIIT)  HIIT is just what it sounds like.  Rather than do steady state cardiovascular training, you do interval work.  As an example, rather than park yourself on an elliptical for 30 minutes, you can do sprints on the treadmill.  Don’t want to go to the gym?  Do intervals at the park or do my “I don’t want to go to the gym but need to do intervals” workout:  Jump rope for a few minutes, then do some sprints, very fast push ups, and repeat until 30 minutes have elapsed.  You can even do intervals on the elliptical by frequently adjusting the resistance.

The point behind all of this is the effectiveness of HIIT.  Steady state cardio can only lose so much weight for you before it is no longer effective.  (Fun fact:  Your body can adapt to a cardio routine within two weeks, as opposed to weight training which can take significantly longer for you to “plateau.”)  Have you ever heard of people talk about how difficult the “last 10 pounds” are?  That’s because your body will get to a point where it’s comfortable with steady state cardio, and it doesn’t feel like losing the last bit of fat on your body. . .  It thinks it’s necessary to maintain that fat, and will hold on to it while turning to alternative fuel sources if you up the amount of cardio you do.  By doing HIIT, your body can never fully adjust (Provided you change things up frequently and do it properly), and bursts of energy produce testosterone, which is necessary for muscle preservation and cutting away the last bit of fat.

With physical activity accounted for, we move on!  You will often hear body builders, nutritionists, and personal trainers say that only 10% of it is working out, the rest is nutrition.  Well, there’s a reason they all do. . .  You can see amazing results right away without going to the gym, if you’d only change your diet.  Eating properly, in the proportions you should, with your macro ratios in check, is far more effective than 1 hour of cardio 6 days a week.

And for the last bit about the basics, remember this. . .  The same people who will tell you that only 10% of it is working out will tell you that you should rest just as intensely as you workout, as this is when your body is actually making the changes that you crave.

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Once in a while (Read: Constantly), I go into a supplement store . . .  I usually know exactly what I’m getting based on exhaustive amounts of research, or simply because I ran out of something.

Not pictured: The other cabinet and the Colostrum in the fridge.

. . .  Once in a while, I go into a supplement store and run into an over eager employee that wants to sell me on an $80 bag of protein.  The title of this post is “Consider the Source,” and that’s because you must, at all times.  We’ll begin where it makes the most sense, and we’ll come back to the $80 bag of protein.

When I first became interested in bodybuilding, I read a beginner’s guide that had two very important tips:  1)  Don’t listen to the really cut guy at the gym, and 2) Don’t listen to supplement companies.

Why would I not want to listen to the guy at the gym with the body I want?  Well, the article went on to say that 9 times out of 10, that guy is a Mesomorph (A post about body types will come!), who is just naturally very muscular, tan and lean. . .  And natural mesomorphs typically did not have to work very hard, if at all, to get the body they want.  Case in point, the guy who was telling a lady that bench press would cause her breasts to go away  (You may remember him from a previous post);  Whom also said that you shouldn’t eat any fat.  (If you’re looking to gain muscle, a third of your diet should be fat to maintain testosterone production)  The reason people ask him questions, though?  He’s cut, and looks great, while doing exercises that don’t do anything. . .  So automatically, people see him as credible.

Now, this one may seem kind of straight forward, but let’s just get this out of the way:  Supplement companies are. . .  Companies.  They’re looking to make a profit, so of course they’re going to tell you that everything they sell is amazing, and they’re going to tell you how much you need all of it.

Well, this goes along with my trip to the supplement store.  I had run out of L-Glutamine, a supplement that I’m a big fan of (Which does have naysayers), and went to the store to get some.  I had no idea where this particular place kept it, so when I was approached at the door, I asked for it.  The salesperson began asking me questions:  “Are you taking any other supplements?”  “What kind of protein do you take?” “Are you looking to gain weight, or gain muscle?”  Who would want to just gain “weight.”  I digress. . .  After answering her questions as we slowly meandered to the section, I spotted the L-Glutamine;  Unfortunately, it was behind her, and I had to listen to her sales pitch on an $80 bag of protein.  “This one is high protein, but low calorie, so it’s perfect for muscle building.”

Excuse me?  Muscle building is all about a caloric surplus!  I could go on about the other strange things this lady was trying to tell me, and sell me, but that’s not the point.  She was trying to make a sale.

Consider the source:  Should you listen to someone who’s just trying to make a sale?  Or someone who has not had to deal with trying to gain muscle and / or lose fat?  If someone knows nothing about nutrition. . .  Should they be the one giving you advice?

Consider the source before shopping, or asking people for help.

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So, I’ve been asked before, how it is I know exactly how much of what I eat.  In posting the nutritional snapshot, I was precise in what I had at the end of the day.  When people at work challenge me on what is going into my body over the course of the day, I quickly pull out my Blackberry and open SparkPeople on my phone–  They’re immediately shocked by my reciting how many calories I’m eating, in addition to my macronutritional (macro) breakdown.

So, why is SparkPeople so great?  Well, let’s start off with a very simple fact:  If you’re planning on counting your calories, you need some place to write them down and track them.  In the early days of my counting, it was on an index card that I kept in my pocket;  It eventually evolved into a very basic app that only counted calories, but eventually, I needed a method for keeping track of my macro breakdown.  After browsing around on the Blackberry App World, I stumbled across SparkPeople, and there’s no way I could live without it now.

There are a lot of extra services that they offer, but the one that I utilize most (which we’re going to focus on here) is the food tracker.  Let me start by sharing that is available across most smart phone platforms, and if you don’t use it yet. . .  You should.  In addition to being a smart phone app, it also has the added advantage of a web interface–  This is perfect for me, as the amount of food I add while bulking takes far too long from my phone.  With the ability to add almost all of my food in the morning in just minutes, I can better prepare my food for the entire day, leaving the app as a quick reference and a way to track changes to my diet if things change throughout the day.

After downloading the app and registering, you’re faced with a simple question.  How much do you weigh?  After this, you’re faced with another question. . .  How much do you want to weigh?  After processing this information, SparkPeople will automatically setup your macro and caloric goals to optimally reach your goal.

. . .  But you’re not stuck with those options.  I adjust my goals weekly, and use a different macro breakdown than their default, so I can change that and the app adjusts everything accordingly.  +10 points, for sure.

In addition to the default items tracked (Protein, Carbs, Fat, and Calories), you have the option to track additional nutritional items.  Need to watch your Sodium?  Not sure if you’re getting enough Fiber?  These are all things that SparkPeople can help you track.

As far as the functionality of the food tracker. . .  There are two ways to go about it.  The first, is to use their meal plans.  Based on your goals, SparkPeople can actually give you very nutritious meal plans to help you on your way to those goals.

On the flip side, SparkPeople offers a massive database of food to begin with on your tracking–  Not everything is there, but most things are.  If you’re ultra anal, like me, you have the option to manually enter everything, as well!  The first thing that happens when I try a new food?  I enter it into SparkPeople;  In just a matter of seconds on the phone app, you can have it entered into your personal database, and you can have it in today’s meal planner / tracker.

If you’re like me, and you don’t adhere to the “terrible-for-your-body-3-meals-a-day” school of thought, you have the option to add different meals to your tracker, such as “Post Workout,” “Pre Workout,” and “Bedtime.”  You can do whatever you’d like, really–  An added bonus to the different “meals” in it is the calculation of what was in the meal.

I love breakfast.

This is just a basic overview of the app and it’s core functions.  The first place to start, regardless of your goals, is counting your calories. . .  And what better way to do it than with a powerful tool that will not only track everything for you, but can help you plan it all?

I emphasize the “planning” aspect, because this is what I knew I would consume by 8 AM. A post on the importance of planning your day will come.

In Part 2 of this review, we’ll go into the other services that SparkPeople offers, but for now, register with them, like them on Facebook, and get started on planning and tracking toward your goals!

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Welcome to Part 2 of a very important blog– The calculation of your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE / “Maintenance”), and eventual caloric requirements of your goals is where every person, regardless of their goals, should start;  It’s also a number that everyone should know but no one does.

In our last post on the subject, the aptly named “Part 1,” we went into great detail about the home calculations behind these numbers. . .  We left off right when it was getting good, though, and you may be asking yourself, “But Gabriel, how does my BMR tell me how much to eat LOL?”  Well, here’s how it works:

Hopefully you’re aware that you need a caloric surplus in order to gain (lean) mass;  Conversely, you need a deficit in order lose (adipose) mass.  If you’re not already aware of that, there you are–  You’re welcome.  With that in mind. . .

If you’re planning on gaining lean body mass, you’re going to need to eat a very specific amount of calories over your TDEE, otherwise, you won’t achieve the goals you’re setting out for. Bodybuilders and personal trainers used to say that 500 calories above your TDEE, regardless of who you are, would build a pound of lean muscle mass per week.  There has since been research to prove that, if bulking naturally, this is nearly impossible, and you will instead gain a fair amount of fat in addition to lean body mass.  A better guide to follow (That is gaining momentum) is the 10% rule–  That is, you only adjust your caloric intake + / – 10% of your TDEE.  While bulking, this helps promote a healthy ratio of lean mass to fat gain, as fat gain is nearly unavoidable during a natural, clean bulk.

To use myself as an example, my TDEE is currently 2,850 KCal.–  10% above this is 3,135 KCal;  As such, I’m eating between 3,100 and 3,200 for my bulk right now, to maximize muscle gains while bulking.

So that’s great about gaining mass, but what happens if you’re looking to lose fat;  A.K.A.  “Cutting”?  Have you ever heard of the 500 calorie rule?  Well, it goes hand in hand with what we were discussing above.  When losing weight, you need to create a caloric deficit.  You can be extreme about it, but that is very unhealthy, and will lead to a massive loss in lean body mass. . .

So here’s what to aim for when cutting:  Either 10% below your TDEE, or 500 calories below your TDEE–  The rationale behind them is the same.  10% below is optimal for maintaining your muscle mass while cutting the fat away, whereas 500 calories below your TDEE may eat away lean body mass in addition to the fat.

Now, some people may ask why they would want to maintain all of that muscle mass;  Why not just create an extreme caloric deficit to lose weight quickly?  First off, it’s unhealthy to starve your body, and this method only works for so long before your body rebels. Also, keep in mind that muscle burns more calories than fat, so this is something that you want to keep on you body, but more importantly, muscle is shape!  Have you ever seen someone who is very skinny, but has zero definition on their body?  You can avoid that.

I digress. . .

To use myself as an example, we already know that my TDEE is 2,850 KCal. . .  If I were to begin a cutting phase now, I would eat between 2,350 and 2565, the lower bound being my minimum caloric requirements while the upper bound would be my actual goal.

So, after calculating your TDEE with Part 1, and after reading your post, you can determine how many calories you need to achieve your goals!

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Gabriel:  My brother once said something to me that was incredibly true, and is something I still impart on people today:

“Abs are made in the kitchen–  Not in the gym.”

How true this is, this statement about spot reduction / spot training.  Here’s the question:  How often have you seen an infomercial for a product claiming to give you rock hard abs?  How many times have you yourself done more crunches in the name of getting a six pack “faster”?  Would you be shocked to hear that this is impossible?  For those veteran gym rats, you won’t be shocked at all, but for others, this will become a revelation of sorts.

All of those products that claim to give you insane results with minimal effort (Or a six pack in just days) come with a nutrition plan, and they do because the manufacturers know the true key to getting a six pack–  Body fat percentage, not spot training.  No matter how much you train a particular muscle, whether it be your quadriceps, rectus abdominis, or your triceps brachii, if you’re looking for the chiseled look, you will need to adjust your diet and lower your body fat percentage.

But why, you may ask?  Well, simply put, if you’re doing crunches, you’re not burning fat around your waist.  If you’re doing the preacher curl, you’re not burning fat in your upper arms.  If you’re bench pressing, you’re not burning fat in any part of your body–  What you’re doing is training the muscle beneath the fat, which won’t allow the muscle to show through any better;  Rather, it’s going lead to a potentially bulkier appearance, as the fat atop the muscle will bulge more with more mass beneath it.

Pictured: A good ab workout, but not the key to a six pack.

So. . .  You want a six pack?  Spend more time in the kitchen, because adding a second routine for abs to your workout is not going to cut it alone.

Alissa:  Also, remember the importance of cardio in losing body fat.  Nutrition is key, but cardio is a close second.  With the right combo of nutrition and cardio you will have a six pack in no time!

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This is the most important question you must ask yourself when it comes to starting any health / fitness routine, and is an important number to know regardless of your lifestyle. How many calories do you need?  Well, there are many different answers to this single question, and it all starts with two formulas that calculate you BMR.  “What’s a BMR,” you ask? Well, BMR stands for “Basal Metabolic Rate,” and it is the amount of calories your body burns simply by existing over a 24 hour period.  After you’ve figured out your BMR, you then multiply that number by an “Activity Multiplier,” which will tell you how many calories your body burns in a given day.  More on this later, though. . .  On with the formulas:

The Harris – Benedict Formula

This is the most widely used equation for calculating BMR, as it relies on information that people typically know.  While it is very accurate, it can be completely inaccurate for the overly muscular, and the overly obese.  The equation is:

Men: 66 + 13.7x + 5y -6.8z | Women: 655 + 9.6x +2.8y – 4.7z

Where “x” is your weight in kilograms, “y” is your height in centimeters, and “z” is your age. As an example, let’s say you’re a 24 year old, 6 foot tall male weighing 180 pounds;  The equation would read as follows: 66 + 13.7(81.81) + 5(182.88) – 6.8(24) | After you’ve run the equation, you’re left with 1,938 calories.  Remember that number–  We’ll be back.

The Katch – McArdle Formula

This is a lesser known formula for calculating your BMR, but it also happens to be the most accurate, because it only relies on your lean body mass (LBM), which is what requires fuel in your body. This equation is not used as often because most people are completely unaware of their body fat percentage, and thus, they do not know their LBM.  So, how do you find out your LBM?  Buy some calipers, or ask a personal trainer to find out your body fat percentage (In the case of our hypothetical 180 lb. man, 11%);  Multiply your weight by the percentage (180*.11), and you will know how many pounds of fat are on your body.  Then, subtract that from your weight, and you have an LBM.  Covert that to metric, and then plug it into the following formula:

Men & Women:  370 + 21.6w, where “w” is your LBM in kilograms.  According to this, our 180 lb. man has a BMR of 1,943 calories.

Now, comparing the two, 1,938 to 1,943, you can see that they’re both similar, which is why the Harris – Benedict Formula is a perfectly acceptable for you to start–  But now, we need an activity multiplier. . .  After all, a BMR is the amount of calories your body burns existing, not moving.

By default, you have to multiply your BMR by 1.2 to get your “Total Daily Energy Expenditure” (TDEE), because getting out of bed, using the restroom, and eating all require calories.  If you’re more active than a couch potato, though, you use the following guideline to determine your activity multiplier:

Default / Sedentary = BMR * 1.2 (Little to no exercise, nor activity)

Lightly Active = BMR * 1.375 (Light exercise 1 – 3 days per week; Active job)

Moderately Active = BMR * 1.55 (Moderate exercise / sports 3 – 5 days per week)

Very Active = BMR * 1.725 (Hard exercise / sports 6 – 7 days per week)

Extremely Active = BMR * 1.9 (You’ll know if this is you.)

Our 180 lb. man that we have been using in this experiment works out 6 days per week, doing 3 days of hard weight lifting and 3 days of light cardio–  This would put him in the “Moderately Active” group, which brings his TDEE to 3,012 calories.

So why do we use an activity multiplier?  This is done to take the guess work out of your calorie counting–  Rather than guess how many calories you burned weight lifting, and the calories burned standing on your feet at work, this tried and true method does the work for you.  From there, you determine how many calories you need in relation to your goals, which will come in part 2 of this blog!

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