The goal of many bodybuilders is to gain muscle/lose fat whilst doing so simultaneously. Unfortunately, for most who’ve been training for any amount of time, training with this goal in mind is typically just a surefire way to stand in one place spinning your wheels for months, if not years on end. It’s often noted that bodybuilders tend to be extremists. Whether this is just a natural personality tendency among us, or it is a result of the habits with which it takes to induce noticeable and lasting physical changes in our physique, it does ring true for a large majority. Even when taking training out of the equation, what other group of people, or athletes, puts themselves through the dietary rigors of a bodybuilder? Eating enough to feed a small country while on a bulking phase yet turning around and barely subsisting on enough calories to feed a bird while on a cutting phase.

Anyone who’s ever truly been on a real bulking phase or a cutting phase will know exactly what extremes I’m talking about. In order to gain muscle the body needs food and lots of it coupled with a reduction of all extraneous activities. In order to shed fat after building this muscle the body needs much few calories and lots more tedious cardiovascular type exercise. To try and embark on a mutual compromise between bulking and cutting typically brings compromising results in either direction.

However, with science, information, and understanding on how the various systems of the body function, we can better understand and apply correct exercise and nutritional timing to better enable us to achieve the goal of increasing muscle mass and losing fat simultaneously. The plan I am about to unfold here is, as only a bodybuilder would have it, a bit extreme. However, if dedicated to and followed, it will enable you to achieve these 2 mutually exclusive goals simultaneously by taking advantage of nutrient and exercise timing.

What we are going to do is take advantage of the body’s hormonal state as it pertains to day to day circadian rhythms, exercise, and nutrient timing. The plan involves periods of both rather extreme underfeeding for fat loss, and rather extreme overfeeding for muscle gain coupled with both training for fat loss (cardio, HIT) and training for muscle gain (heavy weights). Basically what will be happening is you’ll be in a fat burning mode the majority of the time eating lower carbs and calories and performing fat burning activities like regular cardio and HIT cardio to help in this aspect.

The rest of the time you’ll either be sleeping, hitting the iron heavy and hard, or eating like a madman to drive protein synthesis, build muscle, and take advantage of the anabolic hormones induced by the weight training and feeding schedule. So let’s take a look at the nuts and bolts of the program.

Cardio

Some form of cardio should be done 3-6 days per and alternated between longer, slow duration cardio, and HIT cardio. Walking on a slightly inclined treadmill for 45 minutes is an ideal form of the longer duration cardio which should be performed on weight training days (up to 3x per week) and sprinting outdoors, on a treadmill and/or cycling is an ideal form of HIT cardio which should be done on weight training off days (2-3x per week). For the HIT portion there are many different methods of implementing this.

I like to keep the work:rest intervals a little longer than most at 1:2. As an example, after a 4 minute slow jog/cycle warm up perform 20 seconds of all out sprints followed by 40 seconds of jogging repeated for 8-12 sets with a 4 minute cooldown of slow jogging at the end. If there is one key to HIT cardio it is to keep it creative. Basically, the more you struggle with fat gain and/or loss, the more cardio and HIT sessions you’ll need to perform with 3 cardio and 3 HIT cardio sessions being the max. Those somewhere in the middle of the metabolic continuum should perform 3 HIT sessions and ditch the regular cardio sessions. Those with excellent metabolisms might find they need only 1 or 2 HIT sessions per week.

Weight Training

The actual content of your weight training sessions is not nearly as important as the timing. It is important for this program that your weight training sessions be done sometime in the late afternoon/early evening to allow you to burn fat throughout the day as this is the time when you’ll be eating a lower calorie/low carb diet. Also make sure you schedule the weight training early enough in the evening so that you are allowed a minimum of 6 hours between your weight training session and bedtime as this is the time you will be overfeeding to drive protein synthesis and replenish glycogen stores. Doing so too early in the day would halt fat burning for the rest of the day and put a damper on our training and fat burning economy.

The weight training should be done 3x per week on alternate days, M/W/F or Tu/Thu/Sat being ideal. The training sessions should consist of heavy, basic compound movements with some overlap. In other words, don’t make any sessions arms only as you want workouts that stimulate a lot of anabolic hormones and muscle mass. As an example here is how I currently have my 3x per week routine set-up. My training is usually done with mixed goals of performance and vanity so it tends to be a bit unconventional for many but it’s just an example.

Monday (chest and back focus) – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Power snatch – View Exercise
Dumbell Bench Press / incline bench press – View DB Bench – View Inclined Bench
Bent over row – View Exercise
Weighted dip – View Exercise
Weighted chin – View Exercise 

Wednesday (legs focus) – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Power clean – View Exercise
Barbell squat – View Exercise
Glute ham raise – View Exercise
Split squat – View Exercise
Romanian deadlift – View Exercise
Jefferson step-up 

Friday (shoulders, traps, and arms focus) – 3 sets of 8-12 reps

Push press or Jerk – View Exercise
Partial deadlifts in power rack + shrug – View Deadlift- View Shrug
Laterals – View Exercise
Scott curls – View Exercise
Paul dix press – View Exercise
Incline curls – View Exercise
Tricep dips – View Exercise 

I normally like to keep sets per exercise around 4-6 and reps between 4-8 and use antagonistic supersets when possible.

In my case, I do smaller muscle groups such as forearms, abs, calves, and rotator cuff on my weight training off days, however, this is definitely not something that needs to be done. Do abs and calves whenever you want, just make sure your workouts are hard, heavy, intense, and cover your entire body.

Diet

Now for the really interesting part, the diet! The diet is divided up into 2 separate phases, the low calorie low/carbohydrate portion and the high calorie/high carb portion. Here are the guidelines:

Low calorie/low carb portion

Duration - All day on weight training off days and ½ day on weight training days.
Caloric intake – 10-12 x bodyweight
Macronutrient ratio – 50% protein 30% fat and 20% carbohydrate

High calorie/high carb portion

Duration - on weight training days only. From the beginning of the weight training session until bedtime.
Caloric intake – The same amount as you would take in during a normal low calorie day but these calories are to be consumed in a time span of 6-8 hours. ( 10-12 x bw or 1600-1900 calories for a 160 lb individual)
Macronutrient ratio – 20% protein 5% fat and 75% carbohydrate

Maintenance calorie/carb portion

Duration – weekends
Caloric intake – 15 x bodyweight
Macronutrient ratio – 50% protein 30% fat and 20% carbohydrate

Daily Schedule

Monday – AM cardio PM weight training*
Tuesday – HIT cardio performed anytime
Wednesday – AM cardio PM weight training*
Thursday – HIT cardio performed anytime
Friday – AM cardio PM weight training *
Saturday – HIT Cardio done anytime maintenance calories
Sunday - no training/maintenance calories

* (AM cardio optional depending on individual)

So lets take a trial run through the program. At a bodyweight of 160 lbs our hypothetical trainee needs 1600-1920 calories on the low carb/low calorie day. At a 50p/30f/20c ratio this will mean 200 grams of protein/80 grams of carbs and 53 grams of fat. Lets first use and illustrate a weight training off day, Tuesday as an example.

Tuesday
Preferably sometime in the late afternoon or early evening perform HIT cardio or sprinting. The timing for the HIT on weight training off days is not terribly important but keep in mind the evening is usually a time when the metabolism begins to slow. By performing intense exercise at this time we stimulate the metabolism so the metabolic rate over the course of 24 hours is greater. After this have a protein drink along with some liquid carbs which would be equivalent to about ½ of the total 80 gram allotment of carbs for the day. Since the body is most responsive to carbohydrate consumption following activity try to get more carbs in postworkout, regardless of when you perform it. Throughout the rest of the day the body would be in a hard-core fat burning state. Diet would consist of mostly lean meats, fibrous veggies, and quality fats about every 3 hours throughout the day.

Wednesday
Again our hypothetical trainee gets up and this time does the optional slower/longer duration cardio for 40 minutes such as walking on a slightly inclined treadmill at a pace not so fast that it leaves him out of breath, but just fast enough so that it would be a little difficult to carry on a conversation. After this have a protein/carb drink. The amount of carbs would be less than the preceding days HIT cardio post-workout consumption, maybe 20 grams since the longer duration slower cardio is less taxing on the glycogen system.

Another important thing to remember is, since this is a weight training day and this training session is around 3 pm, he’ll only be eating the low cal/low carb portion for approximately ½ day so the macronutrient total needs to be adjusted since those #’s are based on a full days total. Instead of 1600 calories 200 grams of protein/80 grams of carbs and 53 grams of fat we need to cut those in half and eat about 800 calories/ 100 grams of protein/40 grams of carbs and 26 grams of fat from breakfast until 3pm.

Once 3pm hits is when the anabolism (and the fun) begins! Just prior to the workout we’d have a serving of some type of stimulant and begin sipping on a carb/protein drink. (dextrose/maltodextrin/whey) or (BCAAs, dextrose, malto). After the workout we would have another high carb/protein drink of dextrose/maltodextrin and whey and head home for more great FOOD and CARBS! The macronutrient total from 3 pm until bedtime will total approximately 1600 calories /300 grams of carbs/80 grams protein/and 9 grams fat for a 160 pounder, so this pretty much means any low-fat carbohydrate sources are fair game.

Although complex carbs such as white potatoes, rice, oatmeal etc. are ideal due to their effects on replenishing muscle glycogen, it’s ok to have some cereal, low fat pastries, etc. during this time as well. Keep fruit and fructose consumption to a minimum and definitely make sure you stay away from fat. Having high insulin levels coupled with fat intake will drive that fat directly into storage. Continue to pig out on carbs until bedtime and then wake up the next morning for another 1.5 days of dieting before hitting the workout and overfeed all over again.

Why It Works?

The weight training and preceding dieting phase not only burns fat but also puts the body into a glycogen depleted state which heightens insulin sensitivity so the body is ready to suck up on all the nutrients delivered during the short-term carbohydrate overfeed. In addition to increasing cellular hydration, which is important for protein synthesis, the body responds to this overfeeding by increasing levels of the anabolic hormone insulin.

Having high insulin levels ALL the time could be a bad thing and lead to fat gain, but for such a short period of time after an intense workout we’re able to maximize the anabolic power of insulin for anabolism and muscle building with little danger of spillover into fat storage. Studies have shown that carbohydrates consumed during massive short-term carbohydrate overfeeding have a very small effect on de novo lipogenesis, or conversion to fat from carbohydate.

Also, during this time and after, the body will respond to this short-term overfeed with larger amounts of the hormones testosterone, thyroid, and leptin. Leptin is the hormone which normally drops during a diet and causes our fat loss efforts to reach a stand-still and causes our body to begin cannibalizing muscle tissue. By boosting leptin through over-feeding, we also ensure that our fat loss efforts continue unhindered throughout the plan while all the other hormones are optimized for muscle gain. Regular cardio is done earlier in the day not only to burn more calories and fat but, more importantly, to give a big metabolic stimulus throughout the day. Diet is optimized to allow fat burning during these times.

Likewise, the timing of the weight training sessions coincides with the time when the body would normally begin to go from an anabolic to a catabolic state. By doing our weight training and HIT in the afternoon/early evening we are able to boost anabolic hormones and sensitivity to these hormones at a time when they naturally begin to decline while also stimulating the metabolism at a time when it begins to slow down. Following the weight-training workout with a high carbohydrate overfeed gives solid, round the clock hormonal and dietary management of both muscle gain and fat loss.

Article Via Bodybuilding.com

This is the age old question so many people who exercise have wondered.  When your at the gym, it’s nice to be able to knock everything out in one day.  By doing your 60 minutes of weight training and 40 minutes of cardio, you are able to squeeze in more exercise, and maximize your efforts.  Repeat this 3-4 times  a week and you are really on the track towards success.  However, many people have their theories on this.  Theories are often times based upon this month’s issue of men’s health or some simple bro science from the meatheads in the corner ; two useless forms of fitness advice.

Let us intervene and shine some light on the subject.  Never again will you have to play guessing games as to which way you should be working out.

When you work out, whether it is weight lifting or cardio, your body burns fuel.  The preferred fuel of the human body is carbohydrates (glucose).  The average body has roughly 400 grams of carbohydrate stores ready for use as fuel.  When these stores begin to dry up, the body turns to burning fat as fuel.  This is an important point to remember as it will help us make our decision about the sequence of our workout later on. 

Jumping on the treadmill and doing 40 minutes of jogging may burn up to 600 calories.  The components making up the 600 calories may be part fat, part glucose, and part blood glucose.   A rough estimate would say you have used one quarter of your glucose stores.  If you are like some people and have a sports drink or power bar while you work out, you will replenish these stores and be only slightly less depleted than you were when you walked in.

Lifting weights, particularly as heavy as you can handle, is terrific for sapping your body of its energy stores.  Muscles love using glucose for energy.  When you perform those heavy lifts, your body goes into overdrive to support the muscular system.  A solid hour of moderate to high intensity training while almost completely deplete your body of its preferred energy sources. 

What does this mean?  Well, when your body has no more glucose to fuel movement, it must turn to fat to keep the engine running.  By completely depleting yourself of energy stores in the first hour of weight lifting, your body turns to burning fat when you begin cardio.  Cardio later in a workout will burn almost exclusively fat cells.  For those that are interested in weight reduction and fat loss, this is a very good thing.

Forget what you have been told about “fat burning zones”.  While more fat is burned at a lower intensity, more calories (and fat calories) and burned when you exercise at a higher intensity.  Look at it like this:

At a low intensity (jogging) you burn 60% fat/40% glucose.  At a high intensity (sprints) you burn 30% fat/70% glucose. 

1. Jogging for 30 minutes – 180 calories burned – 108 calories of fat burned
2. Interval sprinting for 30 minutes – 500 calories burned – 150 calories of fat burned

While you can see that the ratio of fat calories burned is higher in the low intensity cardio, for practicality purposes, more fat is burned by doing high intensity cardio.

Focus on doing your lifting right when you get to the gym.  Go hard with your lifts, then focus on doing cardio 100% for 40 minutes afterwards.  This will allow your body to immediately jump into fat burning mode.  The one exception to this is if you are lifting legs on any given day.  You should try to split up your cardio and leg lift days for the simple fact that you will over train and get less benefit from the workout.

Hopefully this helps you stop playing the guessing game about which comes first, cardio or weight training.  The goal for all overweight individuals is to burn fat.  The best way to do so is to deplete energy sources and make your body run off of fat cells.

People wanting to improve themselves in athletics are well advised to understand the difference between the muscle fibers in their body.  By understanding the muscle fibers, and how they are affected, you can maximize your time spent in the gym by focusing on the right exercises.  The three muscle fibers in the body are:

• Slow Twitch Fibers - ”Weaker” muscle fibers.  great endurance.  used in high-endurance events like marathons.
• Hybrid Fibers – Mix between slow twitch and fast twitch fibers.  Explosively strong and resistant to fatigue.  Infrequently found in humans.
• Fast Twitch Fibers – Explosive, fast fibers that contract very quickly.  Tire out very quickly.

Keep in mind that fast twitch muscle fibers aren’t necessarily stronger than slow twitch.  Fast twitch fibers just contract faster, allowing for greater exertion against a weight.

There hasn’t been too many studies showing demonstrating a person changing fast twitch to slow twitch, or vice versa.  It is widely assumed your genetics plays a part in the distribution of slow twitch and fast twitch fibers throughout your body.  It has however been documented in studies that individuals can change pure fast twitch muscle fibers into the hybrid muscle fiber type.  This is often accomplished by constant endurance training combined with a weight lifting program.

That being said, hybrid muscle fibers are the best type to have for anyone wanting to increase their vertical leap, speed, strength, and endurance.  They are super fibers, in a sense; they possess the positive attributes of both slow and fast twitch fibers.  The best way to affect your muscle fiber composition is to do a routine that combines plyometrics and weight training.  These two activities will positively effect your fast twitch fibers.  The more fast twitch fibers you have, the more potential you have for the hybrid muscle fiber type.

Sprint training is the best routine there is for creating hybrid muscle fibers in your body.  Combine sprint training with weights and some endurance exercise and you will be well on your way to developing these super fibers.

Remember, in order to maximize the number of hybrid muscle fibers in your body, you must have an abundance of fast twitch fibers.  Consult the chart below for some tips on how to best train your fast twitch muscle fibers.

Having a specific training program designed by a professional athletic trainer with your goals in mind is paramount to making serious gains.  Train hard and train effectively to start seeing progress in your development.

Hooping is a popular form of aerobic activity using hula hoop exercises to firm, tone and burn body fat.  The hoops used aren’t the standard toy you played with as a child; instead, these large, customized hoops are weighted especially for the activity.

Hooping is Older Than You Think

Historically most people think the hula hoop is a product of the 1950s; however, it has been around for several thousand years and dates back to ancient Egypt and Greece. Today it has re-emerged as a popular new fitness trend as hooping or hoopdance and provides an alternative cardio and core strengthening workout.

How to Do Hula Hoop Exercises

If you can’t find a hooping class near you, instructional DVDs about hooping can show you the basics of how to use these larger (35-40 inch plus diameter) hoops to become fit. Using a weighted hoop is a little different that the classic hula hoops you may remember as a child. These weighted hoops weigh around 2 pounds and because of the heavier weight, they rotate around the body more slowly, so even if you struggled to keep your hoop rotating as a kid, it should be easier with this heavier, larger version. At least that’s what the manufacturers have to say; according to them, there are no worries about a lack of rhythm or being clumsy.

Benefits of Exercising With a Weighted Hoop

Not only do the larger, weighted hoops give you a good cardiovascular workout, but using these hoops also:

• Massages your intestines and organs as it circles your waist
• Allows for meditative time
• Gets your heart rate up
• Increases the fitness level of the entire body
• Increases the flow of blood to the brain
• Increases energy level
• Improves coordination
• Strengthens torso muscles
• Enhances spinal flexibility

How to Choose a Hoop Right for You

Before you start to exercise using a hula hoop, be sure that you have purchased the right size hoop. If you head out to Wal-mart and buy a Hula Hoop, most likely you’ll be getting a child-size hoop. To make using the hoop fun and effective, it has to be the right size. The general rule of thumb to follow is that when the hoop is resting on the ground, it should reach somewhere between stomach and chest height. However, if you have an apple-shaped body and a large waist, you’ll want to compensate for that as well. The bigger the hoop, the slower it will rotate around your body and the easier it is to use. The smaller the hoop, the more challenging it is.

How to Exercise with a Hula Hoop

Once you’ve purchased the right size hoop, it’s time to start the fun. If you used a hoop as a kid, it might not come back quite as easily as riding a bike, but with a little practice you’ll get the hang of it.

Waist

The key is to put one foot in front of the other instead of standing with your feet side-by-side. Start with the hoop against your back at your waist. Give it a gentle push to start the rotation around your waist and shift your weight back and forth between your front and back foot to keep the hula hoop moving. Don’t move your hips in a circle to keep it rotating because the opposite will happen. As you shift your weight back and forth, your hips make more of a rocking motion than a circular movement. Keeping the hoop twirling around your waist is the most important of the hula hoop exercises. In fact, if you’re strictly using the hula hoop for exercise and don’t have a lot of time, this is the only exercise that’s needed. It can be used anywhere and your waistline will really show improvement as the unwanted fat burns off the midriff and the stomach muscles tighten.

Arms

To use the hula hoop to tone muscles in the arms, extend your arm to the side and roll the hoop around your arm in a circular motion. The idea is to keep the hoop moving around your arm. This exertion works to firm and melt body fat.

Legs

You can do a similar exercise for the legs. To avoid losing your balance, lie on your back to work the legs. With one leg perpendicular to the floor, or at a slight angle, start the hoop spinning around your extended leg and keep it spinning for one to two minutes.

Hips

Stand in a standard position, but instead of spinning the hoop around your waist, work it around your hips. However, the standard around-the-waist position will help you lose off your hips, too.

Make It Fun

Adding some fast paced cardio music will make your hula hoop exercises fun. You’ll feel refreshed while you burn that unwanted body fat.

Article via lovetoknow exercise