Working out OR Training ?

What’s up Art Of Six Pack , today we‘ll talk about a interesting subject, working out OR Training ?
I am sure you are curious and confused of what I mean, all right then let’s start !

Going to the gym is a very good thing and a good way to start a healthy lifestyle.

Simply by doing aerobic, or dancing, or running, all of them raise the BPM (Beeps Per Minute) which is how your heart pulse goes.

This will help you keep your body healthy and live longer.

So go to the gym people, not just for the appearance but for your health also.

But if you want to build muscle or lose fat, generally have a great body, you have to do more, than simply going to the gym.

Don’t get me wrong, many people they don’t want to have a bad-ass physique, or build muscle they just want to have a healthy lifestyle which it totally fine.

In case thought, you don’t want to have only a healthy lifestyle, but a great body then you should continue reading .

A typical guy or girl that wants to have healthy living, will do simple things, like running , dancing or even lift some weights… Which, as I said earlier is great for health !

When it comes to weights, they will do some sets, with a random weight, with not proper form, with heavy-ass or light-ass weight and that’s it they will go take a shower , cause they are full of sweat. But that doesn’t mean you are going to build muscle.

You think that you had a great workout and worked really hard, but that’s not the case.

So if you are this type …. just keep reading

If you want to build muscle and have a healthy lifestyle you simply have to readjust some things.

Going to the gym isn’t going to work for you. Why you might say, cause building muscle isn’t so easy, unless you are beginner or taking performance enhancing drugs.

To continue, you have to take the “Working Out” and throw it to the garbage  !!!

You have to Work smart and start “Training” !!!

“Smart” means using the best tools in the gym, like compound exercises.

You also have to progress every day, getting stronger. You have to go to the gym, with a goal, and accomplish it !!!

For example : If you are able to hit 200 pounds (90.7 kg)  for 6 reps on bench press, then the next time you are going to do bench press, have a goal of 200 pound (90.7 kg)  for 8 reps or 205 pound (92.9 kg) for 4 reps. And try to hit it !!! That’s called progressive overload, it’s basically a way to improve yourself in every session. You want to improve every session you make.

That’s the secret for building muscle. You cant just go and do 200 pound for every month, you have to improve your lifts, raise the weigh or the reps. You want to make the muscle work, you have to challenge your self in every set, every rep, every session, all year !!!! But before you go to the gym and start putting on plates, just cause you have to improve your lifts …

You have to have the proper form, just cause you raise the weight, doesn’t men you have to lack form, if so then lower the weight,  it means that you can’t lift it !!! 


Simply as that, don’t go to train your EGO, but your muscles !!!

The weight isn’t everything, let the haters telling you that they bench more or this or that.

When they pull their shirt, you see nothing even they lift more than you, when you pull your shirt you show what can be done !!!!
 SO don’t worry about these guys, when the time comes, they will have nothing to say !!!

That covered the training part, you have torched and destroyed the muscle, now in order to grow you have to recreate it and build it bigger.

This simply can be done by recovery and nutrition .

Recovery is sleeping for 8-10 hours straight, not in total, have that in mind and nutrition, here’s a detailed guide of what can you do   . 

Well that was it guys new post coming 2-3 days, it will be about my nutrition plan of the previous 2 weeks and what the upcoming week has. 
Until then Bye bye .

Oh make sure to subscribe, comment, like and share to support my project and the FB page also  ,i appreciate.

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What macros are & how to find yours

What's up Art of six pack . 

Sorry for the delay in the new post ,  anyway i am here to make it right.

Today we'll talk about a famous subject, macronutrients.

Some of you already know what's this, some of you don't.

Alright macros or macronutrients are the   protein, carbohydrates and the fats.

Every thing you eat has a specific number on both of these three.

For example a slice of whole grain bread has 2 gr of protein,  20 grams of carbs and 0 gr of fat.

So you give your body these numbers to process.

Carbs are the primary source of energy and by saying primary i mean that your body doesn't get energy only from the carbs. Think for a minute, if you haven't eat for many hours can you move, sure you can (a little bit).

Why you say,  cause the body has the ability to adjust and stay alive.

To get back on track, protein and fats give you also energy.

If the body doesn't have sufficient energy, it has to find from somewhere, this will be from what you eat (protein, fats) or from what you have (muscle, fat cells)

Protein is used to create new muscle tissue, from bicep to hair.

Fats are to support the system of our body, to be functionaly, it "controls" our testosterone for males.

Now let's move to the calories, i am sure you all know it.

Now calories come from protein, carbs and fats.

• 1 gr of protein has 4 calories
• 1 gr of carbohydrates has 4 calories 
• 1 gr of fat has 9 calories and 1 gr of alcohol has 7 calories

. As you can see fats contain a lot of calories.

 But this doesn't mean that they are bad.

As i said earlier, fats are crucial for our system to function properly.

Healthy fats are going to help with fat loss even.

On the other hand bad fats are going to ruin your fat loss.

Cause the body doesn't know how to utilize them, just as the alcohol so it stores them :-(

  

Now that we covered what they are let's move on how to find yours.

I am sure that you have heard "40/40/20 bro, Arnold used it" or 50/30/20 bro it's the best"

There numbers are the percentages of the calories.

With Carbs/Protein/Fats.

For example your calories are 2000

50% of them will come from carbohydrates (1000 calories)

30% from protein (600)

20% from fats (400)

To find how many grams you simply do maths

Carbs: 1000/4=250 gr

Protein: 600/4=150 gr 

Fats: 400/9=44 gr

Although they are a good guideline i believe it's better to have macro goals and not macro ratio.

It's like a suit, these percentages above are a one size suit for everybody.

Wouldn't you prefer a custom suit to fit you perfectly? 

If you answered yes then ok let's move on how to do it !

First you have to find your calories.

A very general way to find how many calories is by your bodytype.

Endomorphs- Slow metabolisms, usually store fat easier

                Bodyweight x 13 or 14

Ectomorphs- Fast metabolism, usually lose fat quicker

                Bodyweight x 16, 17 or 18

Mesomorphs- Naturally fit, average metabolism

               Bodyweight x 15

A other way to find your calories is by the Harris-Benedict equation, also known as the Harris-Benedict principle, is used to estimate what a person's BMR (basal metabolic rate) and daily requirements are. The person's BMR total is multiplied by another number which represents their level of physical activity. The resulting number is that person's recommended daily calorie intake in order to keep their body weight where it is. 

 This equation has limitations. It does not take into account varying levels of muscle mass to fat mass ratios - a very muscular person needs more calories, even when resting.

 How to calculate your BMR 

Male adults

 66.5 + (13.75 x kg body weight) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age) = BMR

 66 + ( 6.23 x pounds body weight) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age) = BMR

 Female adults

 55.1 + (9.563 x kg body weight) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age) = BMR

 655 + (4.35 x kg body weight) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

 You can use our BMR calculator below to work out your BMR. 

BMR calculator  

Applying levels of physical activity to the equation 

Sedentary lifestyle - if you do very little or no exercise at all

 Your daily calorie requirements are BMR x 1.2 

Slightly active lifestyle - light exercise between once and three times per week

 Your daily calorie requirements are BMR x 1.375

 Moderately active lifestyle - if you do moderate exercise three to five days per week

 Your daily calorie requirements are BMR x 1.55 

Active lifestyle - if you do intensive/heavy exercise six to seven times per week

 Your daily calorie requirements are BMR x 1.725

 Very active lifestyle - if you do very heavy/intensive exercise twice a day (extra heavy workouts)

 Your daily calorie requirements are BMR x 1.9

And one more way is by simply recording everything you eat  for a normal week, that your weight haven’t changed and that’s your calories.

The calories that you find should be maintance, that means that your weight wont change at all.

If you want to lose weight you cut calories if you want to gain you add calories, that simple.

But in a slow way, you don’t want to have 1000 calories difference.

We have talked about how you should change your calories in other posts.

Allright, now that we find how many calories you need lets move to macros !

Endomorphs- Slow metabolisms, usually store fat easier

Bulking (Gain Mass) : 

• Protein: 1.2-1.35 g/lb
• Fats: 0.4-0.6 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories

Cutting (Lose fat):

• Protein: 1.35-1.5 g/lb
• Fats: 0.3-0.45 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories

 Ectomorphs- Fast metabolism, usually lose fat quicker

Bulking (Gain Mass)  :

• Protein: 1.0-1.25 g/lb
• Fats: 0.3-0.5 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories

Cutting (Lose fat): 

• Protein: 1.2-1.35 g/lb
• Fats: 0.25-0.4 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories

 Mesomorphs – Naturally fit, average metabolism

Bulking (Gain Mass)  : 

• Protein: 1.1-1.3 g/lb
• Fats: 0.3-0.45 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories 

Cutting (Lose fat): 

• Protein: 1.15-1.35 g/lb
• Fats: 0.2-0.4 g/lb
• Carbs: Fill in with remaining calories 

To have an idea of what to eat :

For Protein:

Boneless chicken breast

Boneless turkey breast

Cottage cheese

Tuna and most other types of fish (Salmon)

Egg whites

Low fat cheese or no fat cheese

Carbohydrate Choices :

Low-glycemic (slow-digesting): These carbohydrate sources enter your blood system slowly, causing less of an insulin spike. Low-glycemic carbs are ideal throughout the day, and include fruits, whole grains, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and sweet potatoes.

High glycemic (fast-digesting): Fast-digesting carbs hit your blood stream quicker, causing insulin to spike. Fast-digesting carbs are ideal after a workout. Fast-digesting carbs include white bread, white potatoes, sugars, candy, gummy bears, Pixy Stix, and Swee Tarts. Tropical fruits are also typically fast-digesting.

When you're not actively training, you want a carbohydrate that is not only going to provide you a slow and long-lasting energy source, but isn't going to spike insulin, either. Any time you spike insulin, you increase your chance of storing body fat (except after a workout). To stay lean while you build muscle, most of your carbs should be slow-digesting.

Times you need fast digesting carbohydrates :

Right after you work out: You deplete glycogen levels while you train, so you need to restore glycogen levels with fast-digesting carbs. Spiking your insulin at this key time won't cause fat storage, but will enhance muscle growth.

Right after you wake up: you have been fasting for hours and your body needs carbohydrates. But in need a little bit of spike also to come to its normal level and to stop being catabolic.
But be careful, in the morning fast acting should be minimal, let’s say 1 banana is fine. You haven’t workout so you don’t want many high glycemic, your mainly source must be complex.

For Fats:

Egg yolks

Nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, ect)

Olive oil

Avocado

Fish (salmon preferably)

Flax seed oil

Omega 3 (fish oil capsules)

Primrose oil

Just as carbohydrates, fats also have categories.

One is the good fats and the other is the bad fats.

Bad fats are butter,pizza,sweets …..

And just like high glycemic carbohydrates, bad fats also are being stored as fat, cause your body don’t know how to absorb them so it stores it, just like alcohol.

So if you want to drink or eat something bad, think it for a minute . 

Well that’s it guys and girls I hope  it will be useful.

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Cutting Phase Done, Now what ?

What's up my reader's, today we 'll talk about my cutting phase and what's coming next.

Let's start from the beginning, as i said in another post , my cutting phase started somewhere in March and ended in October.
It was an pretty interesting experience, with struggle at some points, but when you looking in the mirror and seeing an improved version of your self, you are so happy .
You have accomplished one more goal, and you like your self even more !!!
Cause you improved it and that's what i am looking forward to do !

The start was tough, not because of food  but because i didn't knew what to do. And keep in mind that i knew my calorie maintaince level.
I was searcing  on the Internet information about how to cut.
I was confused at the beginning, but then i figure it out.
The problem was that i was seeing carb cycling and which at the time i didn't knew it's a different thing.

If you don't know what carb cycling is,  let me tell you.
It's a way of manipulating carbohydrates, in order to lose fat and build muscle  at the same time , sounds awesome doesn't it.
Although it's great for fat loss,  when it comes to build muscle , i believe lean bulk is your best bet.
Anyway so you cycle your carbohydrates, 1 High carb day (2-2,5 gr per pound), 3 Low  days (0,5-1 per pound) and  3 Medium days (1,5 gr per pound)
Fat intake should also cycle, opposite to carbohydrates. When you have high carbs you should keep fat intake minimum, and when low carbing your fat go up . When medium , aim about 20 - 25% of your total calories.
Protein can be the same same for convenience, but if you don't mind you can also change it.
When High carb your protein will be the lowest of the week (1-1,1 gr per pound)
On the other hand when low carb,  you will have the highest (1,5-1,7),the medium (1,25-1,4)
Rate of fat loss should be about 1 pound per week.
If you don't lose for 3 weeks decrease your calories.
On the high carb day your calories will be in excess of maintenance level,  in order to kick start the fat loss progress.
When restricting calories your metabolism slows down .
But weekly you must be in caloric deficit.
I will be posting a article about cutting prety soon  , with even more details.

After that break let's keep going....  Where was i ,  oh yeah, so i read  a lot of articles and finally had a idea of how to start. Believe me that was the toughest thing.
In the beginning i didn't monitored my macronutrients closely, only the carbohydrates and of course the calories.
I started with a deficit of 100 calories, you might think it's too little, but for me it worked prety well, i lost 1 pound the first week, zero the next and zero the next one. So i maked another deficit of 100 calories.
In the third week i said "i must hit the macros "
From that point on, my fat loss Kickstarted !!! I was watching not only the carbs but protein and fat also.
 *And for the history, i wasn't trying to have enough protein, on the contrarary, i was trying not to pass the consumption.
My carbs were spreaded : 35% pre workout
                                          20% post workout(Simple)
                                          25% post workout 2(Complex) (1 hour from your 1st post)
                                          20% for the rest of the day.
 *For my personal preference this 20% i had it at breakfast .

My protein was prety much spreaded evenly.
About fats, i consumed them whenever i wanted expect pre and post workout.
Cause they slow down  the absorption of the carbs. Witch isn't bad, but when you are going to workout you want to absorb all of them, especially if you cutting.


Now that we covered nutrition, let's talk about cardio.
As i said before  ,in the beginning i was doing two sessions per week.
But then i changed it to every Sunday by doing Hiit
My training split is and was : MON (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)
                                               TYE (Back,Legs,Biceps)
                                               WEN Rest
                                               THUR (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders),
                                               FRI (Back,Legs,Biceps), three exercises for each muscle  group.


For the past two  weeks i have been on higher calories. More specifically 100 more on weekly basis.
On rest days i am consuming 2000 calories. With carbs at 1 gr per pound.
In addition to that i have carbohydrates in my other two meals. When I was cutting i consumed only in breakfast  80 grams of carbs.
On workout days i am 15 gr more in compare to last week of my cut.
I checked my weight and it was stable at 151 lbs(68,5 kg).
For the upcoming week i am going to increase my calories another 100 and my carbs (only on workout days by 10-15 grams).
 Of course if the weight changes i am going to adjust it.
 If i gain more than 0,5 pound (0,200 kg) then i 'll drop the calories.
 If i lose more than 1 pound (0,400 kg) i will increase the calories by 100.
 After establish the nutrition plan i will check my weight after 1 week.
 I weight in every week and right after i wake up and of course go toilet .

Well that was it folks.

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