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Cardio on an empty stomach or after breakfast? Fat burn secret revealed!

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - JANUARY 2:  People run on treadmills at a New York Sports Club January 2, 2003 in Brooklyn, New York. Thousands of people around the country join health clubs in the first week of the new year as part of their New Year's resolution. Many health clubs see a surge in business of 25 percent immediately after the new year, only to see those numbers level off by spring.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The question:
Do you burn more fat by performing cardio on an empty stomach?

The argument:
According to most fitness professionals, in order to maximize your workout, you must consume the proper nutrients to fuel your body. Others suggest that cardio on an empty stomach is more beneficial when burning fat.

The reasoning:
Fueling your body before a workout will allow you to get a longer and more intense workout.
When performing cardio on an empty stomach, your body taps into its reserves and allows you to burn through calories stored as fat.
Studies show:
One study showed that cardio on an empty stomach did indeed burn more FAT than cardio after breakfast. That same study argued that those who consumed breakfast were in fact able to run longer and burn more total calories.

Another study showed that those who performed cardio on an empty stomach fatigued about 30 minutes faster than those who consumed breakfast.

The truth about fat burn:
You may have read this far and have already decided that eating before your workout is in fact more beneficial, WRONG!

We are not debating on what burns more total calories, we are debating on which technique burns more fat. You see, those people in the study who ate breakfast and ran for an hour had to run about 45 minutes before they burned through just the calories they consumed that morning. That leaves about 15 minutes of cardio that they actually burned through calories that were stored as fat. On the other hand, those who performed cardio on an empty stomach where burning off calories stored as fat for the entire 30 minutes.

Not so fast!
Now you have probably changed your mind and decided that cardio on an empty stomach is in fact more beneficial, WRONG!

What more “professionals” fail to mention is, when we get up in the morning after 6-10 hours of sleep, our bodies are in a catabolic state. Unless we consume some sort of sugar, our body will continue to sacrifice muscle. The more physical activity we put ourselves through while in the catabolic state, the more muscle we are breaking down.

A simple breakdown of how this works:
There are three places where glycogen can be found in the body. The first place is in the liver, the second place is in the muscles, and the third place is in the blood stream. After a full night of sleep, our glycogen levels are almost completely depleted. Glycogen in the liver is gone, the glycogen in the blood stream is used for energy, and the glycogen in the muscle is almost completely used up. When the glycogen is depleted from the liver, it takes substrates from the muscle in order to create more. This is muscle breakdown or atrophy.

What is the best way to burn fat?
We know that eating a full breakfast/meal before your cardio routine will cause you to workout for a longer period of time before you tap into your calories from stored fats. In most cases, the person performing the cardio will stop before even burning through the calories consumed that morning or continue very little time in the “fat burning” zone.

We also know that although performing cardio on an empty stomach may allow us to burn through a higher level of stored fat, you will be sacrificing muscle at an alarming rate if you choose this technique.

So what approach to cardio is more beneficial when burning fat?
The answer is simply right in the middle. Instead of an entire meal, we should consume something like a piece of fruit (banana, apple, orange, etc) or a low calorie snack that contains sugar in order to raise insulin levels and take you out of that catabolic state immediately. This will also give you some energy and allow you to perform the routine for a longer period of time without having to burn so many calories before tapping into the stored fat.

Circuit training routines for maximum fat loss:

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Inability to Build Muscle - Learn How to Build Quality Muscle Fast in 4 Simple Steps (HardGainer)

Do you honestly believe that you have an inability to build muscle? Well, think again because by following the correct techniques and nutritional habits consistently even the ectomorphic hard gainer can gain muscle fast. In this article we will cover 4 simple steps that have worked for thousands of people like you to give them the physique of their dreams.
- Inability To Build Muscle Tips:

#1) You are what you eat -
The only way to pack on solid, quality muscle to your skinny frame is to eat every 2 - 3 hours which will probably equate to 5 - 7 times per day. As your body can only assimilate so much protein and nutrients in one sitting this is the way for you to eat. Aim to consume 20% fats, 40% protein and 40% carbohydrate for your daily intake. Because of convenience its ok to eat over half of your meals as whole foods and the rest can be replacement shakes and bars. Plan your meals and cook the foods in advance as "if you fail to prepare then you prepare to fail."

#2) Workout 3 - 4 times every week - Your inability to build muscle could be that you are over training your body. This is one of the biggest mistakes made in gyms everywhere. You must give your muscle tissue time to rest and recuperate as this is when it grows. Give each muscle group a minimum of 72 hours before you train it again and an ideal way to do this is a split routine. One that's really effective is to do 2 upper body workouts and 2 lower body workouts per week.

#3) Stretching for growth - Did you know that stretching your muscles actually makes them grow faster? I bet half the guys in your gym never take the time to stretch and they wonder why they can't build muscle fast. The winning formula here is to stretch for half the time you take to lift your weights. i.e: if you are training 4 hours per week you must stretch for at least another 2. Take the time to do this and you'll see amazing results.

#4) Quality supplementation - Don't waste your money on cheap supplements as you pay for what you get. Quality supplementation will boost your muscle growth so go for a quality, recognised brand that's been around for at least 5 years. The ones you should never go without are top quality multi vitamin/mineral, powdered protein powder and creatine, and some fish oil capsules. They will give you the daily nutritional requirements for your health, strength, recovery, muscle mass and body composition.

- Inability To Build Muscle Conclusion:

Even for the ectomorphic hard gainer you can follow the guidelines above with discipline and consistency to pack on solid muscle quickly. Also aim to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep every night as muscle tissue repairs itself while you are sleeping.

Building solid, quality muscle fast is easy when you know how.

Get a hot looking strong body. Train, eat, rest and learn here: build muscle fast

http://www.fastmusclebuilding.info

Barry Cross has 30 years experience in bodybuilding/health/fitness/wellness and the weight loss arena.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barry_Cross
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How to calculate body fat percentage (women)

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 04: Stephanie Winterton rides a exercise bike at the NuYu Weight Loss Retreat on February 4, 2010 in the Hawkesbury Valley near Sydney, Australia. Nuyu is a live-in style retreat offering programs that run for up to 6 weeks addressing all aspects of healthy living including exercise, meal planning, emotional well being and boast a 80% success rate for long term weight management.The latest statistics from the Dietitians Association of Australia state that 62% - more than 13 million Australian adults - and 25% of Australian children are overweight or obese. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

Body fat percentage:
Body fat is a lipid (fat) produced in the body, and this may be influenced by diet, exercise and genetics. Body fat percentage is that percentage of body mass that is not made up of bone, muscle, connective tissue and fluids; that is, everything else.
Keeping a healthy body fat percentage for women
Age 20-40
Unhealthy – Under 21
Healthy – 21-33
Overweight – 33-39
Obese – 39+
Age 41-60
Unhealthy – Under 23
Healthy – 23-35
Overweight – 35-40
Obese – 40+
Age 61-79
Unhealthy – Under 24
Healthy – 24-36
Overweight – 36-42
Obese – 42+

Body Fat Formula For Women
A: (Total body weight x 0.732) + 8.987
B: Wrist measurement (at fullest point) / 3.140
C: Waist measurement (at naval) x 0.157
D: Hip measurement (at fullest point) x 0.249
E: Forearm measurement (at fullest point) x 0.434
A + B - C - D + E=Lean body mass
Total bodyweight - Lean Body Mass=Body fat weight
(Body Fat Weight x 100) / total bodyweight = Body fat percentage
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How to calculate body fat percentage (men)

SAN FRANCISCO - APRIL 06:  A man walks along the Embarcadero April 6, 2005 in San Francisco. According to a study released Tuesday, almost 53 percent of Californians over 25 are overweight, and more than 17 percent are obese, or extremely overweight and are costing nearly $21.7 billion a year in medical bills, injuries and lost productivity. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Body fat percentage:
Body fat is a lipid (fat) produced in the body, and this may be influenced by diet, exercise and genetics. Body fat percentage is that percentage of body mass that is not made up of bone, muscle, connective tissue and fluids; that is, everything else.
Keeping a healthy body fat percentage
Age 20-40
Unhealthy – Under 8
Healthy – 8-19
Overweight – 19-25
Obese – 25+
Age 41-60
Unhealthy – Under 11
Healthy – 11-22
Overweight – 22-27
Obese – 27+
Age 61-79
Unhealthy – Under 13
Healthy – 13-25
Overweight – 25-30
Obese – 30+
How to calculate your body fat percentage
A: (Total body weight x 1.082) + 94.42
B: Waist measurement x 4.15
A-B=Lean body mass
Total body weight
Lean body mass= Body fat weight
(Body fat weight x 100) / total body weight = Body fat percentage
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Top 5 Focal Points for Massive Gains for Skinny Guys


BAGHDAD, IRAQ - AUGUST 11: An Iraqi bodybuilding athlete works out on August 11, 2008 in the Sadr city district in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi bodybuilding athletes are getting ready for an Iraqi clubs bodybuilding competition, expected to be held at the end of this week. (Photo by Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)


1. Proper Nutrition

Without proper nutrition you will NEVER put on mass, period. Its takes about 20-24 times your bodyweight in calories in order to pack on pounds. Any less won’t be enough and any more will be too much for our body to break down. To find out exactly how many calories you should consume daily, check out this “weight gain formula”.

It is very important to know how much you are consuming, but more important is WHAT you are consuming. Anyone can consume 4000 calories if you include junk in your diet; the challenge is getting those calories from complex carbohydrates, natural fats, and high quality protein sources.

Here is a list of sources for good calories

carbohydrates
Wheat bread
Wheat pasta
Oatmeal
Whole wheat
Brown rice
Vegetables
Protein
Egg whites
Chicken breast
Tuna
Cottage Cheese
Turkey meat
Beans
Fats
Peanut butter
Olive oil
Avocados
Nuts

2. Progressive overload
If you are not outperforming your last workout session, YOU WILL NOT GROW. The key to continuous muscle growth is simple; make your body work a little harder than last time to make sure you’re putting your muscles through enough strain. An easy way to make sure you are outperforming your last workout is, keep a workout log.
In this log you should record the type of exercise performed, the amount of weight used, the amount of repetitions, volume, and intensity.
The volume is simply the amount of weight used multiplied by the repetitions.
The intensity should be increased by taking shorter breaks between sets than your last workout.

3. Making compound workouts the focal point
Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time. Using more than one muscle group will allow you to lift heavier and break down more muscle fibers which in turn will help your body produce more “muscle building hormones” such as GH and testosterone. Other great benefits to compound exercises are…

- Allows you to lift heavier and increase strength much faster
- Corrects muscle imbalance
- Increases muscle conditioning
- Time efficiency


Compound exercises

Squats

deadlifts

Bench Press

Bent over rows

Dips

Chin ups/Pull ups

Military press

4. Keeping your body in a growing state

- Keep your body in a anabolic state
- Increase testosterone production
- Produce Growth Hormone naturally

5. Proper rest and recovery
One major point that people fail to understand is that, muscle is not being created while you are in the gym lifting those heavy weights. While you are working out, you are actually just breaking down the muscle. The ONLY WAY for those muscles to repair and grow is to REST.


How many of you are in the gym 5-6 days a week and are frustrated because you are getting zero results?

Our bodies grow the most while we sleep. This is why it is extremely important that you get 8-9 hours of quality sleep every single night. Aside from sleep, our bodies grow on the days we restrain from heavy physical activity. With that being said, take a few days off, there is no reason to be in the gym performing high intensity training more than 4 days a week.
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Truth About Post Workout Nutrition Exposed!

Your post workout shake/meal should consist of:
0.3 x (Your body weight) = Simple carbohydrates in Grams
0.2 x (Your body weight) = Protein in Grams

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