» Fat Loss

One of the biggest questions I get as a personal trainer is exactly what to eat before and after working out.

Looking back at my history of fitness, it wasn’t always so pretty.  Many years ago when I was just trying to get big muscles and didn’t care about much else, I would SLAM a Big Mac minutes before I would work out.  And then I would wonder why I felt like a ball of junk.

Even though I was majoring in Nutrition at Sacramento State I would still find myself eating like crap not because I didn’t know any better, but because I didn’t want to break away from my old comfortable roots of junk food.

I eventually hit my breaking point a couple years ago when I found myself with a bad back, horrible joints, couldn’t sleep and felt anxiety more often than one should.  I took it upon myself to learn the latest and greatest foods that I should be filling my body with to ensure I would live a healthier life.

Before I took it upon myself I would always know exactly what to do with someone in the gym but I wouldn’t know what the HELL tell them to eat outside the gym.  Now that I know I want to share it with everyone.

OK enough of my story, before you work out you don’t want to have anything to heavy on your digestive system or else everything in your body will focus on digesting and absorbing that food instead of working your butt off in your workout.  I wouldn’t recommend eating a pizza, oatmeal or anything else takes a long time to digest.  Go for something lighter such as a piece of fruit or some yogurt 30-60 minutes before your workout.  

Also be sure to NOT drink so much water before you’re workout, but instead drink small amounts of water tapering off until your workout.  And while you workout you want to make sure you’re continually consuming water to re-hydrate yourself.

If you work out early in the morning then I wouldn’t recommend eating a big breakfast like I usually tell everybody else to do.  You don’t want a big meal digesting in your stomach when you’re trying to work out.  Instead go for the fruit or yogurt 30 minutes or so before you work out.

After you workout is a little different story.  You want to make sure you have a good amount of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your work out.  Ideally you would have a meal that also has some good carbohydrates as well as some healthy fats, but if you could only get one thing then get some protein.

Now this protein doesn’t necessarily have to be a protein shake but instead you could have an organic peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Ezekiel bread, grilled chicken breast or a salmon steak.

So there it is, exactly what to eat before and after working out, if I didn’t cover something be sure to leave a comment and let me know!

If you have a medicine ball than that’s all you really need to have a great overall workout that will burn body fat.

The medicine ball is a fantastic tool for working out and if used right can be incorporated into losing weight.

In this video I’m giving the exact exercises I used to have a weight loss workout and if you’re looking to do the same the start using these exercises immediately!

Today way going old school with some great hacks from the old bodybuilding days of Venice Beach. Since I’ve evolved over the years I’ve slowly gone away from the bodybuilding methodology of training and instead have starting implementing a modern day approach.

But there are still some great “hacks” that these old school guys got right that still can completely apply to anyone trying to lose weight. And the best part is that NOT very many people know about these and it always blows my mind.

Keep these hacks in mind next time you’re working out to enhance your fat loss process!

Cut Your Rest Time

Cutting the time you rest between sets is a quick way to amp up your metabolism and get your internal engines revving. Although it is going to be A LOT harder to workout with slimmer rest times it will dramatically enhance your fat loss journey.

The reasoning behind this is that your body will not be able have the sufficient time to go back to its normal resting state. Therefore it won’t allow your heart rate to slow down and it will keep your body burning calories.

While lifting weights don’t rest more than 30 seconds between sets, even though you’ll have to go lighter in weight you will be working your body more effectively.

Implement Super Sets

Super sets have been around since the Arnold Schwarzenegger bodybuilding days and still has great effects today. When you super set two exercises your body will also cut it’s rest time but practically DOUBLING the stress of a normal workout.

Just like cutting your rest time this will be way harder to accomplish but the results will be well worth it. Gone are the days of doing a set of bench press and waiting around for a few minutes and then going again. Now you want to do some bench press, rest 20 seconds, and then go directly into another exercise.

Contrast Training

Contrast training is basically a way of implementing a specific way of training by super setting two exercises which use different lift styles from the body. For example, after completing a set of push-ups you quickly go do a set of Swiss Ball leg curls, so the push-up is a pushing movement and the contrast, pulling, is performed in the leg curls.

When I train my clients full body I’ll usually implement this with an upper body exercise and a lower body exercise. This way they can rest their upper body after completing a set while they do a lower body exercise. Instead of blast the chest by doing bench press and push-ups, I’ll do bench press and squats.

I have 2 explosive fat loss exercises with the SuperBands that I wanted to share with you today.

These SuperBands are fantastic and you can do a lot of great exercises with them, especially for fat loss.

I can practically GUARANTEE that these exercises will completely enhance your fat loss program and you’ll see great results from doing them.

Through them into you next workout or at least take away the principle and customize it into your own.

Click Here To Get Your Own SuperBands

There seems to be an almost “secret” code out there that everybody knows who’s achieved the body they want. And those who are fit absolutely KNOW when they’ve broken the code and know if they do more of it then there going on a downward path to fatness.

The contents of this code seem to elude many everyday average Joe’s who are clueless when it comes to fat loss. They may even be sabotaging themselves and they don’t even know it!

So I wanted to share this code, or commandments with you today so you can get the inside scoop on our secrets. Follow these commandments and you will surely be shredding off the fat for good!

1. You Shall Eat Breakfast.

Breakfast is called the most important meal of the day for a very good reason. A recent study found a group who at a 600cal breakfast lost significantly more weight than the group who didn’t eat breakfast or even the group who ate a 300cal breakfast. This doesn’t mean start pounding out Coco Puffs & Lucky Charms just yet, aim to eat some healthy grains like oatmeal or quinoa along with some fruits to get your metabolism and the day started off right.

2. You Shall Exercise Consistently.

To get the results you’re looking for you’re going to have to work out, plain and simple. But the key is doing the right stuff and doing it consistently. So this doesn’t mean coming in and taking a lame cardio class once or twice a week and calling it a day. You’re working out with weight & doing high intensity interval training 3-5 times a week.

3. You Shall Rest Peacefully.

Recovery is one of the most overlooked parts of fat loss. Think about it for a second. After a great workout your body needs the time to recover so you can actually get stronger and be rested enough to work out hard again soon. If you’re not getting enough of the right calories and are not getting enough peaceful sleep then you’re energy levels will be down and your workouts won’t be the same.

4. You Shall Eat Healthy.

OK this is a no brainer! But seriously if you eat the right stuff at the right times then you’re fat loss results are going to go through the roof. If you alter from your healthy diet more than 5-10% of the time than you’re doing yourself a disservice and you’ll be sabotaging your fat loss goals. This is probably the hardest one to follow for the majority of my clients but the one that will get you the most results.

5. You Shall Have A Cheat Day.

Having a cheat day can actually help you lose weight because if you’re eating healthy ALL the time then you’re body will release certain hormones that will inevitably cause your body to STOP losing weight. Especially if your calories are super restricted your body will start to think that you’re not able to get the amount of calories that it desires. So having a cheat day is great because it will stop those hormones from flooding your body and will get it back to a fat burning mode!

6. You Shall NOT Be Negative.

Negativity kills all enthusiasm and motivation. Positivity is the key to staying inspired and attracting great support when you really need it. If you’re negative about your fat loss goals than there’s a much slimmer chance you’re going to get to where you want to go, and you’ll also be MISERABLE while you’re doing it. Staying upbeat will keep the exercising and the diet fun so you stick with it forever.

7. You Shall Drink Plenty of Water.

Water is the key when it comes to keeping your body properly hydrated. So many people walking around are walking around depleted of the necessary hydration that their body craves. Here’s a simple rule to figure out how much water you need daily…take your body weight, divide it by 2, that’s the minimum amount of fluid ounces you should be drinking daily.

8. You Shall Supplement Properly.

Be sure to watch my video on the Top 5 Natural Fat Loss Supplements to get this one down. Supplementing your body properly doesn’t mean pounding down Red Bulls and crazy diet pills to get your weight down. Supplement your body with natural proven stuff which will increase your energy, longevity and crank up your fat loss.

9. You Shall Record Your Progress.

Gauging your fat loss process is critical because it will allow you to see where you at, where you want to go and how far you’ve come. This also means recording what you eat every day. If you care about your finances than you’re saving receipts and balancing your checkbook. Same applies to fat loss dieting; record what you eat to hold yourself accountable!

10. You Shall NOT Be Alone.

Sometimes we think it’s easier if we do everything on our own. Although that‘s not the truth, but the more comfortable way out. This could be a personal trainer, a fitness coach or a workout buddy. I know I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t have a steady workout partner for so many years. Having a positive workout partner will keep you motivated to keep working out, eating right and also keep learning about creating a healthy lifestyle.