To Gym Or Not to Gym For Muscle Gain and Fat Loss?

Many who pursue muscle building or weight loss feel that joining a gym is a prerequisite, and so, following a rather calorie friendly December, thousands crowd the lobbies of local gyms, signing up for a 3+ year membership, believing that they've just taken the first step towards a bodybuilding or weight loss transformation. But if we analyze the number of people who actually continue attending the gym following their contractual commitment, we find that the excited patrons who were fueled with desire for physical fitness suddenly fail to walk through the gym's front door as February approaches.

Most assume that sloth is the natural enemy that prevents most from pursuing a pattern of consistency, and never analyze whether in fact the gym environment itself may be offering an insurmountable obstacle for many, eventually causing most to quit the pursuit of muscle building or fat loss completely.

But why? How could the gym actually reduce motivation to train, when in fact the environment should be conducive towards achieving results? The answer will be found within the first few workouts, and clearly becomes one of the main reasons why most lose their fondness for gym attendance before they produce any noticeable changes.

Imagine you are prepared for an intense workout, and you encounter one or more friends who decide to train at the same time as you. What will likely happen next? Will the group experience the best weight training and aerobic workout of the year, or will the next hour focus upon discussing last night's episode of the Biggest Loser? Let's say you visit the gym and happen not to find any acquaintances, but as you scan the territory, immediately sense that every machine you are planning to use is occupied, with a 10+ minute wait for each. Do you think this will contribute towards a productive workout session, or encourage a trip to the local fast food drive thru to try and munch the mounting frustration away?

Oh, and let's not forget the most convenient excuses to skip the gym for a day, such as weather (two feet of snow might make navigating the highway difficult), car breakdown (a flat tire always interferes with melting a spare tire!), and traffic (wouldn't want to be late for dinner!). Some may say that these inconveniences cannot occur on a regular basis, but once momentum is ruined, and a workout is missed, the mind becomes far more accepting of another skipped session, and this attitude will eventually lead to a new habit, one which is much more enjoyable - couch warming, without the distraction of a daily gym visit.

So, what is the alternative? I not only perform my bodybuilding training at home, but built over 60 pounds of muscle mass and lost 50 pounds of fat in the process, proving that neither muscle building nor fat loss requires waiting in line for machines or paying expensive bodybuilding gym dues. In fact, my bodybuilding success was achieved in my basement, with basic weight training equipment, and I was able to produce far more consistency with my workout regimen than most who must contend with the inconvenient gym environment, specifically because I am in control of my environment, and can remove distractions that interfere with my ability to train.

This is not to say that achieving a bodybuilding physique or producing consistent weight loss is impossible through gym training, as many with such memberships produce excellent results, but for those who have the option to purchase some basic equipment and train at home, I believe doing so is far more convenient, offers no distractions, and is significantly less expensive over a several year period than joining a local gym. Achieving success in muscle building or fat loss is in great part due to mental focus, a factor which suffers greatly when subjected to an unpredictable set of circumstances, and this is why I have always opted for training at home, and produced very impressive muscle building and fat loss results specifically because I have always been able to proceed with my workouts in a methodical, controlled fashion.

Don't frown upon training at home until you've experienced the frustrations of attending a gym, and do yourself a favor; if you join a local gym facility, make sure not to sign a long term deal until you have consistently trained for three months and have proven to yourself that the distractions and obstacles will not interfere with remaining faithful to your routine.

Francesco Castano is the owner of IncrediBody, a physical fitness company dedicated to helping others learn exactly how to gain muscle mass and lose weight without supplements or drugs. He authors two programs, one called MuscleNOW, teaching the correct bodybuilding diet and weight training program to follow for muscle gain, and Fat Vanish, which teaches how to lose weight & burn fat for natural weight loss. He includes lifetime email personal training with both programs, where he personally assists all of his clients with training and diet questions, and has hundreds of testimonials validating the effectiveness of his techniques. You may visit his web sites at http://www.MuscleNOW.com and http://www.FatVanish.com, where you will learn more about his products, and please feel free to contact him at any time with your fitness questions.

Bodybuilding Basics - Fat Loss Versus Muscle Gain

One of the most common misconceptions surrounding bodybuilding is the notion that weight training with the view to increasing muscle mass will automatically make the athlete lose fat. This is not generally true and it is only a very small percentage of bodybuilders that will show simultaneous fat loss and muscle gain with weight training alone. The reason for this is fairly complex and successful fat loss while bodybuilding requires a sound knowledge of the physiological mechanisms involved in both processes.

Our bodies store fat as a defence mechanism against times of famine when these fat reserves would be used to fuel the body when food supplies dry up. For the vast majority of people, the only effective way of burning these reserves off is with a calorie controlled diet and vigorous cardio exercise. Bodybuilding presents a catch 22 situation in that the associated diets tend to be anything but calorie controlled.

Sustainable muscle growth requires a diet high in carbohydrates, proteins and good fat. In addition the exercise routines involved in muscle gain don't burn nearly the same amount of fat as cardio activities do. As a result the disciplines of muscle growth and fat loss have to be approached as separate entities when bodybuilding. Time and focus need to be invested in a specific fat loss regimen to prevent you actually gaining fat while building muscle.

And fat loss is an essential part of bodybuilding because, by its very nature, bodybuilding is all about big, well defined muscles. Heavy fat padding ruins muscle definition and even if you are really successful in packing on muscle mass, the benefit will be lost if you can't cut the fat. This is why pro bodybuilders dedicate time and effort to their cardio training, and constantly monitor their body fat percentages. Cardio exercises have the additional benefit of building stamina which is a plus to bodybuilding in general.

Fat loss in bodybuilding is not dependent on cardio exercise alone. Your diet needs to be fine tuned according to your specific body type, goals and the resultant exercise routines. This is why it is essential, as a beginner, to seek professional advice regarding these issues early on in the process. A pro assessment of your body type and what you need to do to achieve your goals can be critical to your long term success in the game.

The balance between carbs, protein and good fats can be adjusted to reduce the fat and carb intake during periods of fat loss exercise. Adequate hydration is also critical in bodybuilding but particularly so during these phases of your exercise routine. Good hydration ensures efficient toxin elimination and aids in the metabolism of fat. Particular attention to diets will be given in the next in this series of articles but suffice it to say at this point that diets are generally very personal. There is no one, struck in stone, sure fire winner when it comes to bodybuilding diets.

Whatever you do though, don't start to cut radically on your diet in an attempt to reduce your fat percentage. That can do more damage than good to your long term goals. Rather take an informed, scientific approach and hammer the cardio routine. You need to maintain the muscle building component of your diet as cardio exercise will be seen as a rest period by you body and it will probably be building muscle mass while you are working the ticker.

To summarise, fat loss and muscle gain do not generally happen during the same exercise routines. To successfully burn off fat you need to include periods of intense cardio exercise in your routine and look to reducing your intake of carbs and fat at the same time. If you are to gain the ripped, explosive physique you dream of, fat loss is going to be an essential part of your bodybuilding regimen and, in the long run, will be well worth the necessary investment in time and effort.

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Use Muscle to Burn Fat Because Muscle Burns Fat Best

Should you burn fat or muscle? Use muscle to burn fat because muscle burns fat best. Although the answer seems very obvious or clear, the number of weight loss candidates who still do not understand these facts is staggering.

In a way, however, it may be quite understandable because the human body is a complex piece of machinery. And it operates according to its own rhythms and sequences. Use muscle to burn fat. This is your true systematic approach, although it may sound different from what you might wish to believe.

Especially shocking at times are truthful weight loss facts like, "You Have To Eat In Order To Lose Weight." At first glance, of course, makes no sense at all. However, when you examine this concept more closely, you uncover thousands of beneficial and supporting ideas about the way weight loss really works. One of these discoveries is that muscle burns fat best.

You can use muscle to burn fat because muscle tissues contain the sites where the by-products of body fat metabolism reach their fruition. In other words, muscles contain the fat-burning cells. Particularly, there is the inner section of the muscular cell, called Mitochondria, that literally metabolizes your excess nutrients resulting from the protein-carbohydrate-fat mix that you eat during each day.

Be it known to you today, that your goal as a body fat candidate is very much similar to the goals that bodybuilders use to achieve the lowest body fat percentages possible. Muscle burns fat best.

Yet, have you ever taken a good look at the statistics on this topic? Without a doubt, it behooves you to use muscle to burn fat. Similarly, body builders provide prime example of how to lose weight in the most effective ways.

This is true because they consistently meet a DUAL goal of both: 1) Losing excess body fat; and 2) Putting on only the leanest possible tissue in existence, which is, as you can guess, muscle.

It is very common to have only a 10 or 15 percent body fat percentage when you utilize smart body building or muscle toning principles. This exemplifies how muscle burns fat [http://www.squidoo.com/natural-weight-loss-review] best. Yet, mind you, we are not talking about those HUGE or HUMONGOUS hulks who wish to compete for Olympic status.

You can follow this use muscle to burn fat example. As, here, we are merely revealing the BASICS on how to approach the body building tenets in order to add firm shape, nice tone, and a much leaner style of beauty to your existing physique.

Should you be interested in this, you will surely accomplish the same low-body-fat-percentage results when you use this technique. You already have muscles. Everybody does. However, when you are overweight, your muscle tone and beauty becomes hidden or covered over by additional layers of fat which lies directly beneath the outer surface of your skin.

Your body knows all too well that muscle burns fat best. And, just imagine your poor muscles, drowning down there, in a mucous-laden layer of fat... almost begging you to save them. Use muscle to burn fat - the best free weight loss advice you can get.

And, the way in which you go about doing this, in effect, gives you two rewards instantly. One, you start to look leaner and sharper. Plus, two, you feel better physically and become emotionally more empowered by this self-actualizing experience.

It begins when you use muscle to burn fat. Right from the start, you can melt away unwanted body fat with these valuable and highly underestimated weight loss tips.

What more can you ask for than a direct, reachable goal that has proven benefit plus immediate gratification? Muscle burns fat best. Adopt this powerful piece of weight loss advice pronto.

With over 17 years of hands-on plus formalized training in fitness, nutrition, and weight management, author Kenneth Gene Dockins continues to provide creative solutions for fat loss attainment and provides you with a helpful recommendation on the best fat-loss ebook in the industry. You can uncover powerful body fat burning tips that professionally support your weight loss goals, plus assist you in achieving long-term satisfaction. Visit Muscles-Burn-Fat.Info for eye-opening info about how muscles burn fat [http://muscles-burn-fat.info/].

Strip That Fat Vs Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Millions of people have been struggling desperately to lose weight. Most of them ask "Why can't I lose weight?!" without realizing what exactly they are trying to lose. Weight-loss should not be your goal, fat-loss should.

People keep jumping from one miracle diet to the next. They become obsessed with the latest fad diets instead of disciplining themselves with a healthy and balanced diet, they look for the miracle cures and the magic pills. It's almost as though people are afraid of exercising as well.

Losing FAT takes time and will not happen over night which can be frustration for most people. Because its such a long process, many people give up before they start seeing results; and they fail to realize the burning of fat will exponentially increase on a jay-curve.

But now, here we are. There are no more excuses for you this time. It's time to change your life-style, and, ultimately, your life.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Tom Venuto is a professional bodybuilder and personal trainer of over 14 years. He also just so happens to be the author "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" and is very  well respected.    

Upon first glance, I found myself mesmerized by the 340 pages of his book. When I started reading the book I realized that Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle was not for the faint of heart; and definitely not for those looking for the next diet fad.

In the beginning pages, Tom Venuto makes it very clear that he cannot tell you to choose a high protein or low carb diet. He says this because each person's physical body-type is different, and no one diet is suitable for everyone - What will make one person healthier might eventually KILL the next. He also immediately tells the reader that you wont see success if you don't APPLY the information, which couldn't possibly be anymore true.

What Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle WILL teach you, though, is how to determine your own macro-nutrient ratio, the types of foods that burn fat vs the types of foods that store fat, and the best types of exercises to build muscle - and keep building muscle once you hit a plateau.

Overall, I think Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle provides a mountain of information that wont easily be digested in only a single day. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who not only wants to burn fat, but also have the knowledge necessary to keep the fat off for LIFE.

Strip That Fat

Strip That Fat is an online diet program that has become popular over the last couple years, much like Fat Loss 4 Idiots. Its main focus is for the reader to lose weight in a healthier way that gives you more control over your success. Strip That Fat markets itself as the new way to lose weight that won't require the reader to stop eating the foods they like, but to stress the importance of eating the right calories.

After purchasing, you will be given a "diet generator" which provides a 14 day diet plan based on said foods from a list containing more than 40,000 meal combinations. The Strip That Fat diet generator creates diets and grocery lists that can be printed on the fly, which can prove itself very useful. Another cool feature about the diet generator is the fact that it saves your previous meal plans for future reference during the process.

Like Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, Strip That Fat will also guide you to building muscle. For a web based diet program, Strip That Fat is a great resource to improve the way you eat and guide you when you don't want to come up with your own menus.

CONCLUSION

Strip That Fat vs Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

So when it all comes down to Strip the Fat vs Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle one would need to make a logical evaluation between the two.

On one hand we have Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle with its legions of information and the science behind it. On the other, Strip That Fat has a fast, simple, hurry and get it over with approach and I think most people are looking for that. People want what they want and they want it now! There is no magic pill, unfortunately, and both methods will take a bit of work.

So if I am to choose one or the other, I would ultimately take both into consideration and only YOU know what would be right for YOU. Personally, I think one compliments the other, but its up to you if you want to lose weight.

Be sure to check out Review-Health [http://review-health.info] to see how these compare to some of the others! Or see the Original Squidoo page.

Zig Zag Diet Strategies For Fat Loss and Muscle Building

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I have got to share with you an awesome tip for both fat loss and muscle building. Its called the zigzag nutrition strategy.

Its rather quite simple to put it simply.

You simply adjust your calories in a zigzag diet pattern over days, weeks or months, even years. I don't recommend you do the yearly thing or even the monthly thing for that matter as it will be far too late to know if its working for you or you are just getting fatter with less results and your hard body that lies beneath is going for a long walk down the dirt road.

What I DO recommend is you follow a zigzag nutrition pattern on a weekly and possibly a daily basis. I prefer to do it weekly.

It works like this (once you know your lean body mass requirements).

First you ZIG. Then you ZAG.

You need to first determine how many calories you currently take in or even better, how many calories you need to sustain your Lean Body Mass (LBM). That's the sexy shape and muscle tone hiding under your layers of fat and water. Once you determine what the machine needs to be fed you then start to plan your ZIGZAG diet strategy.

Now all this is assuming you are eating clean, low glycemic, moderate protein and good essential fats to start with. We can even zigzag your primary macro nutrients as well, but more on that later as we are focusing on zigzag calories for now.

Start your ZIG by reducing your total calories by 200-500 per day. I suggest you do this for the week.

Now the ZAG is to use your required daily amount and add 200-500 calories per day for 1 week.

This will provide you with the required calories to maintain your lean body mass, but surprisingly you will actually have a leaner body following this method after 1-2 months. Bill Phillips wrote about this with Dan Duchaine, Mauro DiPasquali, TC Loma and a few others many years ago (almost 20 years ago). Dan Duchaine reported that this "cycling" trick resulted in +1 to 2 pound of lean and -1 to 2 pound of body fat every 2 weeks for months on end.

That alone is amazing as it means you could be the same weight you are today in a year, but actually have 12-24 pounds less fat and 12-24 pounds more muscle than you do today. This is a HUGE opportunity to change the way you perform, look and feel without changing anything in your diet at all.

If you had a chance to NOT diet and do what you do today, just change the amounts you eat today versus tomorrow following a ZIGZAG nutrition strategy you should at least consider it.

The anecdotal reports on this come from many, including the guinea pigs with the original doctor Jekyll crew above, myself and many of my clients and they are as follows:

Increased energy
Reduced fatigue
Increased healing and recuperation
Decreased soreness
Increase lean muscle
Decreased weakness
Increased fat loss
Decreased muscle loss
Increased strength

And the list goes on, its rather quite amazing, but you will need to experiment and experience it for yourself to be a real believer, trust me, you will become a believer in this ZIGZAG diet strategy.

Remember all this starts with a good nutritional baseline. If you need to do that then there are resources all over the internet, but you have to start with a great nutrition game plan to make this truly effective in the shortest possible time.

To make a ZIGZAG nutrition strategy work for you first determine how to come up with a solid, clean nutrition program. A game plan if you will.

If you goal is to lose fat, then you need to know how much to feed the body. Drop that by 200 calories and that will give you a baseline to start your Zigzag nutrition formula from.

If your goal is to gain muscle, then know what you need to feed the machine and work above your baseline by 200 calories and start your ZIGZAG diet game plan.

Let me make it easy on you.

ZIGZAG for Fat Loss using 2000 calories

2000 calories - 200 calories = 1800 calories baseline

1800 calories - 200 calories = 1600 calories on restricted ZIG days

1800 calories + 200 calories = 2000 calories on recuperation ZAG days

Net average is 1800 calories, the fat loss is much greater than that and so are the lean body mass gains in the process

ZIGZAG for Muscle Building using 2000 calories

2000 calories + 200 calories = 2200 calories baseline

2200 calories - 200 calories = 2000 restricted ZIG days

2200 calories + 200 calories = 2400 recuperation ZAG days

Net average is 2200 calories; the lean muscle gain is greater than that along with the side effect of fat loss

This is all good and done for you, but you still need to know what ratio of primary macro nutrients work for you. That is different for everyone and will change from goal to goal, season to season.

Simple math to lose fat will suggest you eat less carbs than you do today to lose fat. You can increase your protein and healthy fats slightly to offset the calories from the carbohydrate restriction and experience increased fat loss while eating the exact same calories as you did last week.

I would only suggest changing 100-200 calories of carbohydrates for proteins and fats at a time and give it 1-2 weeks to assess the net results. Once you feel you are satisfied with your fat loss results or are at a sticking point, you should then consider a ZIGZAG strategy.

If you are starting out and have no clue where to feed your machine or what ratios to eat and how to implement the ZIGZAG nutrition method, then try this simple math:

200 pounds - 20% body fat = LBM (Lean Body Mass)

200 pounds - 40 pounds body fat = 160 pounds LBM

160 pounds LBM x 10 calories per LBM = 1600 calories

ZIG days (-200 calories) = 1400 calories

ZAG days (+200 calories) = 1800 calories

This might sound lower than you are used to, but remember the goal is fat loss and lean muscle maintenance and you can't lose fat while eating too many calories.

The ratio I would recommend you start with is 40% protein, 30% carbohydrate and 30% fats.

1400 calorie ZIG days

Protein = 560 calories / 140 grams

Carbohydrates = 420 / 105 grams

Fats = 420 / 46.6 grams

1800 calorie ZAG days

Protein = 720 calories / 180 grams

Carbohydrates = 540 / 135 grams

Fats = 540 / 60 grams

Now you know how to do this for the fat loss, you can do the same process for Muscle Building, but instead of multiplying your LBM x10 calories you will use x12-15 calories per LBM. To stay lean try the same ratios, this will ensure a lean body muscle building experience without adding any unwanted fat.

Of course there are those that claim to be hard gainers, many are just too lazy to work hard enough on their nutrition, exercise and supplement programs, but even they will be surprised by using a ZIGZAG method to lean body gains. Gone are the days of raw MASS forsaking all lean attributes, but if you need that type of a program there are places and merits for that as well.

I love knowing that it comes down to 2 things with nutrition. Simple Science = Math and Personal Choices = Art of crafting a program that will work for you. Most of the Simple Science is out there for you, just choose wisely and make the right ratio, meal timings and food choices that work for you.

Get ZIGZAG programs working for you. You can go between fat loss, muscle building, MASS program every week or month and notice incredible fat loss and lean muscle gains.

I did mention ZIGZAG of the Primary Macronutrients and this can have amazing results for you as well, but is a bit more involved to suggest here and leads me to another article to increase your lean body lifestyle, fat loss and muscle building goals.

Remember when 90% of the world ZIGs to the tune of 1 strategy its time you ZAG and make a difference. 90% of the time the 10% that run the other way are successful in their endeavors.

Patrick McGuire is a Weight Loss, Fat Loss and Lean Muscle Building Specialist, Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioner, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, former competitive body builder, semi pro athlete, military fitness trainer with the Royal Canadian Armored Corps, President of Empowered Nutrition and the creator of Done For You Meal Plans

To see how easy it is to start your fat loss ZIGZAG program check out 'Done-For-You' Meal Plans.

Effectively Lose Weight While Gaining Muscle Mass With Fat Loss Recipes

For those of you who are certified fitness geeks and are looking to pump your muscles, then you should definitely need to know more about fat loss recipes. There is a diet plan you can follow which helps you to lose weight while building up your muscles in the process. This is called an anabolic diet plan and is the ultimate way for you to get pumped up. This plan requires you to consume specially prepared meals known as anabolic foods. Their recipes are the byproducts of years of research by numerous fitness experts and former body builders.

They are specifically designed to help you lose weight, but increase your muscle mass in return. Anabolic diet plans follow a strict schedule and are heavily focused on balancing your carbohydrate consumption. The schedule usually goes this way: Monday to Friday means you follow a diet which consists of low carbohydrate intake while the weekend schedule follows the opposite routine. It also requires you to eat every 3 hours everyday. Skipping any of these meals is a huge no-no and can sabotage your diet in one swift stroke.

Anabolic diets require you to eat every 3 hours so that you don't over eat and your fatty deposits get converted to energy. Anabolic cookbooks contain about 200 recipes and each lets you know about the nutritional values you can gain from them. This is a far cry from the traditional cookbook because you actually get to know about the health values of your chosen meal. This means you no longer have to be conscious about what you eat since everything in an anabolic cookbook is a guaranteed health treat.

The recipes for an anabolic meal usually consist of chicken, turkey, fish, and vegetables. Dairy products like eggs, milk, and cheese are also put into the mix. The meals are easy to prepare and come complete with easy to follow steps. They can also save you an ample amount of time because you can easily prepare a meal within 3 hours. The good stuff does not end there because the meal you prepare can last you up to a week. So basically you prepare a huge meal within a small amount of time.

Having a cookbook that contains 200 fat loss recipes is a must have for any health and fitness buff. It's a great way of slimming down those fats while buffing up your body.

If you are looking for an effective fat loss recipes to get those ripped muscles that you dream about then anabolic cooking is the one for you. It is one of the most revolutionary and most effective methods that famous body builders are using today, so check it out now.

The Anabolic Again Muscle Building Prescription

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Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle: May 2011 Update

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