The big man's plan to lose weight and build muscle. If you’re 6’3” and 2. For you, the treadmill probably seems like a medieval torture device. And forget restrictive diet plans—there’s no way you’re living on carrot sticks and kale juice. But why should you train like a gazelle if you’re built like a grizzly bear? In other words: What’s the best way for a naturally big dude to shed some extra weight? To get the lowdown on how big guys like Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy might get down to fighting weight, we got in touch with two pros from EXOS, the high- performance training facility that helped Lacy get absolutely shredded for his combine workouts: Scott Schrimscher, an EXOS performance specialist, and Joel Totoro, R. D., an EXOS nutrition solutions manager. We also talked to Luke Pelton, C. S. C. S., NSCA- C. P. T., a competitive powerlifting coach and weight training instructor based in New York. Here are five fundamental strategies that a big guy should use to gain muscle and shed that extra weight.
![]() Healthy Recipes; Meal Plans; Lose Fat. Healthy Recipes 7 Muscle-Building Super. Need help achieving your fitness goals? The Muscle & Fitness newsletter will. CLARIFY WHAT YOU MEAN BY “LOSING WEIGHT”First, it’s important to determine the difference between useless extra weight (the stuff you’re presumably trying to shed) and “functional mass” (which you presumably want to keep), Totoro says. TRAIN LIKE A BIG MANStrength Training: You’re a big, powerful guy—so train like it! He suggests focusing on two types of moves: Compound exercises (which train multiple muscle groups across multiple joints) and exercises that enhance stability and posture (like planks, pillar bridges, or Turkish get- ups). That way, you can build overall strength while improving your balance and maneuverability, Schrimscher says. If you find that smaller muscles fail during compound movements, then it’s not a bad idea to train with isolation moves (those that involve one muscle across one joint), Pelton says. ![]() ![]() For example: If your triceps always get tired during bench presses or overhead presses, try training with triceps pushdowns and/or skullcrushers. Otherwise, focus on compound movements that will challenge multiple muscle groups.“Practical Moves”: You don’t have to limit your training to the weight room. Pelton recommends fun compound exercises like sledgehammer swings, farmer’s carries, and tire flips, which are a favorite of football linemen. You can progress over time by either increasing the high intensity interval duration or decrease the rest intervals, forcing your body to adapt more quickly.”Circuit Training: Shake up your strength days by alternating exercises in a circuit, Schrimscher says. Circuit training breaks up your exercises, so you can do more work (either reps or weight) in a shorter amount of time. It also increases the number of muscles you recruit, ramps up your blood flow, and unleashes positive hormones, Schrimscher says. EAT LIKE A BIG MANDemand the Most From Your Carbs: Choose foods with complex carbs (like those in sweet potatoes and brown rice) over simple carbs (white bread and sugary sodas). We recommend them often and in a wide variety.”Eat Your Greens: Duh, right? But muscle- building vegetables like broccoli and spinach aren’t just rich in vitamins and minerals—they also help regulate levels of free estrogen in the bloodstream, Pelton says, and that’s important for guys who are trying to add muscle. Skip the Bad Stuff: You already know to avoid sugary sweets, soda, and fried fat- bombs. You don’t have to drop them completely—but cutting down on the drinks will pay dividends for your waistline and your liver alike. Prioritize Protein: A high- protein diet is key for building muscle. Try to get anywhere from 0. Spread out your protein intake throughout the day, since your body can only metabolize about 3. Totoro suggests also supplementing with leucine, a critical amino acid for muscle development that can be found in whey protein powder, Greek yogurt, eggs, or a serving of a branched- chain amino acid (BCAA) supplement. How To Lose Weight; Body. Does having muscle really help with weight. ![]() ![]() Now, we know that’s not totally true. These are great ways to incorporate the muscle- repairing benefits of protein and the anti- inflammatory properties of healthy fats.”4. FUEL UP LIKE A BIG MANStop Focusing on “Cutting Calories”: This is arguably the biggest myth of shedding fat, and it drastically oversimplifies the process, according to Totoro. The same logic applies for humans, too: You need enough calories to perform well in the gym and recover, without over- doing it, Totoro says. If you’re not sure about what works for you, consider asking a registered dietician to guide your efforts. Hydrate: Big guys need lots of water. Pelton recommends drinking least a gallon of water throughout the day. If you have a big 3. Don’t Confuse Fluid Loss With Fat Loss: It can be tempting to try and shed a few pounds by dehydrating yourself, as boxers and wrestlers sometimes do. Don’t even bother, says Totoro: “This is extremely dangerous and not a permanent loss.” It can also seriously limit your strength. BE MENTALLY TOUGHDon’t Trust the Scale: Gaining muscle will add weight (and speed up your metabolism), but it can also disguise your progress toward a healthier body. Instead of relying solely on the scale, take a holistic view: Do you have more day- to- day energy (aside from post- workout tiredness)? Are you moving around better? Are your jeans suddenly baggier? Those kinds of subjective measures are good ways to build habits, Totoro says. Find Your Model Athlete: Being realistic with your ideal body image can be a helpful psychological boost, Pelton says. Big guys should research and mimic “athletes like powerlifters, strongmen, Highland games competitors, and Olympic throwers,” says Pelton. But shedding pounds of fat will go a lot more smoothly if you start with some baseline techniques and then gradually ramp up weight, volume, and exercise difficulty, Totoro says. After all: You wouldn’t jump into hardcore marathon training if you can’t run a 5. K, right? Please note, though, that you may need a different amount of food to properly fuel your workouts and desired body composition. Consult with a registered dietician or nutritionist if you’re unsure.— Breakfast: 2 whole eggs + 6 egg whites cooked in coconut oil, . Lose weight AND build muscle? Ok, I’m going to answer a series of questions with either “yes” or “no.” After all the questions have been answered, I will explain. Should I lose weight first and then build muscle? If I want to lose weight and build muscle, should I wait until all of the weight is lost and then work on building muscle? I have some fat that I want to lose and then I want to work on building muscle. But, my friend told me I should just work on turning my fat into muscle. Hell no. There is a noticeable theme to these questions. I’ve noticed this to be the cause of a lot of confusion, so let’s get it all straightened out. Question #1 and #2 are basically the same question with a different wording. Either way, the answer is still no. Some include: Weight loss happens when you put your body into a calorie deficit either by eating less of them, burning more of them, or a combination of both. And, huge surprise, weight training burns calories. It might not be equal to jogging on a treadmill, but it still burns a significant amount of calories. Not only does the actual act of weight training burn calories, but the results you get from weight training (increased muscle) ALSO burns calories. Yes, muscle literally burns calories. You know that whole calorie maintenance level thing? Well, that is the number of calories that your body naturally burns each day just functioning. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories your body will naturally burn. You don’t even have to do anything. You just build muscle, and it takes care of the rest. Adding muscle to your body really is the closest thing to a weight loss miracle. HELLO! If you just sit around waiting until you lose weight before you finally try to build muscle, you will have wasted precious muscle building time. Both could have been getting done at the same time. The infamous “turn fat into muscle” idea. This, of course, is not possible. As mentioned above, you should start to both lose fat and build muscle at the same time, but you should also keep in mind that these are two separate things being lost and gained separately. You’ve got your muscle, and you’ve got your fat. These are the only forms they come in. They can’t magically transform into the other. You can only gain and lose muscle, or gain and lose fat. Those are the only tricks they do. Of course, you can lose 5lbs of fat and then gain 5lbs of muscle. But, one did not turn into the other. Case closed. And now, one more related question: I’ve heard that it’s not possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. Is this true? Sometimes. As someone whose goal was always to both lose fat and gain muscle, I know exactly how confusing that “sometimes” answer may appear. Let me explain. In order to lose a significant amount of fat, you have to consume less calories than your body needs each day. In order to build a significant amount of muscle, you have to consume more calories than your body needs each day. If I currently tried to do both at the same time, I would fail at both. However, don’t give up hope. There are two groups of people that could actually succeed at doing both at the same time, and I’m not one of them. These two groups of people are: People with “assistance.” Specifically, a word that starts with “ste” and ends with “roids.”Beginners. It truly is an amazing thing, and you’d be just plain stupid to not try to take advantage of it. See, when you are first starting to build muscle (aka, a beginner), very little is required for it to work. Don’t get me wrong, it will still take tons of effort and the correct information, but all of the other aspects that would cause a non- beginner to fail to build muscle does not apply to the person who is a beginner. Their body will, for the most part, build muscle either way. I’ve heard this borderline miracle described as “newbie gains,” “beginner’s gains” and the “honeymoon period.” None of these are scientific terms, by the way. You remember that whole thing I said before about having to eat more calories than your body needs in order to gain a significant amount of muscle? And that the reason most people can’t do both at the same time is because losing fat requires consuming less calories (the opposite)? Well, this doesn’t really apply to the beginner. Yes, they will need to be in some kind of calorie deficit in order to lose weight. But, because they are a beginner, this won’t stop them from building muscle as it would a non- beginner. And it is because of this reason that a beginner is able to both lose weight and build muscle at the same time. Amazing, isn’t it? Obviously at some point you won’t be a beginner anymore and successfully doing both at the same time will become much harder (or near impossible). In my opinion, the last thing you’d want to do is have this ability and not use it. That’s why the idea of waiting until you first lose weight before trying to build muscle is. It would be like Superman taking the bus to Lex Luther’s hideout. You have the ability. As for how exactly to do this, it’s pretty simple. Follow The Lose Weight Diet (takes care of the weight loss part of the goal) and combine it with a proper weight training routine (takes care of the muscle building part of the goal). That’s it. For more details on what weight training routine will work best, and the complete diet/workout program that is most ideal for both losing fat and building muscle at the same time, check out The Lose Weight Diet’s Ultimate Fat Loss Program. There’s an entire bonus section specifically for people looking to gain muscle and lose weight simultaneously.(Oh, and just to clarify something. You could have been trying to lose weight for 1. Even if you worked out all the time when you were in college 5 years ago, unless you were doing it over the course of the last year, you too are still considered a beginner.)***NEW*** Still have questions about your fat loss diet? Confused about your workout? Need help putting it all together? Well, after nearly 1. I've finally created the ultimate solution.
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