“Young men think old men are fools; but old men know young men are fools.”

            —George Chapman (1559-1634)

 Much has been written about nutrition in the pages of MD over the decades. I’m sure many readers who began reading when they were teenagers are now entering their 30s and 40s. Countless pages have been devoted to describing nutritional protocols to maximize gaining muscle and losing fat. But I submit to you that we have all been fools— not just the young as George Chapman implies. There are fundamental metabolic differences between age groups— yet most nutritional recommendations for maximizing muscle don’t take age into account! In this young fool’s opinion, it’s time we all examined optimal anabolic eating for YOUR age, addressing each of the macronutrients.

Protein

We might as well get the big issue of protein intake out of the way first. If you read MD, you know high-protein meals increase muscle protein synthesis and this builds more muscle. The question is, how does age affect this anabolic response to protein? Research suggests that younger individuals are very sensitive to the anabolic effects of amino acids.^1-3 However, as we age, we become less sensitive to the anabolic effects of amino acids. Several researchers have shown that comparatively large doses of amino acids are required to maximize the anabolic response in the elderly, as opposed to the young subjects.^1,2,5-9

It appears the decreased response in the elderly may be explained by a decrease in the muscle cell content and activity of mTOR and p70S6K, two kinases involved in directing protein synthesis.^2,5 According to this research, older subjects require a greater amount of amino acids, specifically leucine (the amino acid responsible for stimulating protein synthesis), to maximize protein synthesis, as opposed to younger subjects.^7-9 Furthermore, it appears that the decreased anabolic response in the elderly may be due, at least in part, to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with age.

ROS has been shown to decrease mTOR activity and inhibit protein synthesis.¹⁰ But there is hope— it has been demonstrated that supplementation with a combination of antioxidants (rutin, vitamin E, vitamin A, zinc and selenium) restores the anabolic effect of a meal to the same level as the young!¹¹ So make sure you eat plenty of protein that is high in leucine (e.g., whey) and keep room in that pillbox of yours for some antioxidants, Grandpa!

Protein Recommendations:

<20 years old: 0.7-1 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 0.9-1.2 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 1.1-1.4 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 1.3-1.5 grams/pound bodyweight 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are another macronutrient that differentially impact anabolism as people age. The primary way in which carbohydrates influence anabolism is by increasing insulin secretion. Young individuals are very sensitive to the anabolic effects of insulin and in their case, carbohydrates alone may be sufficient to increase protein synthesis and also inhibit protein degradation.¹² Recall that Net Muscle Gain = Muscle Protein Synthesis – Muscle Protein Degradation, so insulin is both anabolic and anti-catabolic in young individuals.

In adult subjects, carbohydrates fail to increase protein synthesis when they are consumed alone.¹³ Carbohydrates do have a synergistic effect on protein synthesis with amino acids in adults and can induce a greater anabolic response when combined with protein, as opposed to consuming protein alone.¹⁴ It also appears that insulin will still inhibit protein degradation in adults and therefore is anti-catabolic, with the potential to optimize the anabolic effects of amino acids.¹⁵

Though little data is available for the elderly, it is clear that physiological increases in insulin that would be induced by consuming carbohydrates alone will not stimulate muscle protein synthesis.¹⁴ It does appear that, in the elderly, co-ingestion of carbohydrates with amino acids does provide a small anabolic advantage over amino acids alone.¹⁴ Since carbohydrates do not provide the same anabolic advantage to the elderly as they do other age groups and because aging reduces insulin sensitivity, it is likely that elderly muscleheads will want to consume less carbohydrates than young or adult individuals.¹⁶

Carbohydrate Recommendations:

<20 years old: 2.2-3.2 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 1.7-2.7 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 1.2-2.2 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 0.7-1.7 grams/pound bodyweight

Keep in mind, these recommendations are for maximizing muscle gain and will need to be adjusted accordingly for individuals wanting to lose body fat.

 Fat

 The difference in how dietary fat should be consumed as one ages should largely be influenced by the changes in carbohydrate intake with age. As outlined previously, one should gradually reduce carbohydrate intake throughout their life as they age. Therefore, someone who is younger and still sensitive to the anabolic effects of carbohydrates will be better off consuming lower fat with more carbohydrates, while an elderly individual will want to consume far less carbohydrates and fill in those calories instead with more protein and fat.

            Fat is a very important macronutrient and it’s important that one never let it fall too low. I recommend that fat intake never be less than0.2 gramsper pound of bodyweight. Even if the individual is young and highly sensitive to the anabolic effects of insulin, it’s still important to consume sufficient fat.

Fat Recommendations:

<20 years old: 0.25-0.4 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 0.35-0.5 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 0.45-0.6 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 0.55-0.7 grams/pound bodyweight

Keep in mind that these are just general recommendations. Optimal macronutrient intake is based on numerous factors and it is always best to experiment to find out what will fit best with your individual metabolism. This article will help everyone better understand how age can impact optimal macronutrient profiles and the adjustments that can be made to best optimize these macronutrient profiles.

References:

1. Paddon-Jones D, Sheffield-Moore M, Zhang XJ, Volpi E, Wolf SE, Aarsland A, Ferrando AA, Wolfe RR. Amino acid ingestion improves muscle protein synthesis in the young and elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2004 Mar;286(3):E321-8.

2. Cuthbertson D, Smith K, Babraj J, Leese G, Waddell T, Atherton P, Wackerhage H, Taylor PM, Rennie MJ. Anabolic signaling deficits underlie amino acid resistance of wasting, aging muscle. FASEB J, 2005 Mar;19(3):422-4.

3. Drummond MJ, Miyazaki M, Dreyer HC, Pennings B, Dhanani S, Volpi E, Esser KA, Rasmussen BB. Expression of growth-related genes in young and old human skeletal muscle following an acute stimulation of protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol, 2008 Sep 11. [Epub ahead of print]

4. Welle S, Thornton CA. High-protein meals do not enhance myofibrillar synthesis after resistance exercise in 62- to 75-yr-old men and women. Am J Physiol, 1998; 274 (4 Pt1):E677-E683.

5. Guillet C, Prod’homme M, Balage M, et al. Impaired anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis is associated with S6K1 dysregulation in elderly humans. FASEB J, 2004; 18:1586-1587.

6. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, et al. Aging is associated with diminished accretion of muscle proteins after the ingestion of a small bolus of       essential amino acids. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005; 82:1065-1073.

7. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, et al. A high proportion of leucine is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis by essential amino acids in the elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006; 291:E381-E387.

8. Dardevet D, Sornet C, Bayle G, et al. Postprandial stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in old rats can be restored by a leucine-supplemented meal. J Nutr, 2002; 132:95-100.

9. Rieu I, Balage M, Sornet C, et al. Increased availability of leucine with leucine-rich whey proteins improves postprandial muscle protein synthesis in aging rats. Nutrition, 2007; 23:323-331.

10. Patel J, McLeod LE, Vries RG, Flynn A, Wang X, Proud CG. Cellular stresses profoundly inhibit protein synthesis and modulate the states of phosphorylation of multiple translation factors. Eur J Biochem, 2002 Jun;269(12):3076-85.

11. Marzani B, Balage M, Vénien A, Astruc T, Papet I, Dardevet D, Mosoni L. Antioxidant supplementation restores defective leucine stimulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle from old rats. J Nutr, 2008 Nov;138(11):2205-11.

12. Fujita S, Rasmussen BB, Cadenas JG, Grady JJ, Volpi E. Effect of insulin on human skeletal muscle protein synthesis is modulated by insulin-induced changes in muscle blood flow and amino acid availability. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006 Oct;291(4):E745-54.

13. Gautsch TA, Anthony JC, Kimball SR, Paul GL, Layman DK, Jefferson LS. Availability of eIF4E regulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis during recovery from exercise. Am J Physiol, 1998 Feb;274(2 Pt1):C406-14.

14. Volpi E, Mittendorfer B, Rasmussen BB, Wolfe RR. The response of muscle protein anabolism to combined hyperaminoacidemia and glucose-induced hyperinsulinemia is impaired in the elderly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2000 Dec;85(12):4481-90.

15. Rasmussen BB, Fujita S, Wolfe RR, Mittendorfer B, Roy M, Rowe VL, Volpi E. Insulin resistance of muscle protein metabolism in aging. FASEB J, 2006; 20:768-769.

16. Kruszynska YT, Petranyi G, Alberti KG. Decreased insulin sensitivity and muscle enzyme activity in elderly subjects. Eur J Clin Invest, 1988 Oct;18(5):493-8.

Still undecided, it seems, is the issue of whether milk is muscle-building manna from heaven, as some claim, or a hindrance to physique and performance goals.

Beyond The Label  

So what exactly is that white stuff forming moustaches on celebs? Primarily made up of the carbohydrate lactose, milk is a disaccharide consisting of the simple sugars glucose and galactose. Not surprisingly, physique-minded folks initially fell in love with milk because of the handsome protein and fat content.

A glass of milk contains all 8 of the essential amino acids needed for growth, recovery, and repair following an intense workout. There was even a recent uproar online after a study examined chocolate milk and found it to be more beneficial than protein power – post workout. We’ll come back to that later, as it’s far from the truth. But you can see why hard-training individuals have a crush on milk.

When you look at the fat content, you’ll see that two thirds of the fat contained in milk is saturated, which has been linked to potentially beneficial increases in hormones (2,3). So we have a drink that is high protein and can help make me bigger and leaner. I’m sold!

Well, not so fast…

Your Body On Milk

When it comes to determining if milk should be included on a fat-loss diet, most coaches, trainers, or nutritionists will look at the macronutrient breakdown on the side of the carton. With the typical recommendation of skim milk, we find that an 8-ounce glass of milk contains no fat,12 gramsof carbs, and8 gramsof protein.

“As long as it fits into your daily macronutrient goals” is a frequently seen quote on the message boards, meaning the source doesn’t matter. The popular theory is that you should just count your total amount of carbs for the day, and that no food source is off limits. In this case, you’d be advised to consume milk because it only contains 12 carb grams.

This is a perfect example of the analogy of not seeing the forest through the trees.

The major issue concerning dieters and milk consumption is lactose intolerance. The “I don’t feel so good after I ate that” feeling. You’re bloated, fatigued, and all of a sudden, you feel down right nasty.

We’ve already established that lactose is the major source of carbs in milk. All babies can digest it, but as we age, we can tend to lose the lactose enzyme that lines our intestine during our infancy. This process progresses as we age (4,5).

To see if you’re affected, try this simple test on yourself:

1. 1.                Drink a glass of milk and take notes on how you feel.
2. 2.                A day later, have some cheese and yogurt and take notes on how you feel again.

“Milk was a BAD choice!”
a la Ron Burgundy.

Notice a difference? It’s not a dairy issue, as some proclaim. Rather it’s a fermentation issue. The fermentation process that occurs with yogurt and cheese breaks down the lactose but good luck finding fermented milk. Few drink it.

I don’t want to get too in-depth with organic chemistry, but food laws dictate that all milk must be pasteurized to be safe. Yes, that means that selling and buying raw milk is illegal in most states. The heat process that is involved with pasteurizing milk denatures the protein. Any diary scientist will tell you that.

Remember the study above about milk being better than protein powder for the post-workout period? Wrong! I’m fully aware that whey comes from milk, but milk production and whey processing are two completely different processes.

So we’re dieting and training hard to lean out. Does it really make sense to include something into your diet that can make you bloated, fatigued, and wreck havoc in your GI tract, further blocking your progress by increasing the muscle-wasting, lower-ab-fat-storing hormone cortisol (6)?

That doesn’t sound too appealing to me.

The one caveat being the option of organic, grass-fed milk. In clients, I see this being far less problematic than other options. It’s a healthier version, higher in omega-3 and CLA content and is devoid of all the nasty hormones, most of which actually make their way into your milk, that regular cows are fed. So if you absolutely have to have milk then that’s the option that I suggest.

By Layne Norton

“Young men think old men are fools; but old men know young men are fools.”George Chapman (1559-1634)

 Much has been written about nutrition in the pages of MD over the decades. I’m sure many readers who began reading when they were teenagers are now entering their 30s and 40s. Countless pages have been devoted to describing nutritional protocols to maximize gaining muscle and losing fat. But I submit to you that we have all been fools— not just the young as George Chapman implies. There are fundamental metabolic differences between age groups— yet most nutritional recommendations for maximizing muscle don’t take age into account! In this young fool’s opinion, it’s time we all examined optimal anabolic eating for YOUR age, addressing each of the macronutrients.

Protein

We might as well get the big issue of protein intake out of the way first. If you read MD, you know high-protein meals increase muscle protein synthesis and this builds more muscle. The question is, how does age affect this anabolic response to protein? Research suggests that younger individuals are very sensitive to the anabolic effects of amino acids.^1-3 However, as we age, we become less sensitive to the anabolic effects of amino acids. Several researchers have shown that comparatively large doses of amino acids are required to maximize the anabolic response in the elderly, as opposed to the young subjects.^1,2,5-9

It appears the decreased response in the elderly may be explained by a decrease in the muscle cell content and activity of mTOR and p70S6K, two kinases involved in directing protein synthesis.^2,5 According to this research, older subjects require a greater amount of amino acids, specifically leucine (the amino acid responsible for stimulating protein synthesis), to maximize protein synthesis, as opposed to younger subjects.^7-9 Furthermore, it appears that the decreased anabolic response in the elderly may be due, at least in part, to increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with age.

ROS has been shown to decrease mTOR activity and inhibit protein synthesis.¹⁰ But there is hope— it has been demonstrated that supplementation with a combination of antioxidants (rutin, vitamin E, vitamin A, zinc and selenium) restores the anabolic effect of a meal to the same level as the young!¹¹ So make sure you eat plenty of protein that is high in leucine (e.g., whey) and keep room in that pillbox of yours for some antioxidants, Grandpa!

Protein Recommendations:

<20 years old: 0.7-1 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 0.9-1.2 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 1.1-1.4 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 1.3-1.5 grams/pound bodyweight

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are another macronutrient that differentially impact anabolism as people age. The primary way in which carbohydrates influence anabolism is by increasing insulin secretion. Young individuals are very sensitive to the anabolic effects of insulin and in their case, carbohydrates alone may be sufficient to increase protein synthesis and also inhibit protein degradation.¹² Recall that Net Muscle Gain = Muscle Protein Synthesis – Muscle Protein Degradation, so insulin is both anabolic and anti-catabolic in young individuals.

In adult subjects, carbohydrates fail to increase protein synthesis when they are consumed alone.¹³ Carbohydrates do have a synergistic effect on protein synthesis with amino acids in adults and can induce a greater anabolic response when combined with protein, as opposed to consuming protein alone.¹⁴ It also appears that insulin will still inhibit protein degradation in adults and therefore is anti-catabolic, with the potential to optimize the anabolic effects of amino acids.¹⁵

Though little data is available for the elderly, it is clear that physiological increases in insulin that would be induced by consuming carbohydrates alone will not stimulate muscle protein synthesis.¹⁴ It does appear that, in the elderly, co-ingestion of carbohydrates with amino acids does provide a small anabolic advantage over amino acids alone.¹⁴ Since carbohydrates do not provide the same anabolic advantage to the elderly as they do other age groups and because aging reduces insulin sensitivity, it is likely that elderly muscleheads will want to consume less carbohydrates than young or adult individuals.¹⁶

Carbohydrate Recommendations:

<20 years old: 2.2-3.2 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 1.7-2.7 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 1.2-2.2 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 0.7-1.7 grams/pound bodyweight

Keep in mind, these recommendations are for maximizing muscle gain and will need to be adjusted accordingly for individuals wanting to lose body fat.

 Fat

 The difference in how dietary fat should be consumed as one ages should largely be influenced by the changes in carbohydrate intake with age. As outlined previously, one should gradually reduce carbohydrate intake throughout their life as they age. Therefore, someone who is younger and still sensitive to the anabolic effects of carbohydrates will be better off consuming lower fat with more carbohydrates, while an elderly individual will want to consume far less carbohydrates and fill in those calories instead with more protein and fat.

            Fat is a very important macronutrient and it’s important that one never let it fall too low. I recommend that fat intake never be less than0.2 gramsper pound of bodyweight. Even if the individual is young and highly sensitive to the anabolic effects of insulin, it’s still important to consume sufficient fat.

Fat Recommendations:

<20 years old: 0.25-0.4 grams/pound bodyweight

21-40 years old: 0.35-0.5 grams/pound bodyweight

41-65 years old: 0.45-0.6 grams/pound bodyweight

>65 years old: 0.55-0.7 grams/pound bodyweight

Keep in mind that these are just general recommendations. Optimal macronutrient intake is based on numerous factors and it is always best to experiment to find out what will fit best with your individual metabolism. This article will help everyone better understand how age can impact optimal macronutrient profiles and the adjustments that can be made to best optimize these macronutrient profiles.

References:

1. Paddon-Jones D, Sheffield-Moore M, Zhang XJ, Volpi E, Wolf SE, Aarsland A, Ferrando AA, Wolfe RR. Amino acid ingestion improves muscle protein synthesis in the young and elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2004 Mar;286(3):E321-8.

2. Cuthbertson D, Smith K, Babraj J, Leese G, Waddell T, Atherton P, Wackerhage H, Taylor PM, Rennie MJ. Anabolic signaling deficits underlie amino acid resistance of wasting, aging muscle. FASEB J, 2005 Mar;19(3):422-4.

3. Drummond MJ, Miyazaki M, Dreyer HC, Pennings B, Dhanani S, Volpi E, Esser KA, Rasmussen BB. Expression of growth-related genes in young and old human skeletal muscle following an acute stimulation of protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol, 2008 Sep 11. [Epub ahead of print]

4. Welle S, Thornton CA. High-protein meals do not enhance myofibrillar synthesis after resistance exercise in 62- to 75-yr-old men and women. Am J Physiol, 1998; 274 (4 Pt1):E677-E683.

5. Guillet C, Prod’homme M, Balage M, et al. Impaired anabolic response of muscle protein synthesis is associated with S6K1 dysregulation in elderly humans. FASEB J, 2004; 18:1586-1587.

6. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, et al. Aging is associated with diminished accretion of muscle proteins after the ingestion of a small bolus of       essential amino acids. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005; 82:1065-1073.

7. Katsanos CS, Kobayashi H, Sheffield-Moore M, et al. A high proportion of leucine is required for optimal stimulation of the rate of muscle protein synthesis by essential amino acids in the elderly. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006; 291:E381-E387.

8. Dardevet D, Sornet C, Bayle G, et al. Postprandial stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in old rats can be restored by a leucine-supplemented meal. J Nutr, 2002; 132:95-100.

9. Rieu I, Balage M, Sornet C, et al. Increased availability of leucine with leucine-rich whey proteins improves postprandial muscle protein synthesis in aging rats. Nutrition, 2007; 23:323-331.

10. Patel J, McLeod LE, Vries RG, Flynn A, Wang X, Proud CG. Cellular stresses profoundly inhibit protein synthesis and modulate the states of phosphorylation of multiple translation factors. Eur J Biochem, 2002 Jun;269(12):3076-85.

11. Marzani B, Balage M, Vénien A, Astruc T, Papet I, Dardevet D, Mosoni L. Antioxidant supplementation restores defective leucine stimulation of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle from old rats. J Nutr, 2008 Nov;138(11):2205-11.

12. Fujita S, Rasmussen BB, Cadenas JG, Grady JJ, Volpi E. Effect of insulin on human skeletal muscle protein synthesis is modulated by insulin-induced changes in muscle blood flow and amino acid availability. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2006 Oct;291(4):E745-54.

13. Gautsch TA, Anthony JC, Kimball SR, Paul GL, Layman DK, Jefferson LS. Availability of eIF4E regulates skeletal muscle protein synthesis during recovery from exercise. Am J Physiol, 1998 Feb;274(2 Pt1):C406-14.

14. Volpi E, Mittendorfer B, Rasmussen BB, Wolfe RR. The response of muscle protein anabolism to combined hyperaminoacidemia and glucose-induced hyperinsulinemia is impaired in the elderly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2000 Dec;85(12):4481-90.

15. Rasmussen BB, Fujita S, Wolfe RR, Mittendorfer B, Roy M, Rowe VL, Volpi E. Insulin resistance of muscle protein metabolism in aging. FASEB J, 2006; 20:768-769.

16. Kruszynska YT, Petranyi G, Alberti KG. Decreased insulin sensitivity and muscle enzyme activity in elderly subjects. Eur J Clin Invest, 1988 Oct;18(5):493-8.

“What goes up, must come down.” When ‘70’s music sensation Billy Preston immortalized those words in his catchy tune, he must have been thinking about some of the professional bodybuilders gracing the posing dais these days. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s in vogue again to “bulk up” or should I say, “pork out” in the so-called off-season. This was a common practice from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, but I thought that common sense had prevailed during the bodybuilding renaissance of the 1980’s and that bulking up was as passé as bell-bottom jeans. I was wrong! These days, you’d think that reverse anorexia and dysmorphia were spreading like SARS in the pro bodybuilding community. I mean, in the off season, some of these guys look like they are pitching their tents at the local all-you-can-eat buffet!

Let’s look at the facts. You DO have to eat extra calories and protein to pack on quality muscle. But bloating yourself up with a lot of extra pounds of fat and fluid doesn’t just look bad, it hurts your health, not to mention not doing a thing for gaining muscle mass. My philosophy is that you can get just as BIG as the guys that are porking out, without overeating. That means you can stay leaner and healthier, not to mention looking better, year-round . I mean, who wants to look like a porker for 9 months out of the year? I want to be able to proudly display the results of my training efforts when I have to take my shirt off, without making excuses for my condition! And now, with summer just around the corner, you can’t afford NOT to look good!

Here are some thoughts on those things that help me to stay in my best shape year round, while still gaining muscle…

Consistency is at the heart of any successful program, regardless of what your bodybuilding goals are. The surest way to succeed is one day at a time. That means planning your meals in advance, so that you’re not caught off guard with nothing to eat at regularly scheduled feeding times. That also means planning your training on a calendar, so that at a glance you can see not only you’re your planned workouts are, but the “big picture” ; how all of your workouts are fitting together over the course of a month. It’s amazing what this little habit has done for me. My calendar holds me accountable. At the beginning of each day I look at what body parts I am training that day. At the end of the day, I put a check mark on the calendar, indicating that I have succeeded. And at the end of month, I can tally up how many workouts I did for different body parts, and make adjustments if I need to. If you don’t do this, you are setting yourself up for haphazard results: “Fail to plan, plan to fail.”

Another success factor is having a good training partner. Yes, that’s right. A training partner can help keep you consistent by showing up and helping you stay motivated. Just make sure that you choose a reliable partner that shows up and is truly interested in working out, not wasting time yapping or visiting. It’s more fun training with someone than by yourself, and it will help to keep you on track when you know that you are accountable to someone. What’s that? You say workouts aren’t supposed to be fun?

Then get a partner because misery loves company. Consistency is key when it comes to bodybuilding. Training partners help.

Staying lean year round is also easier when you commit to exercising every day. This is a mentality that has served me well. Now, I don’t lift weights every day, but I do some form of exercise every day. On days that I don’t lift, I do aerobics, typically riding the stationary bike, swimming, or running. (Running to the fridge doesn’t count.) Doing some form of activity every day stimulates your metabolism and helps you burn unwanted calories. It also improves recovery time from workouts, as long as it’s not overdone. That’s because anytime you exercise, your blood circulates through your body, bringing muscle-building nutrients and oxygen to your muscles, and improving your body’s ability to eliminate waste products that are generated during weight training.

When it comes to weight training, keep your workouts short and intense to stimulate muscle growth along with your metabolic rate. I find that working out at a fast pace helps me get leaner and more muscular. But how fast is fast enough? I usually perform a set, then rest only long enough to catch my breath before beginning the next set. In that manner, I don’t exceed my cardiovascular capacity by not resting long enough, nor do I let my muscles regain all of their strength before starting the next set. After all, my goal is to fatigue my muscles more and more with each succeeding set until they hit what I call the “growth threshold.” The growth threshold is the point at which the level of fatigue in the muscle is high enough that a growth response is elicited. Your goal during a workout should be to fatigue the target muscles you are training more and more with each succeeding set. In other words, you want the muscles to progressively get more and more tired out, until you reach a point where the muscles are functionally “worn out.” What you are doing is creating overload in the muscles. Creating overload is a good thing, because this is a stress that your muscles are temporarily unable to handle. Signals are sent to the brain that set up the compensation, or growth process during the post workout period, so that in future workouts, you can handle the increased workload.

Rely on your weight training workouts to stimulate your metabolism and keep you lean. Weight training stimulates muscle tissue and muscle tissue is the most metabolically active tissue in your body, burning large amounts of calories, even at rest. If muscle is the currency of the bodybuilder, this is definitely where the “rich get richer.” You see, the more muscle you carry the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn the leaner you get. Get the picture? Train with weights 4-5 times per week. Do cardio on your off days, and on days when you can tag them onto the tail end of your weight training. Personally I like a two-on, one-off, three-on, one-off program, alternating push muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps), pull muscles (back and biceps) and legs. Abs and calves get worked three times per week.

Cardio is fine for the heart, lungs and circulation, but do little for body fat levels and overall body composition when compared to the combined effects of weight training and a high protein, controlled-calorie diet. Aerobics are great to improve your recovery from workouts and keep your heart and lungs in good shape for those 400 pound squats!

When it comes to fueling yourself for those 400 pound squats, there’s nothing that beats small frequent feedings during the day. You should be eating like a bull, and not a pig, if you want to get big and lean. Bulls graze all day long. Bulls carry a lot of muscle. Pigs eat too much at one time. Pigs carry a lot of fat. Pretty elementary, right? Eating excess calories does not “force feed” your muscles at all. Once your muscles have all the nutrients and calories they need from a meal, excess calories are deposited as body fat. By eating small, frequent meals during the day, you will stimulate your metabolism more, especially when they are foods that are high in protein, such as chicken breasts, egg whites, fish, turkey, and protein drinks. Protein is a metabolically intensive macronutrient, requiring more calories to digest than carbohydrates or fats.

Eating smaller meals will also help to keep your stomach smaller and tighter. Abdominal distension is a reality for those who are in the habit of gorging themselves. Over time, the stomach stretches. To compound matters, over-eating can result in excess intra-abdominal fat, which further exacerbates the “beer gut” look. Check out the bellies on some of the current pro bodybuilders. Where did the tight, wasp-like waists that the bodybuilders of the 70’s and 80’s go?

Eating smaller meals throughout the day will be easier when you pack your meals ahead of time. Don’t wait until it’s time to eat and start scrounging up food. That leads to no-win situations where your appetite gets the best of you. I usually cook up a bunch of potatoes, yams, rice, beans and chicken breasts on the weekends, then bag up individual serving size portions in Zip Lock bags and freeze them. Then, at the beginning of each weekday, I pull what I need from the freezer, and pack it into my cooler along with fresh fruit and water. I’ll throw I a couple of Lean Body® RTD’s or MRP’s for extra measure, and I am off to the races. I like to eat my own food whenever I can, because that way, I know that I am not getting any hidden fat calories, which is often the case with restaurant food. By the way, if you want to get a steady supply of nutrition tips in your email inbox each week, log on to my www.leanbodycoach.com website and sign up for my free weekly newsletter.

Some last words on your diet: Don’t deprive yourself. Look, you can’t eat everything you want, whenever you want because you’ll end up looking like a sack of guano. But, on the other hand, if you constantly deprive yourself of every single food that catches your fancy, you’ll derail your dieting efforts, and you’ll end up binging on the wrong foods, which is an unhealthy behavior. The key word here is behavior, and when it comes to the psychology of eating, what we want to develop are sustainable behaviors, or habits. Food deprivation or the perception of food deprivation is as much a mental thing as it is a physical thing.

Overeating can be a problem for many people as it can sabotage your diet.  Resisting the temptations of  a late night snack or eating serving sizes that are too large has proven to be an issue for those following a diet at one point or another.  Through my years of experience, I feel that there are 4 tips that can be used by anybody to help prevent overeating.  These 4 tips are as follows:

1. Drink Plenty of Water

The great thing about water is that it does not have any calories in it.  You can drink as much as you would like and not gain weight.  If you are like most, you find yourself wanting to munch on some foods late at night or even throughout your day. This tactic helps me out just about every day when I feel like eating more than my daily macronutrient requirement.  I simply drink water and my hunger cravings begin to go away.

2. Include Fibers in Your Diet

One of my biggest secrets to combat overating is to include fibers in my diet. Eating  foods such as green beans, broccoli or a salad are great choices that will allow you to prevent any overeating.  The reason for this is because of a hormone known as cholecystokinin. Cholecystokinin is a hormone found in your intestines that when released sends a message to your brain allowing it to feel as if you have been fed. I have used this tactics for my evening meals and it has definitely helped me from overeating or attacking the kitchen for a late night snack.

3. Get A Good Night Sleep

Rest is always important.  Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or just maintain a healthy lifestyle, getting the right amount of sleep is necessary.  We may not realize it, but when we do not get enough sleep, we are more likely to get food cravings.  Although eating something high in carbohydrates will give you a quick burst of energy, it will soon fade away and you will be back to square one in no time.  In addition, if you are sleep deprived your glucose will not function as efficient.  As a result, your immune system will begin to break down which means you are more susceptible to getting sick.

4. Eat On A Regular Schedule

It baffles me how many people to not realize how important it is to eat on a regular basis.  Not only will it allow you to decrease your body fat if you make the right food choices, but it will also prevent you from overeating.  The reason for this is because your body begins to adjust to the timing of your meals.  You will be able to control your cravings and the amount of food you put in your mouth much easier this way.

This week, I am going to be revisiting back training. Back training will help you develop a powerful V taper look in the upper body. If you’re female and don’t care for a “V taper” don’t worry – you’re not going to end up looking like me! A well-toned back is sexy, so go for it!

And, because the back comprises the second largest group of muscles in the body, it contributes to metabolism. Remember, that the amount of muscle you carry is directly proportional to your metabolic rate. People that carry more muscle typically have higher metabolic rates meaning they can burn more calories; which, in turn, means they can stay in shape more easily than others who don’t carry as much muscle.

Have you ever heard the term, “back-breaking work”? Putting this powerful set of muscles (back) to work taxes your body and can create a great deal of muscular stimulation, hence the term. But remember that putting this hard work into your back training will pay in rich dividends in terms of strength, energy and a leaner, healthier you.

If you’re like me, you’re on a tight schedule and you don’t have a lot of time to train. So today, I’m going to show you how you can invest just 20 minutes into your back training to get a wonderful payoff.

Back Workout

Pull-downs or Pull-ups to Front 3 sets of 10 repetitions

If you have access to a high lat pulley machine, then let’s begin with pull-downs. Perform a light set of pull-downs to warm up the back muscles. Take a grip where the palms of your hands are facing you and your hands are approximately 12-18″ apart. There’s a reason that we’re going to use this narrower grip. Placing your hands in this manner will align your arms and your back in such a way that you can maximally stretch and contract the muscles of the latissimus dorsi (the large muscles that create the V taper in the back) and other muscles at the upper back.

If you don’t have access to a lat machine, try pull ups from a chinning bar. (for proper technique, see this back training video here).

At the beginning of the lat pulldown movement, allow your shoulder blades to rotate outwards, so that you can feel a stretch in your lats. Then, contract your lats, pulling your elbows down and back towards your waist. Keep your back arched and keep your chest high to get the best contraction possible. It is important to keep your back arched. Otherwise, the stress is thrown mainly onto the arms. Be sure to pull the bar down and let it back up in a smooth, controlled manner, keeping the back muscles under tension throughout the entire range of motion. It should take you approximately one second to bring the bar down to your chest and at least two seconds to let the bar back up slowly under tension.

Remember that it is during the eccentric portion of the exercise (the portion of the exercise during which the muscle is lengthening under tension, which in this case means the portion of the exercise during which your are returning the bar to the starting position) that the muscle derives the greatest benefit.

Perform three sets of at least 10 repetitions per set. If you can do more than 10 repetitions with the intial weight, then add weight in order to bring the number of repetitions back down.

Bent Over Rows 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Once you have finished your pull-downs, immediately go to the bent over rows. Bent over rows tax the muscles in the upper back and are excellent for developing thickness.

To begin, load a barbell with a moderate amount of weight (moderate, of course, will depend on your strength). Approaching the bar, bend your knees slightly and then bend down at the waist, taking a shoulder-width grip on the barbell.

Pull the barbell to the base of your chest by contracting your back muscles and bringing your elbows up and back towards the ceiling. Keep your head up, and back arched throughout the movement, to get a maximum contraction in the upper back muscles.

Avoid “heaving” the bar up. Lower the weight under full control to avoid injuring your lower back. Perform three sets of at least 10 repetitions, going to positive failure.

Dead-lifts 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Next, we’ll proceed to dead lifts. This is an exercise that will strengthen not only the muscles of the lower back, but just about all of the muscles in the back. It is one of the very best back exercises around for this very reason.

Starting with the barbell on the floor, place your feet about 18″ apart, bend down and take an overhand grip, just wider than your thighs. At the bottom of the movement, drop your rear-end down by bending your knees, keeping your back straight.

Pull the bar up from the floor to bring your torso erect. As you come up, keep your torso straight and thrust your hips forward to lock out into the final position. This is great for building the erector muscles in the back. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions using a moderate weight.

Keep in mind, that as you perform these back exercises, it is important to take each set to positive failure. Unlike other kinds of failures in life, positive failure during exercise is actually a good thing. It means you have pushed the exercise to the point where you cannot perform another unassisted repetition. Creating this amount of fatigue in the target muscle as you exercise is important in sending your body the signal that is necessary to grow and adapt.

Rest in Between Sets

Rest just long enough in-between sets to catch your breath. This should take approximately one to two minutes but may be more, depending on your physical condition. Go for it on the last set of each exercise! Do as many repetitions as you possibly can and do not stop before you reach positive failure.

Conclusion

And, there you have it! My 20 Minute Back Workout. This is a workout that you can easily perform before you go to work in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening after work. There’s no excuse for skipping. So, do it today!

As you may already know, I place a lot of emphasis on the importance of proper nutrition. You can workout all you want, but if your nutrition doesn’t adequately support the exercise you do, and if you do not provide enough protein, calories, carbohydrates, and other nutrients to your body, you cannot make progress.

This week we’re going to be talking about making working out and eating right a lifelong habit.

What is a Habit?

A habit is something you do so often, that it becomes easy to do on a regular basis. In other words, it’s a behavior that you keep repeating over and over again. And, if you persist at developing a new behavior, eventually it becomes automatic.

How To Develop a Fitness Habit

Even if you haven’t developed the habit of working out and eating correctly on a regular basis, you can re-program yourself any time to do so, if you choose to do so. For example, let’s say that you want to get into the best shape of your life.

Perhaps you want a 30″ waist (if you are a male) or you want to fit into a Size 5 dress (if you are a female). You don’t have those now, so you know that habits you have, especially where they relate to working out and eating, aren’t supporting your goals.

Doesn’t it make sense to check your “fitness habits”? Are you in the habit of working out every day? Are you in the habit of eating correctly every day, consistently? The answer is either “yes” or “no”. And, depending on your answer, you are either moving in the right direction (the direction of your goals) or you are putting off the success that you could be enjoying every day.

The Secret is Consistency

Consistency is key to attaining anything of value in life, and it is no different when it comes to fitness. That means that you must make the commitment to do something about your shape and your physical condition each and every day, day after day, week after week, month after month.

Most people start fitness and/or diet programs and quit after a few days or weeks. A period of time elapses, they lose the results they gained during their initial burst of enthusiasm, and then they embark on another fitness/diet program. This series of starts and stops stalls their progress. On the other hand, if you were to make an investment in yourself each and every day, imagine the results that you could have.

Again, consistency is the key to progressing and attaining ever-greater levels of physical (and personal) development. You must make a commitment each and every day to improve your physique in some way. Your “fitness habit” is going to determine your future condition. Do you want to be fit or do you want to be out of shape? Do you want to spend your life in a body that is less than you desire?

We Are a Product of Our Habits

At the end of the day, we are the product of our habits. In other words, your habits will yield certain consequences. And, whether you like the consequences or not, is not the issue. You will still have consequences. If you do things one way, you will get one result. If you do things another way, you will get another result. But the bottom line is this: results are predictable based on what you do.

Success breeds success and failure breeds failure. Negative habits breed negative consequences. Positive habits breed positive consequences.

How long does it take to break or change a bad habit? The common wisdom dictates that it takes 21-30 days to establish a new habit. After you’ve been doing the same thing for 21-30 days, it’s harder not to do it, than to do it.

Many of our daily habits are merely routines; things that we do. Every morning we get up and we shave in the same manner, dress in the same manner, eat the same things for breakfast, take the same drive to work, greet the people at work in the same manner, etc. If you really think about it, your daily life is made up of dozens of routines. However, sometimes we settle into the wrong routines. We become complacent and we settle for less that we are capable of doing. This, in turn, leads to mediocre results and dissatisfaction.

Change the Way You Look at Your Fitness Habits

What we need to do is change the thought processes with which we look at our fitness habits. For example, let’s assume that you’re in the habit of blowing your workouts off from time to time. This is a course of action that can lead to stagnation or plateauing.

To improve this situation, make a commitment to workout first thing in the morning, no matter how tired you feel. Commit to this for a period of one month. The first couple of weeks will be very tough. In fact, you may need to give yourself pep talks just to get yourself motivated enough to accomplish your task. You will frequently have to fight the urge to quit.

You will find that as you work on developing this new habit in Weeks 1 and 2, it is getting easier to stick with the program. In Weeks 3 and 4, you should begin noticing a big change in that it will be easy and natural to workout in the morning. It will become a part of your “internal self,” so to speak.

You have reprogrammed yourself and have replaced the negative habit of skipping workouts, with the positive habit of enjoying your workout first thing in the morning. This, in turn, will have other positive benefits and consequences. You’re going to feel better. You’re going to feel more energy and be more productive in all aspects of your life. So, you can see that simply changing the habit of fitness will impact your life in many, many deeper ways.

Commit To Improve Your Approach to Fitness                         

Make the commitment now to systematically improve your approach to fitness over the next 3-4 weeks. And remember, if you keep on doing the same thing, you’ll always get the same results, whether it’s positive or negative.

Make a commitment now to stick with your fitness and nutrition program.

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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.