REASON WHY YOUR WORKOUT IS NOT GIVING YOU RESULTS

-you are not working hard enough... you have no idea how many people i see every day at the gym who think they are working hard, but they are really not. they are just wasting their time with toning exercises with weights that are lighter than their purse or spending too much time talking and not giving all they've got.

-you are working too hard

training to failure or performing HIIT workouts like Insanity can lead you to a plateau... fitness or fat-loss. so don't perform each set to failure and don't perform more than 3 20 min HIIT workouts a week.

-you are doing just cardio

training in a circuit is still cardio, even if you do it with weights. rest periods are there for a reason!

-you stick to the same routine

the training routine needs to be changed every 6-8 weeks... it can be small things like changing rest periods, the order of the exercises, switching from dumbbells to barbell or machine, using rest-pauses, drop sets, working in another rep range etc. you don't need to completely change your whole workout.

-you change your routine too frequently

just like our body adapts to the very same routine, it also adapts to change. that's when change becomes routine.

#training #challenge #hiit #cardio #weightlifting

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HOW TO PERFORM THE SKULL CRUSHERS CORRECTLY

there are a very few people who know how to perform the skull crushers with perfect form and hit the triceps correctly.

when you lay down on the bench, don't hold the arms straight up, but incline them slightly in diagonal toward your head. arms are still straight, no bending in elbows. in this way you not only hit the triceps better, but you also remove the weight from the shoulder joints and the rotatory cuff. if you have elbows issues, lowering the weights just past your forehead will solve your problem. performing the exercise in this way is also much much safer since you prevent the weights from hitting your head (they are called skull crushers for a reason).

a few more recommendations:

-don't do them with the straight bar

-don't do them with the EZ bar

-go with the neutral grip, palms facing each other

-go with high reps (8-12)

-keep the elbows toward inside and parallel to the body

the skull crushers are the only exercise to stimulate all the three muscles of the triceps: the lateral head, the long head and the medial head. all the other tricep exercises behind head stimulate only the long head. that's due to the position of the hands.

if you want to stimulate the medium head, turn the thumbs inward.

if you want to stimulate the lateral head, turn the thumbs to the outside.

#training #triceps #gym #exercise #muscles

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WHY YOU NEED PROTEIN...

getting enough protein in when working out is essential to get results. but many people think that they must eat tons of meat and spend a fortune to get that protein in.

the amount of protein you need depends on your fitness level, work regimen, body composition and the intensity and duration of your exercise. the total calorie intake, which includes carbs, also plays an important role in your protein intake. but keep in mind that protein is not only a source of energy but it also gives your body the power to repair itself and build new muscle tissues.

and if the type of sports that you are involved in is an endurance type (cardio), you will often burn protein for fuel (ye, i know you thought it was fat... but it's not. that's why i keep posting about the negative effects of cardio on body composition). in this case the need for protein is more elevated.

you should also consider that you body burns more protein if you do not consume enough calories. if you don't get enough protein, your body will break down the muscle tissue in order to get the protein it needs.. yes, heart included, cos heart is a muscle.

now you wonder how much protein you should eat. as i wrote above, the quantity of protein depends on many factors, but a good rule of thumb for a healthy and balanced diet is 30% of protein of your total calorie intake.

for example: if you need 2,000 calories to achieve your goal, 30% of protein represents 600 calories (150g of protein). you think this is a lot, but it's rally not. if you eat 5-7 meals a day, that's about 20-30g of protein per meal. 1 small piece of chicken breast has already 25g of protein. add some brown rice and you hit the numbers.

#protein #mealprep #proteinintake #caloricintake #healthydiet #nutrition 

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SALMON TARTARE WITH VEGGIES

raw salmon

2 tbsp of honey mustard (make your own by mixing regular mustard with a pinch of pure stevia)

1 tbsp of seaweed caviar

1 cup of cooked veggies (carrots, green beans, peppers, cauliflowers, broccoli, red onion,.. )

your fave spices

cut the salmon into small pieces and add it to the sauteed veggies. add the caviar and the honey mustard. mix well.

#mealprep #healthymeal #protein #omega3

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DOES FASTED CARDIO MAKE YOU BURN MORE FAT?

during fasted cardio the primary source of fuel for the body is fat. but the research shows that people who use fat as fuel during their workouts, burn less fat during the day. on the other hand, people who exercise after a meal and use carbohydrates (glucose) as fuel, burn more fat post-exercise. this condition, when the metabolism stays elevated for several hours after a workout, is called the after-burn. so it's obvious that you are going to burn more fat during the next 24 hours than in 30-60min of steady stay fasted cardio. 

so not only fasted cardio is not convenient in terms of fat-burning, but it is also proven that steady stay cardio slows down the metabolism. and you'll say.. what about hiit on the empty stomach?! fasted hiit is an absolute no no.. first of all because your workout efficiency is compromised when the body doesn't have enough energies so you'll burn less calories for that reason. second, because your body will get those energies from muscle-breakdown since the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver are depleted from prolonged fasting.

the take-home lesson: if you must do cardio, go with short hiit session and always have a meal before. it can be a complete meal 90 minutes before or a carb-protein shake 20 minutes before. 

if you want to read more see these articles:

Zoladz JA, Konturek SJ, Duda K, Majerczak J, Sliwowski Z, Grandys M, Bielanski W. Effect of moderate incremental exercise, performed in fed and fasted state on cardio-respiratory variables and leptin and ghrelin concentrations in young healthy men . J Physiol Pharmacol. 2005 Mar;56(1):63-85. 

Stannard SR, Buckley AJ, Edge JA, Thompson MW. Adaptations to skeletal muscle with endurance exercise training in the acutely fed versus overnight-fasted state. J Sci Med Sport. 2010;13(4):465-9

Tanner JM, Kearns DT, Kim BJ, Sloan C, Jia Z, Yang T, Abel ED, Symons JD. Fasting-induced reductions in cardiovascular and metabolic variables occur sooner in obese versus lean mice . Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2010 Dec;235(12):1489-97.

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HOW TO READ FOOD LABELS

most people just check the calories and that's it. but the calories are actually the less important thing on the food label. first of all, because the calories are usually per serving so it seems like the food is low in calories. second, because the caloreis don't tell you about the ingredients and nutrients the food contains.

manufactures often claim zero calories or zero trans fats.. but these are just the scams they use to persuade the consumers. as long as the food has less than 0.5g of fat per serving, it can be marked as 0-fat. same for the calories. if the food contains less than 5 calories per serving, it can be labeled zero-calorie food. the problem is that usually that serving is not your serving so you get 2, 3 or more of those servings and the calories rise.

so here's what you need to do:

1. don't just look at the calories. look at the nutrients. usually a food that contains less than 5g of sugar and 5g of fat per 100g can be considered a healthy choice. but we all know that nuts are a healthy food even though they contain 60+g of fats per 100g... so the that's just a general guidance. 

2. the shorter the ingredient list, the better. the first ingredient on the ingredient list is the main ingredient for that food. a food with less than 5 ingredients can be considered healthy. but that again depends on the type of food. if you can't pronounce it, you can't eat it. simple.

3. compare claims to the actual values on the label. if the box claims 'rich in fiber', check the label and make sure that the food actually contains plenty of fiber and that is made of whole-grains. one trick manufacturers usually use is that they add fiber to already processed white flours. not good!

4. numbers near fat, sodium, cholesterol, trans fat, sugar, saturated fat must be low. keep in mind that an adult should limit his fat intake to 50-70g per day. sugar intake should be lower than 15g if you are not training.

5. check the serving size! usually 1 serving represents a very small amount of food... let's take bread for example. 1 serving is 130 calories. but that's just one slice. you need 2 to make a sandwich so that's already 260 calories which equals to 1 1/4 cup of cooked rice... that's a lot of rice! so are you gonna choose bread or rice?

6. don't bother about the RDA (recommended daily allowance). the RDA is not based on scientific research and the diet that the governments usually use as a base and comparison, can lead to more health issues than any other diet. but we all know well why.... it's again all about money. bad food/ bad diet leads -> addiction-> increased food consumption -> health problems -> increase in drugs consumption -> ka-ching!

#foodlabels #nutrition #groceryshopping  

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SALMON FOIL PACK WITH MUSHROOMS AND POTATO PASTICCIO

salmon fillets marinated in salt and pepper
7 oz / 200g red or sweet potatoes
0-fat or low-fat cream cheese
5 oz / 150g mushrooms
3.5 oz / 100g leeks, chopped
salt
pepper
garlic
extravirgin olive oil
chives

peel the potatoes and julienne them using a mandolin  add salt, pepper and cream cheese (3/4 cup for 2 servings). also add a pinch of nutmeg if you want to spice them up.
clean the mushrooms, slice them and saute with some salt, pepper and garlic.
steam the leeks.

arrange the potatoes on a piece of alu foil or use single-serving baking cups. top with mushrooms, leeks, salmon, a drizzle of olive oil and chives. form a foil pack and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C/ 350°F for 20 minutes. serve in foil or single-serving cup.

#mealprep #healthydinner #protein #salmon #omega3 #fattyacids

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