4 Fatty Foods that are Essential for Fat Loss and Offseason Growth

Bodybuilders frequently have this notion that they must take extreme diets to make their physique to extreme levels. Back in the day, there was a thought that a zero-fat diet was the best possible way to rip up. However, it was found to be unsuccessful so the high-fat diet replaced the previously failed diet program and became the norm. But in the end, most bodybuilders have figured out that either of these extreme diet programs will lead to a successful result on their bodybuilding phase.

Whether you want to lose bodyfat or increase muscle mass, the strategy is to have a diet that’s somewhere between the two extremes. Moderation of taking the right types of fats can help build muscles and in most cases, reduce your bodyfat. So if you’re into the cutting or growth phase, you need to consume 20% of their calories from fat. Here are some healthy sources that you can take.

Whole eggs. Probably one of the best sources of protein and a staple to bodybuilders, eggs provide excellent amino acid profile. Both the yolk and white give great protein with the whites being faster to digest while the yolk may take longer to digest because it contains dietary fat which provides more sustained amount of protein. One egg yolk contains 6 grams of fat with half of it being saturated so eating six or more a day would result to too much saturated fat. The solution is not to eliminate, but to reduce the number of yolks so for every five or six egg whites you consume, add one yolk not exceeding three on daily basis. With six egg whites and one yolk, that’s 24 grams of protein and 6 grams of fat.

      Red meat. To cut up, you will need to reduce your calories but omitting too much fat might compromise your testosterone levels. As to cutting out dietary fat and also carbs and total calories, your testosterone levels go down and if that happens, you will lose muscle mass as well. Red meat contains fats that assist testosterone levels that include conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fat that allow body to tap into fat stores as energy source and promotes muscle growth. Mass seekers can have an intake of red meat twice a day as well as dieters, provided that they do not consume more calories than their daily target.

      Salmon. An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid is salmon. Omega-3s help spare the loss of glutamine and supports the immune system. They help fight muscle inflammation and lead to enhanced glycogen storage. There’s also an indication that they promote the loss of bodyfat and retention of muscle during dieting stages. Omega-3s are so essential that even dieters should also take this four times a week even if it’s a small portion.

          
      Low-fat cheese. Myths that dairy products are fattening food are simply just myths. Low-fat cheese contains many anabolism-promoting peptides, small amount of CLA, also found in red meat, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Research shows that it also contains calcitriol which help burn fat on low-calorie diets, and casein protein.

Bodybuilders fear fatty foods but they really shouldn’t. For building muscle growth and keeping bodyfat within reason, they need proper provision of nutrients as well as control in calorie intake. Fatty foods may be caloric, but they provide nutrients that many bodybuilding foods lack so having them included in your diet are great choices during mass-gaining phase, and by tweaking for some adjustments, are also essential for cutting phase. In the end, you need to take proper balance of food intake to stay anabolic and keep bodyfat in check.

Dreams vs Goals: Road to Fit Body

Setting up goals is very vital to one’s success. However, dreams and goals, as you may find it quite similar, are two different beasts.

It’s important to know both differences. Dreams are things you aspire and hope to achieve someday, things that you like thinking about but don’t know if it will ever happen or not. Goals, meanwhile, are particular things that you have aimed to need to accomplish for a definite period of time. An example case is having a fit body. In a dream statement, you’ll say, “Someday I’ll lose weight and have a fit body”. Whereas with goals, you declare a certain timeframe and your statement will be like, “In three to six months, I will lose fat, gain more muscles and sculpt a rock hard abs.

What’s great is that once you attain your goals, your positive energy boosts to higher level as well as your confidence, allowing you to go on to set and achieve grander goals ahead. The achievement you get gives you that extreme feeling of happiness and the success it brings does create many exciting dreams you wish to aspire. Somehow it builds tremendous optimism and hope and when you’re optimistic, you know you can achieve any goals you set and you just can’t wait to get your hands on the next and win it big time.

On the negative side though, when you’re unable to achieve your goals, you get disheartened, self-confidence suddenly gets an all-time low and you can’t create greater dreams anymore. When you stop dreaming, you don’t have something to look forward to, you then look down which leads to lost hope.

So here’s an advice, set a goal which is close to reality. In that way, you’ll be able to do it step by step until you reach success. If your aim is to have a fit body, find someone who has achieved the same thing as what you’ve set in, someone who is in the same situation as you are and observe how they’re able to do it. Get inspired by their work so it may rub off to you. If they can do it, you can do it too. But of course, you have to consider that all people have different genes, so if that person is able to cut down the weight for let’s say six months or lower, don’t get demoralized if by six months you haven’t reach your goal yet. Just keep on working out and you’ll be surprised at what you have achieved. It may take long shot but you will get there eventually. The road to fitness isn’t just a one night thing, it’s a lifestyle.

Strengthen Your Shoulder Blades with Blackburn Exercise

Getting injured is the one thing you don't want to happen when working out, but with some bad form, that may lead you to some serious problems. One of which is getting your shoulders hurt while bench pressing. You get that sharp pain feeling with certain movements and when you rest on that side of your shoulder when lying in bed it hurts big time making it hard for you to sleep. If you experience this, you're not alone as I have the same experience also. It is caused by repetitive motion with incorrect execution which causes swelling on the rotator cuff. I've stumbled a therapy that could help strengthen the shoulder blades if you're at the end of recovery and can perform the exercise without pain and in good form.

Here's a video of the exercise called the Blackburn, named after Dr. Blackburn.

Blueberry Smoothie

Here's an easy to prepare smoothie perfect for your meal plan that won't hurt you weight loss program.

Ingredients:

1 cup skim milk

1 cup frozen unsweetened blueberries

1 scoop whey powder vanilla

1 tablespoon cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil

Add milk, blueberries and whey in a blender and blend it for about a minute or until it gets smooth. Put it to a glass and stir in flaxseed oil.

Makes 1 serving.

Total Body Circuit Dumbbell or Kettlebell Workout

Here's a total-body circuit workout with not much equipment used. Just dumbbells or kettlebells and you're ready for some nice burn. Do 3-5 sets. Rest for 1-2 minutes after finishing the whole circuit. You may rest for 30 seconds in between exercises.

1. Goblet Squat with Shoulder Press. Goblet squats are great for toning and sculpting your butt and abdominal muscles. Combining it with shoulder press, you're hitting not just the lower part of your body but your upper part as well.

Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell with two hands close to your chest while standing upright, feet on shoulder width. Slowly squat down until your hamstrings are on your calves. Keep your back straight, chest and head up. Pause a little when you hit the bottom position, using your elbows to push your knees out. As you ascent, explode upwards by pressing the dumbbell overhead. If you're a beginner, use lighter weights. Do 8-10 reps.

2. Walking Lunges. This type  takes any lunge exercises a step further. It may not be the most popular but it's effective to strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, hips and core as well. You can perform this anywhere and by holding weights, it elevates the intensity.

Start by standing straight with feet in hip distance apart, holding a lighter to moderate-weight dumbbell (or you may start with no weights at all if you're a beginner then add weights later on as you progress). Drop down to a lunge, make sure both knees are in 90 degree angle and forwarded leg not go over your toes. Thigh of your forwarded leg should also be parallel to the ground. Step together then switch legs. Stop for a moment when you reach the starting position to keep yourself in right form. Continue to walk through as far as you can go or perform 8-10 reps.

If you have a knee injury, or experience pain in any of the joints, it's best to stop and not to perform this exercise. Consult your doctor.

3. Single-arm bent over row. This exercise targets your back. Start by placing your left knee and hand on a bench. Hold the dumbbell or kettlebell in your right hand at arm's length, elbow slightly bent, keep right leg straight, maintain a straight back and neutral spine. Don't let your head go up or too far down. Pull the dumbbell or kettlebell up to your rib cage level then slowly lower it back to start. Depending on your preference, you may start with right knee and hand placed on the bench. Do 8-10 reps. After finishing the reps, go to the other side. Inhale on the way down, exhale when going up.

4. Dumbbell Chest press. Lie down on the bench. Knees bent, feet flat on the floor and your back flat on the bench. Don't arch your back. Engage your core muscles. Hold dumbbells slightly above chest level, elbows out and palms facing forward. Inhale. Exhale when you gradually push the weights up. Don't lock or hyper extend your elbows. Pause a second, then slowly go down to the starting position while breathing in. Do it in a nice controlled movement. Select a weight that you can lift with right form. Do 8-10 reps.