Food
Can you build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
It is a simple law of the universe that in order to gain weight, we need to consume more calories than we use, and in order to lose weight, the opposite is true. It may therefore seem counterintuitive to some to suggest that we can grow muscle and anabolic (tissue building) process, whilst also having catabolic (breakdown of tissue) processes occurring at the same time. This led many to believe that you need to be eating an excessive amount of calories to support muscle growth, as you will hopefully now see, this is not entirely true.
Flexible Dieting: Is it for you?
Flexible dieting, also known as IIFYM ‘if it fits your macros’ is an increasingly popular diet strategy that is based around some key, scientifically supported principles. Here we will discuss the pros and cons of flexible dieting and whether this particluar diet would be right for you.
Three things you should be doing to support muscle growth.
There are many complicated theories and philosophies about the best ways to build muscle, indeed the ‘science’ of muscle growth can be complex. It is easy to see why many people over-complicate the process, this is due to a number of reasons. The most important one is lack of patience; despite what many think and what the fitness industry often portrays, muscle growth is a slow, slow process, with only a few grams of muscle growth being possible for the non-genetically gifted amongst us! Most people, after the initial few months of training find it harder and harder to grow muscle and if you’re growing 2-3kg of muscle per year consistently, then you are doing pretty well. That said, many people fail to reach their maximum growth rates, it fundamentally comes down to these three things:
Alcohol and effects on performance
Like most of the population, athletes and those who exercise regularly often consume alcohol. It has been reported that alcohol ingestion constitutes up to 5% of the total daily energy consumption in elite athletes and is especially common in team sports where it is encouraged as part of team bonding, but it is also associated with stress relief.
Exercising & Losing weight for beginners
For somebody who hasn’t exercised before or doesn't exercise regularly, there is nothing more daunting than the prospect of joining a gym, or often simply the thought of exercise in any form. Many factors can inhibit or prevent a person from undertaking an exercise regime, these can be health related, work related, family related or simply that there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to fit in exercise. The key point to remember is, exercise can be one of the most fulfilling activities available. It doesn’t have to depend on a gym membership or getting up at 5am to run in the cold and rain, there are many programmes that will allow you to boost health, strength and stamina that don’t require leaving your home.
Weight Loss Secrets
It could be a lotion, a new diet or an exercise regime. There is always the next big ‘weight loss secret’ that promises to transform your physique in just a few simple steps, in just a matter of weeks. The truth is, there are weight loss secrets and they are available everywhere if you know where to look. They are just as simple to follow, but not quite as easy as some of the more outlandish claims made by these diet fads.
Beginners Guide: What to eat for muscle growth.
For many people starting out in weight training, the most difficult thing is figuring out what to eat to support muscle growth. With so many conflicting methods and everyone seemingly giving conflicting advice, plus the numerous complex strategies to really optimise muscle growth, it is easy to not even know where to start. So we’ll tell you!
Protein: The key to weight loss.
For many people, weight loss can be challenging. There are many factors that will influence the rate at which a person can lose weight. Fundamentally, in order to lose weight and more specifically body fat, a person needs to be burning more calories than they consume.
Want a perfect beach body? You need to start now!
If we want a beach body for the start of summer, or a holiday, then a lot will depend on your starting point body fat wise. Obviously the more ‘fluff’ we are carrying, the longer we need to give ourselves. The good news is that the more overweight we are the quicker we typically lose weight, the real difficulty is knowing how long you should give yourself. The most effective way is to allow yourself 1-2lbs of fat loss per week, so if you have a stone to lose, give yourself at least 7 weeks plus a ‘settling-in’ period of a few weeks. A bit of leeway is advised in case of set-backs, so ten weeks would be a safe amount of time to get you from A to lean if you wanted to lose a stone!
How to Find Time for a Healthier Lifestyle
As a Personal Trainer, I really have heard an awful lot of excuses from clients as to why they can’t exercise. Ranging from the plausible “I'm too tired”, to the questionable “I can’t afford a fancy gym membership”, to the downright ridiculous “I can’t leave my dog alone” - yes that has really been used by a client as to why they can’t work out! But by far and away the one I hear most often is “I don’t have time” , which in some cases may appear to be true, but even in an extremely busy lifestyle it is still possible to find time for exercise.