» Fat Loss

How Much Protein Do I Need?…by Josh Schlottman

A big question that I’ve always gotten is, “how much protein do I need to build muscle and burn fat?”  And that really all depends, if you’re a skinny guy who needs to pack on a muscle then you should be taking in more than a girl who wants to lean out and shed the belly fat.

Also if you’re the size of an NFL linebacker than you’re going to be able to take in more protein than a high school kid.

It’s still shocking to see young kids drinking 50+ grams of protein in one of those ginormous bodybuilding gorilla shakes because they’re really just wasting their money.

The average person can only absorb about 30 grams of protein in a sitting so if you’re trying to take in 90 pounds of protein for lunch then you’re going to find most of it just coming out your other side.

Click here to discover my 7 Best Muscle Building Foods.

So the best way to take in protein is going to be to spread it out evenly over the 5 or 6 meals you’re eating throughout the day.  This way you’ll have more time to better absorb the protein and use it for recovery and the rebuilding of muscles.  A big rule of thumb is to have some source of lean protein and some vegetables with every meal.

I usually recommend to my clients that they drink a 20-30 gram protein shake, half before their workout and half afterwards.  This way you can use some of the energy you’re getting from your shake for the workout and also get the other half to immediately start rebuilding your body.

Another good rule of thumb for answering the How Much Protein Do I Need question is that if you’re training hard to take in 0.6x-0.8x grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.  So if you weight 180 lbs. then you should be taking in around 144 grams of protein.  Spread that over 6 meals, eaten 3 hours apart, you should be eating (hold on let me bust out my calculator…) 24 grams of protein per meal.

But this is only if you’re training hard and trying to build muscle and if you’re a lady trying to lean out more than you’ll probably be better off going with just 0.6 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Another awesome advantage of taking in a lot of protein is that because of the protein molecules complex structure it’s a heck of a lot more difficult for your body to break down protein than it is carbohydrates of fats.  This means that just by taking in more protein you’ll see in increase in metabolism over having a diet higher in carbohydrates and fats.

I hope this helps answer the question, How Much Protein Do I Need and if you have any more questions be sure to send them my way by leaving a comment below.  And if you’re looking to take your diet to the next level see my review of the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet.

To your success,

Josh

Travel Diet Secrets: How to Join my Exclusive Mile High Club…by Josh Schlottman

So I’m heading off to Seattle today and I’ve been going into overdrive getting all my snacks ready to go.  I absolutely hate eating airport food and all the junk in most restaurants so I take my travel diet into my own hands.

Instead of paying $$ for overpriced junk food in the airport I’m snacking on some of my favorite healthy foods, while keeping lean at the same time.

A lot of my high end clientele travel a lot and one of their biggest concerns is nutrition and how to have a healthy travel diet.  Most people when they travel just pick up meals to eat here and there, but the real secret is preparation in getting all your healthy snacks and drinks ready to go.

The biggest key in my travel diet are foods that are lean and will last a long time.  Unfortunately I’ve learned a lot of lessons along the way that will make you think twice about what foods to bring on your travel diet. (more…)

Hardcore TRX and Kettlebell Workout…by Josh Schlottman

Using two of my most favorite pieces of fitness equipment of all time, I had the crazy idea to create the ultimate hardcore workout using the TRX and kettlebells.  Both the TRX Suspension Trainer and the kettlebell are HUGE staples in just about all of my own personal workouts and my clients.  For a more in depth look be sure to see my TRX Suspension Trainer review.

The best way I thought possible to make this workout as hardcore as possible using the TRX and kettlebells was to superset them.  I have used supersets in my own workouts ever since I was around 18 years old.  To be perfectly honest I picked up the whole concept from bodybuilders, most notably Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And the supersets are still SUPER relevant when it comes to workouts that build muscle and burn fat.  The real key is mixing up the supersets, and one of my favorite ways is to alternate pushing and pulling exercises.

So with the TRX Suspension Trainer and the kettlebells I would use one for mostly a pushing exercises, such as TRX push-ups, while I would immediately go into another pulling exercise with the kettlebells, such as rows.  This way I’m using two whole different muscles groups back-to-back and getting the biggest bang for my buck.  So while my pushing muscles are resting, I’m training my pulling muscles instead of hanging out by the drinking fountain and watching ESPN.

The supersets in this hardcore TRX and kettlebell workout will get most people headed straight to the puke bucket, and on top of that all the exercises I use with them are going to be total body and require a lot of work.  When I first switched over to this style of training from the more traditional bodybuilding background, I was SHOCKED to find out how weak I was when I was doing this stuff.  It’s easy doing curls with 135 lbs. but trying to do curls on the TRX while laying on your back is the ultimate test. (more…)

The Jason Statham Kick Ass Workout and Diet Plan…by Josh Schlottman

If you’ve seen any real action movie recently then I’m sure you’ve seen Jason Statham in it.  And you won’t believe where he goes for inspiration for his hardcore kick ass workouts.  He’s not flipping on a lame P90x DVD anytime soon, Jason Statham goes to prison to find his training inspiration.

Totally put off my big gyms and their machines with wussy trainers walking around, Jason Statham went out to find the ultimate anti-gym and was inspired by visiting a prison and seeing how the inmates trained.  I was surprised to find the similarities with his own diet plan as I found in my Xtreme Fat Loss Diet review.

Jason Statham wants his own workout to be extreme and brutal while strongly emphasizing the use of bodyweight training over machines.  Jason Statham’s own personal trainer, Logan Hood, is a former Navy SEAL himself and was also one of the guys who got the crew for the film 300 in such great shape.

His trainer takes a no B.S. approach to his training and diet philosophy with Jason Statham admitting that there’s no place to hide when working out with him.

From all my research I’ve done with Jason Statham’s training routine I’ve found that his style of training is probably the one most similar to my own.  This guys is going really hardcore and leaves no excuses on the table.

I really like his attitude when it comes to training and he doesn’t get caught up with all the hoopla of pansy Hollywood workouts and diets. (more…)

How to Get Rid of Man Boobs FOREVER…by Josh Schlottman

A big question I’ve been surprised to get lately is how to get rid of man boobs and today I want to shed some light on why guys get the dreaded man boobs and what they can do to get rid of them for good.  Man boobs are probably one of the most unattractive things that guys can have on their bodies and if they’re trying to get a date, it’s not going to make things any easier.

In some ways they’re doing things that only make their man boobs grow and doing workouts that aren’t going to do a damn thing to get rid of them.  If you’re having a hard time getting things going take a look at my Xtreme Fat Loss Diet Review but hopefully after reading this you guys will have a realistic battle plan to take down your man boobs.

Ok, so the obvious reason guys have man boobs is because they’re overweight and tend to hold a lot of fat into their breast area.  And that’s the simple answer but it goes a lot deeper than that.  Guys can have man boobs from having too much estrogen in their bodies (and girls who have too much also hold a lot of weight in their breasts, hips and thighs).

The HUGE problem is that most guys who have higher levels of estrogen don’t even know it.  Unless you prefer going to nail salon over watching the Super Bowl…

The biggest enemy you’re going to have to watch out for is soy.  Soy and all of it’s by-products are laced with phytoestrogens which will obviously want to dominate our man-boobs annihilator hormone, testosterone.  Some people will argue that guys have enough testosterone to safely combat the estrogens found in soy and other foods, but I totally disagree with this.  Because the last thing I’m going to do is drink soy milk when doctors recommend it for menopausal women to increase their estrogen levels.  Taking in soy is great for older females but not for guys who DON’T want man boobs. (more…)