My body. My temple.

Given my knowledge gained from my previous degree and the one I am working towards just now, I get asked by many different people very similar questions.  These common questions are either:-

How do I lose weight?

or

I want to bulk up, but I don't know how.  Can you please give me training tips? 

There are many common misconceptions and people always seem to make the same mistake of falling for the hype of silly diets such as The Atkins' or other short term solutions which just do not work and are more hazardous to your health than good. 

No one wants to be like this guy (part 2).
Exercise, in health and life, is very important.  Not only is it proven that exercise is an effective form of stress release (endorphin secretion) but also, when you look back in time to our ancestors, even they exercised.  Hunting was their exercise.  Although they were rewarded with a meal at the end, they still carried out the act of hunting which allowed for energy expenditure before replenishing with calorie intake. 

First of all, I feel it is imperative that we know how to tackle the issue of cardiovascular health and fitness. 

There is a worldwide epidemic with regards to cardiovascular health of populations.  It is the number one cause of death in the USA and in the UK.  The vast majority of cases can be solved with a little exercise and if exercise is a life habbit in the populations then chances are the number one cause of death would not be cardiovascular related.  There have been many theories as to what is the bare minimum that should be done to help in cardiovascular protection - (heart failure (HF), likelihood of myocardial infarction (MI) (heart attack) and many other cardiac episodes such as angina pectoris (chest pain). 

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published guidelines in 2007 stating one should do:

• Moderately intense cardiovascular exercise for 30 minutes A DAY, 5 days per week.
• Vigorously intense cardiovascular exercise for 20 continuous minutes, 3 days per week 
• AND 8-10 strength-training exercises, 8-12 repetitions of each exercise, twice per week.

There is, of course, evidence that suggests the greater the intensity of exercise for a prolonged period, the healthier it is for the heart.  The heart is, after all, a muscle.  Involuntary….yes.  But a muscle all the same and to develop, like all muscles, the heart must be exercised.  The best way to exercise it to a healthy level in adult life is by following the vigorous intensity exercise for 20 continuous minutes.  Resistance exercise is also a necessity.
Cardiovascular exercise: This allows for the dilation of the atria and ventricles of the heart, particularly the left ventricle.  This allows for a bigger chamber and it means that more blood will pass into the heart and therefore, to the rest of the body through the left ventricle.  Also, since the left ventricle has to work very hard during exercise to supply the oxygen demand of the working skeletal muscles, the left ventricular wall thickens as it provides a stronger push. 
Resistance exercise: This allows for the muscular walls of the heart to thicken allowing for a stronger heart. 

Cycling, running, rowing and swimming are all great forms of cardiovascular exercise. 
Circuit training and weight lifting are great examples of resistance work.

Both forms of exercises are crucial to establish a healthy, fully functional heart. 

Please see: - 

Swain, D.P., Franklin, B. A., (2006). Comparison of Cardioprotective benefits of vigorous versus moderate intensity aerobic exercise. American Journal of Cardiology; 97:141-147.

Weingarten, S., Henning, J.M., Badamgarav, E., Knight, K., Hasselbald, V., Gano, A., Ofman, J.J.  2002.  Interventions used in disease management programmes for patients with chronic illness - which ones work? Meta-analysis of published reports.  British Medical Journal. 

There are several changes that can be made to help weight loss be less of an arduous experience. 
The ratio between these CO₂ / %O₂ is the respiratory exchange ratio (RER).  For all purposes, it is helpful to know the RER.  It is an indication of the fuel an individual is burning during exercise and this can help determine many different things for those who are trying to lose weight.  

RER - 0.7 - Fat burning
RER - 0.8 - At rest with a modern, healthy, balanced diet
RER - 0.85 - Mixture of carbohydrates and fat burning
RER - 1.0 - Carbohydrate burning
RER - 1.15 - Protein burning (DANGEROUS FOR LONGER THAN A FEW MINUTES)

Although it may seem favourable to be at an RER of 0.7 to burn fats, and this is helpful, it is, in the long run better to burn carbohydrates.  Evidence suggests that it is better to go for a half hour jog than an hour walk.  This is because, due to burning carbohydrates, in the long run you will be burning fats at the point of finishing exercise for approximately 24 hours at rest. 

Mitchell et al. Respiratory weight losses during exercise J Appl Physiol.1972; 32: 474-476

Nicole R. Guesbeck, Matthew S. Hickey, Kenneth G. MacDonald, Walter J. Pories, Inge Harper, Eric Ravussin, G. Lynis Dohm, and Joseph A. Houmard.  Substrate utilization during exercise in formerly morbidly obese women
J Appl Physiol 90: 1007-1012, 2001.

Exercise is very good for you, although, like everything, all in moderation.  There is, even with exercise, too much of a good thing.  It can cause adverse heart conditions - however, this is only really for those who fall into the realms of ultra-endurance or those who have ran around 100 marathons in their life time. 

Weight loss is a simple equation for everybody

DROP IN CALORIE INTAKE + INCREASE IN ENERGY EXPENDITURE = WEIGHT LOSS

It is, unfortunately, easier said than done.  For many people who are looking to lose weight, as aforementioned, don't fall for the hype and easy ways out.  You will save a whole lot of time doing it properly.  It is a journey that can be accomplished and enjoyable.  Some simple changes in a still balanced diet will do the trick. 

Never ever - like the Atkins' diet did - cut out an entire macronutrient.  It is unhealthy. 

A normal healthy, balanced diet should be:

Carbohydrates - 60%
Fats - less than 30% - mainly unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, fish oils etc.
Protein - 10-15%

To aid in weight loss, this needs to be altered.  Increasing the percentage of protein intake will help.  Increasing it by approximately 5-10% and reducing both carbohydrate and fat intake shows the greatest results in weight loss. 

This is because protein is the best macronutrient for 'filling the void' so to speak as it suppresses the hormone from the brain to cause hunger pangs and therefore, keeps you satiated for longer.  Protein contains only 3 calories per gram where are carbohydrates containing 4 calories per gram.  Fat contains a staggering 9 calories per gram. 

Reid M., Hetherington M.  Relative effects of carbohydrates and protein on satiety – A review of methodology (1997) Neuroscience and Behavioural Reviews, 21 (3), pp. 295-308

Bertenshaw EJ., Lluch A., Yeomans MR. Satiating effects of protein but not carbohydrate consumed in a between-meal beverage context. (2008) Physiology and Behaviour, 93, (3), pp. 427-436

Eating things like thick soups which also satiates you faster is a good tip as well as using smaller bowls and plates to cognitively cause one to take smaller helpings of meals.  Also, drinking a pint of water before a meal as well. 

There only needs to be a drop of approximately 10-20% of calorie intake coupled with the exercise mentioned in the cardiovascular health and fitness section which will cause the weight loss.  Alterations in diet are not worth anything without exercise. 

It is a far greater challenge, believe it or not, to put on weight in a healthy manner i.e. muscle mass.  Bulking up requires a greater level of persistence and discipline.  It is all about nutrition.  You can never eat too much when trying to bulk up because you need the extra calories to get bigger.  I, personally, was eating 6-8 meals per day and having 8-10 thousand calories per day.  I was also doing weightlifting for 4 hours a day, 6 days a week as well as running 60 miles per week.  I reached 112 Kg. 

This is an example of what I would eat in a day:-

Breakfast:

Large bowl of Crunchy nut cereal one or two chopped bananas in there too.
2 bits of wholemeal toast with flora spread on and/or a bagel.
Pint of milk and a pint of orange juice too.
Cup of milkless tea as well.

Midday snack:

Milk and fruit. Preferably bananas and apples. Some grapes for more fibre and grapefruit are very good for digestion.
2 cereal bars (High in protein and very tasty!!)
Cottage cheese with brown bread.

Lunch:

This can be anything you like from the following; tuna sandwiches, tuna mayo pasta, salads, tuna jacket potatoes, chicken. Pasta is a great source of complex carbs which is vital for getting the bulk on as it saturates your muscle faster than protein and protein helps for growth and repair (ie repair of muscle after a good hard session). The best thing you can eat is tuna pasta. Salad is good as it has a high content of foodstuff which are known as “negative calories” such as lettuce, celery and cucumbers. This means when breaking it down in digestion it actually uses up more calories to breakdown than it supplies u with. This also applies for all citrus fruit. So, having said that, I would recommend some tuna pasta with sweetcorn and a handsome drizzle of olive oil or 2 large jacket potatoes with even greater tuna mayo fillings (mix with chopped red onions and sweetcorn for an orgy in your mouth.) and a large side of salad.
Post Work-out grub:

There are many things you should think about eating here and primarily you want to get protein in your body. Poultry or any white meat, ie fish, turkey, etc would be ideal. Eggs are also a good start to the day as well as a good source of protein after a good work out. Omelettes are the greatest thing you could do with eggs sticking meat in it and whatever else from the vegetable family tickles your fancy....if you like mushrooms then that can also be used, however, if you, like me, think mushrooms suck then just stick to meat etc. Steak sandwiches would also be a good shout too, with the right salad of course. Spicing it up is not a bad idea either.

Another great, VERY refreshing thing you could do is, grab as many fruit as u can, peal the skin off of them, things like apples and peaches etc (leave them on stuff like grapes) and use a juicer on citrus fruit, don’t stick them in whole, stick them in a blender and mix them. Throw in some ice and blend away to keep the smoothie cool and there you have possibly the tastiest smoothie you will ever taste. Add a little honey while blending too.

Dinner:

This all depends on what has been cooked. Try to avoid all greasy stuff...don’t get me wrong, have one or two things that are greasy but try to phase it out. Sticking to poultry, veg, pastas for complex carbs, little rice preferably brown. 

Snacks for when you are feeling peckish after dinner and this is great for while watching tv and it is SO good for you as it has everything needed – Houmous. Buy little tubs of it from Asda for £1 each and eat with celery or carrot sticks.

Remember throughout the day, especially when working out you need to have your fluid levels right up. Loads of water! Training is very important here.  You should aim to do weight training at least 3 times per week for bulking up and still think about cardioprotection as you still need to think about cardiovascular health and fitness. It is PARAMOUNT that you do not leave out any muscle groups.  All the muscle groups are relative to an overall good body image and mass gain.  For example, many who look to bulk up are obsessed with a large upper body and forget about working their legs.  Quadriceps muscles are, by mass, the biggest muscles in your body.  To gain weight, and fast, it would be wise to work legs muscles.  Also, quads have the highest steroid excretion when they are worked hard and they are best worked with a weights session.  Furthermore, working on chest muscles and leaving out back work is not in anyone's best interest as:
1) Physics shows you need to be able to pull (back) as much as you can push (chest).
2) A back worked equally as well as the chest will define the chest. 
Same applies to all antagonistic muscles e.g biceps and triceps. 
Aims in training should be 3 sets of 6-8 reps.  You need to not be able to lift a 9th rep because 'it gets too hard'.  Having a training partner is always recommended. 
Research has shown that eccentric weight training is the best way to get fast results with gaining muscle mass.  It is something I have always wanted to try but never had the right environment to do it for a prolonged period of time.  Please see:

 Higbie EJ , Cureton KJ. ,  Warren III GL., Prior BM., (1996) Effects of concentric and eccentric training on muscle strength, cross-sectional area, and neural activation.  Journal of Applied Physiology; 81: 2173-2181

Rome was not built in a day.  The wonders of both the ancient and modern world were not built overnight.  Many of them are still visited and observed with awe today.  You are the architect of your own temple, your body.  Take time and care to carve it the right way.  Patience is a virtue. 

Much love,

Jackson L.