How to combine Cardio into your Lifting Routine
If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll probably know I always emphasize the importance of lifting weights. It is not the only way to gain muscle, it also helps you to lose weight sustainably through increased metabolism, reduce injuries, diseases, illnesses, improve posture, balance, and sleep, and gives you stronger bones for longevity, to name a few. On the other hand, cardio has its great benefits as well - it burns calories, help in cardiovascular health, improves mood, and has also shown to be highly correlated to reduced diseases and illnesses too.
So this article is not to compare which one is better, because they are used for different goals, but how do we best combine the two. But first, we will look at how they’re different, the tradeoffs, and finally what types of cardio, how much cardio, and when to do them to help with your goals. Let’s dive in.
Does Starvation Mode Exist? (i.e. If you eat too little, will you gain weight?)
“Starvation mode” is a common fear among dieters. The claim here is that if you diet too intensely for too long, your metabolism will get damaged. This is caused by your body’s protection system. And as you continue to eat less, you will stop losing weight, and in some cases, gain weight! That is because your metabolism has dropped way too low.
And to make things sound more absurd, the same people claim that to lose weight, the solution is then to eat more, not less! That’s basically telling someone who is struggling with weight loss, “Hey! Stop dieting and start eating more! You’ll then start to lose weight as a result!” Yes, this belief is actually rampant and it is termed as “starvation mode”.
But how true is this? Is “starvation mode” a myth or is it a real thing? More importantly, what should you do if you hit a weight loss plateau? Read on to find out more!
5 Ways to use Habits to Stop Being Lazy
We all are inherently lazy to some degree. Whether it is watching Netflix the whole Saturday afternoon, or skipping workouts to sleep in a little longer, it is totally normal. But when these moments start lasting longer or becoming more frequent, then it might be a problem if you have specific goals you want to achieve. Your goals suddenly become less important, and might even fall in the trap of saying “This is too hard! I’ll never be able to do it!”. But as mentioned in my previous article, the key to sustaining motivation to curb laziness is to build habits. And that is why you see some people who are able to train hard even on days with low motivation and energy!
But the question is how do we use habits to stop being lazy? Read on to find out these 5 ways!
How to Choose the BEST Exercise for Muscle Growth
You’ve probably seen tons of videos or blog posts on the Internet entitled “The best arms exercise!” or “The only glute exercise you’ll ever need!” And I’m sure other videos titles like “You should never do this exercise” have caught your attention before, especially if it has more than a million views. I’m guessing you’ve watched them and took their advice as golden. I do use such headliners myself on my YouTube page, but that’s all for marketing and click bait purposes. The truth is, there is no such thing as a best or worst exercise for muscle growth. There might be a grain of truth in that, but it is mostly BS - the best exercise for arms or glutes does not exist! Does that mean that the fitness influencers are wrong?
In this article (adapted from concepts by Dr. Mike), I will be giving a checklist to assess if an exercise is not good for you or not. Then you can judge for yourself if these fitness influencers are wrong. Let’s dive in.
How to Trick Your Brain into Doing Hard Things like Working Out
Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy for some people to be so motivated to exercise, or so driven to make good food choices? On the other hand, why it is so difficult for you to even get out of bed, let alone head to the gym to do a workout for an hour? And even if you managed to do so, only to have your drive dry out within a few days?
If all these sound familiar to you, you’re not alone. You’ve definitely felt frustrated or discouraged when people around you seem to have unlimited determination to achieve their goals, while you just think to yourself, “I’m never going to do this again” whenever you’re faced with something that pushes you to your limits.
But we all know that by staying in your comfort zone, or doing things that are easy, it will not get you far. It is only through discomfort that growth happens. There are surely days that you’re constantly forcing yourself to do the hard things, and it can be challenging. But everyone feels this way from time to time, even successful CEOs. However, what separates them from everyone else isn’t that they like to do difficult tasks, but how they are able to trick their brain into doing hard things even when they don’t feel like it.
And if eating right and working out consistently are hard to you, check out this article to see some of the best ways to trick your brain into doing these hard things to get in shape.
Difficulties You’ll Face While Dieting and How to Deal with Them
If you’re been following me for a while now, you’ve probably know that to lose weight, you will need to be in a caloric deficit. That is, to expend more calories than you are consuming. This is usually done by tracking your calories and macronutrients, and then ensuring you’re consuming the right amount of calories such that your weight drops. Simple as it sounds, doesn’t it? However, like any other journey, roadblocks are unavoidable and difficulties are sure to come.
These difficulties can highly derail your success. You definitely wouldn’t want that, would you? But if you are able to foresee these difficulties, you’ll be able to deal with them more effectively. Even better, if you can deal with them ahead of time, you will be able to avoid these difficulties altogether. Fortunately, in this article, I will be going through 3 difficulties that is very likely to happen to you during a fat loss diet and how to deal with them.
4 Must-Dos to Ensure Optimal Muscle Growth
Everyone wants to build muscle as fast as possible. In fact, one of the top reasons why people come to me for Personal Training is to build muscle. However, the truth is that muscle-building is a long, slow and often frustrating process. As a result, it may be hard to tell if you’re actually effectively building muscle or not. And the added fact that progress will slow down as you gain more experience, is not helping.
But roughly how fast can you realistically build muscle? A study at McMaster University found that the average male beginner training 4 times a week can gain about 3kg of muscle in 10-12 weeks. That means about 1kg of muscle per month while training in optimal conditions. In this other study, it was found that with good nutrition and consistent training, 0.9kg of muscle growth per month is possible for beginners. While it may seem little, over time, the results can be significant. With 12 months of consistent training, you’ll be able to gain up to 10kg of muscle mass! But as you progress, the rate of muscle gain will slow down. At the intermediate stage, researcher Alan Aragon estimate the rate of muscle growth for a 70kg male is about 0.4-0.8kg per month. And for advanced individuals, about 0.2-0.4kg of muscle growth per month.
And these numbers are assuming that your training and nutrition are optimal, but since this does not happen for most people, muscle-building can actually be even slower than previously outlined. So the important question is - What should you do to build muscle as fast as possible? In this article, check out the 4 Must-Dos to ensure optimal muscle growth.
Practical Tips on how to use Intermittent Fasting for Fat Loss (Many Studies included!)
I’m sure you’ve heard of Intermittent Fasting (IF) before. It is basically specifying when you should eat instead of what you should eat. Many claim that IF can not only help with fat loss, it can improve cardiovascular health, decrease cancer risk and even increase lifespan! But it seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? After all, IF is skipping meals for hours or even days, and then feasting within a designated time frame, which seems to be going against the norm.
But fasting isn’t a new concept by any means. Our ancestors have actually been doing it during our hunter-gatherer days, where they have to fast for days if they are unable to find food. IF is just a rebranding of this. Furthermore, we are actually already fasting when we are asleep. And some of us are already doing IF but may not even know it! Most commonly known as skipping breakfast.
So what is the truth? Can IF magically help with fat loss and other benefits? And if so, how exactly should you do IF to see the best results? Here I’ll be covering the types of IF, benefits and shortcomings of IF, how long to fast for, and how much to eat. Let’s dive in.
Progress Over Perfection: The Correct Mindset for Sustainable Fitness
Ever missed a planned workout and feel like a failure after? Or ate a unplanned ‘cheat meal’ only to feel utterly guilty for the rest of the day? Maybe even looked at instagram models and compare yourself with them, believing that you’re not doing enough?
Well, you’re not alone. In fact, many people view training and nutrition in this manner. They think that everything has to be perfect in order to be successful in losing weight or gaining muscle. But the truth is quite the opposite. Expecting things to go flawless can actually get in the way of accomplishing your goals. It can take the joy away from working out. It can make dieting so painful. It can make the whole fitness journey extremely stressful. More importantly, it can make you feel guilty when you’ve actually done absolutely nothing wrong.
Fortunately, there is a much better way to think of fitness. That is choosing progress over perfection. Instead of leaving you guilt-ridden, progress can inspire, excite, and sustain the way you eat and train. You’ll feel happier because there is more to celebrate and enjoy. And in this article, we will look at some ways to focus on progress instead of perfection.
How to Pack on Mass Fast for Skinny Guys (or Hard Gainers)
You’ve been training for some time, eating all the ‘bodybuilding food’, and on paper, it seems like you’re doing everything right. But you just can’t seem to put on any size despite all the hard work, and get frustrated. You look at yourself in the mirror daily and feel like you’re just destined to be skinny forever, or in other words, a hard gainer.
I’ve come across many people who once thought they were hard gainers. No matter how much they ate or trained, they just can’t seem to put on any weight onto their skinny frame. Although there are studies that show that body types are not pseudoscience, it is still definitely possible for hard gainers to put on significant muscle mass as long as they are eating and training right. And after these hard gainers realized their mistakes and optimized their training and nutrition, they started to add pounds of muscle to their frame after consistency and patience.
I am pretty sure most of you hard gainers can do the same too. And in this article, I’ll be going through the things skinny guys should be doing to put on muscle mass in the most efficient way possible. Let’s dive in.