Posts tagged build muscle

Muscle vs. Fat

Feb 6th

Posted by Funkster in Diet and Nutrition

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What is important to remember when you are undertaking any exercise or weight loss programme is that if you perform weight training, you WILL put on weight. If you’re obsessed with weighing yourself, this isn’t going to help you one bit and can lead you off the right path onto the wrong.

Instead, get rid of the scales and let your clothes tell the truth. I always know when I’ve lost weight because my clothes are loose. The scales always show me at the same weight or more but I do a lot of weight training.

The reason I state this is because muscle does weigh more than fat, so obviously if you are doing regular weight training the muscle gain will show up on the scale. This can make some people panic but remember muscle is your best friend and will help to burn off the fat over the long term. It may not be overnight but you will certainly look leaner if you keep up weight training.

Another myth that most people worry about with weight training is that they will bulk up to look like Arnie. Even if you start with light weights and perform 20-30 reps, you will start to build muscle. To burn serious fat, try to increase the weights every week. The more weight you can squat or press, the more leaner your muscles will become. Avoid pyramid training which use heavy weights and you’ll be fine. I would highly recommend Body Pump. It is tough but work on building your mental strength to perform weight training.

Even today I weighed myself and I usually never do. Twelve stone. I am lean but I perform a boxing training, body pump, spinning, and skipping over the week so my metabolism is high. Another great thing you must know about weight training is that it will burn still be burning off fat for up to 48 hours afterward. Cardio may burn it for up to 2-3 hours afterward so how cool would it be to burn fat through the night.

Remember to eat lots of protein to fuel the additional muscle.

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Positives vs. Negatives of High Protein Diets

Jan 7th

Posted by Funkster in Hints and Tips

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I am not sure if you have tried the zone or high protein diet. I did once and I was extremely ill. I would never do something stupid as to stress my body out again. I eat regularly with healthy foods and I’ve never had a weight problem.

The media and celebrities promote these silly diets. There are diets for everything. Okay, I believe in the blood group diet because I am sure that some blood groups may struggle with digestion of some foods, and others will be fine. I will focus on blood group diets in my next blog.

So, are there any benefits to a high protein diet besides weight loss?

Positives of High Protein Diets

  • You’ll lose weight…and fast. During high protein diets the body starts to produce ketones, which suppress the appetite, may cause nausea and causes water loss in the body through the lack of carbohydrates, which contain water.
  • Protein rich foods fill you up for longer, supposedly (they didn’t for me, especially not with carbohydrates.
  • May be useful to follow for a day but try not to follow long-term. The negatives of a high protein diet far outweigh the benefits / positives.

Negatives of High Protein Diets

  • The body does not receive carbohydrates so therefore the body will suffer  with fatigue (tiredness).
  • Vitamins and minerals must be consumed to add the nutrients that the body is not receiving.
  • May cause diarrhea in some individuals due to the excess protein.
  • Many protein rich foods like cheese contain a lot of saturated fat. We all know what happens when too much saturated fat is consumed don’t we…high blood pressure, heart disease etc. the list goes on.
  • As well as feeling ill and tired, a high protein diet will cause  halitosis (bad breath).

I will admit to trying this stupid diet just to see if it worked. I was hungry all the time and desperately craved a nice crumpet with loads of butter. I lasted three days then had severe stomach cramps, nausea, and bad shits.

I would not recommend a high protein diet to anyone. Obviously, if you need to build muscle, increase your protein intake but make sure you have carbohydrates too for energy.

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