Is stress slowing down your muscle building and fat loss goals? You can always work to alleviate stress by addressing your diet practices. Here are some strategies you can employ!

A glass of wine
The benefits of a glass of wine at dinner are well-documented, but what tops that list is the reduction in risk of heart disease. It turns out wine does a great deal to reduce stress in the body. Red wine is best, and you should always be sure to follow it with two glasses of water, as wine is known to dehydrate very quickly. If you find yourself relieving stress a little too much with 3-4 glasses of wine a night, you are working against your productivity goals.

Add more fiber
Much of the distress you feel may be internal, as a result of decade of food waste taking form in your insides. Enjoy kale, spinach, and other leafy greens for a week and you’ll likely notice a huge change in how you feel, both physically and mentally. Imagine that 5 pound knot that has been in your stomach for your entire adult life suddenly completely disappearing! That is what fiber will do!

Faster digesting proteins
The more fat is contained in the food, the longer a protein will take to digest. This places more stress upon your digestive system. Choose low-fat or fat-free options such as chicken, egg whites or whey, and you’ll be moving the proteins through your body faster, keeping the stresses upon your digestion to a minimum.

Eat the foods you like!
Enjoying the things you do is half the battle in alleviating stress. And while it’s true that oats and boiled chicken breast might technically be the best foods for your progress, they might not taste good to you. Why should every meal be an unpleasant ordeal? Instead, you should choose the foods you love, and enjoy every meal. As long as they support your fat burning and muscle building goals, eat anything you’d like!

Vary the foods you eat
Protein doesn’t always digest easily in the body, and fats can always make the digestive process a tad sticky. The stomach will produce enzymes to process the foods we eat, but it is important that we give the stomach a nice varied mix of foods to ensure it doesn’t get lazy at the same time. Just as you mix up your weight and cardio training to keep the body guessing, you should change up the foods you eat on a regular basis to keep the stomach enzymes on their toes.

There are a million fat-loss diets out there, designed to do essentially the same thing – cut the amount of body fat that your carry. They arrive in a variety of formats, from high protein to low fat, to high fat to low calorie, and they all force your body to burn stored body fat in lieu of the carbohydrates/sugars in your system from your daily food consumption. The truth is that the most effective diet is ANY diet which you will stick with regularly, which results in a caloric deficit leading to a reduction in the fat composition of your body.

Let’s examine a few good dieting “policies” that you should apply in the creation of your own simplified diet. These are only guidelines, but are rooted in modern sports science along with good ol’ common sense. Enjoy!

High protein
If you want to build and maintain muscle and keep your body hard while the number on the scale drops, then you will want to keep your protein intake level fairly high. This equates to 25 to 35 grams of protein each meal, for 5 to 6 meals per day. Each meal should include about 2 servings’ worth, with a serving being about 3 ounces, or the size of a deck of cards.

Moderate fats
Fat is not a four letter word, despite what you’ve been told since birth. Fat from sources such as natural peanut butter, almonds, and fish oil play a huge role in maintaining solid brain function, building new muscle mass, providing energy, and essentially keep you sane and healthy. However, the bad kinds of fat, found in French fries and cheeseburgers, should be avoided at all costs.

Low carbohydrate
The bulk of your caloric adjustment resulting in true fat loss in your body will arrive as a result of you managing your carb intake level. If you are currently consuming about 2 fist-sized servings of carbs with most meals, then it is time to reduce this to one fist sized serving. Cut your current carb intake level in half for 2 weeks, and see if you notice a radical change in how you look – and feel! Of course, you cannot reduce all of your carb intake, but you can cut back enough to reduce your fat levels of the body without completely draining your body of the energy it needs to train and otherwise function.

Training in the gym can deliver a wealth of benefits. You grow bigger muscles, and you become stronger. Fat loss results, as does a greater level of fitness and lung capacity. In other words, you become bigger, stronger, leaner and fitter as a result of your efforts.

One training protocol which actually delivers all four of these benefits with the least amount of time and energy expended is known as super set training. Super sets are very popular because they isolate each muscle group first directly, then force it to work past its point of failure in a second set. You begin with an isolation exercise which targets only that one particular muscle group, and then you immediately follow that with a compound exercise, or one that uses that targeted (and now exhausted muscle group) as the main support muscle, but also recruits 1 to more additional muscle groups to help carry that workload. Let’s examine super sets for a few major muscle groups.

Chest is very easy to isolate with super sets. Use standard dumbbell flyes immediately followed with flat or incline bench pressing. Front thighs can be targeted with leg extensions immediately followed with squats or leg presses. Shoulders are best hit with dumbbell side, lateral or front raises, immediately followed with front shoulder press. Use cable movements for your biceps and triceps, immediately followed up with heavy iron dumbbell and barbell work.

Keep in mind that you won’t want to use super sets on every single exercise of every workout. They are great supplementary tool, but at the same time they require a level of training intensity which would lead to major burn out if used for every workout. Rather, you should limit your use of these movements to 4 to 6 times per workout. Choose to use them early and you scorch that muscle group quickly. Or, wait until the end of your routine and use super sets in order to finish off a muscle group.

Super sets are remarkably effective because they work as both a muscle isolator as well as a fat burning movement. Your heart rate is near peak levels for double the amount of time you would experience with a standard training set, and the second set delivers a cumulative fat burning exponential effect as the blood rushes to the muscle group being trained past its normal failure point. This results in an elevated metabolism, greater muscle definition, and a newer, learner you!

In the annals of the steroid world, nothing comes close to testosterone. It’s the natural lifeblood of your own muscle building systems, and when used artificially, it delivers a shot in the arm like no other drug. Elevated testosterone levels lead to muscle gains, fat loss, and increases in strength that is unmatched by any other drug.

Second place in the list of steroid greats has usually been Nandrolone. It’s a very good drug, and when used in conjunction with testosterone, it’s a great drug. It results in spikes in testosterone levels and the subsequent gains in muscle size, strength, and fat loss, are very good. However there are some limitations with Nandrolone use which aren’t always discovered by novice users until they’re two months into their cycle. Let’s look at some of the side effects of Nandrolone use, particularly of the sexual nature.

Sexual Dysfunction

When taken alone, Nandrolone steroids often lead to an inability to attain or maintain an erection. Users may “crash” halfway through the act. Using testosterone with Nandrolone will help to blunt some of the negative sexual effects. For this reason, most steroid advisers will not let a client use Nandrolone without the use of testosterone as well. Self-administered cycles involving “whatever you can get your hands on” often include Nandrolone without testosterone, and this usually results in this negative side effect.

Testicular Atrophy

This is a side effect which has little effect on some users, and a highly traumatic impact on other users. Your body’s natural production of testosterone takes place in the testes, upon orders from the hypothalamus in the brain. When the body’s levels are elevated due to artificial injection, the brain senses the high levels and orders the testes to stop producing testosterone. They shrink significantly as a result. This is something that can be highly embarrassing to users, in the locker room or the bedroom. If this is an effect you cannot deal with, then Nandrolone (or testosterone for that matter) may not be for you.

Immediate Testosterone Production Freeze

From the first moment you inject Nandrolone, your testosterone levels are hampered. One shot will result in minimal natural production for at least a month. Continued use of Nandrolone for a series of twelve or more weeks could leave to a shutdown lasting six months or more. Your Nandrolone cycle should always be immediately followed with PCT (post-cycle therapy) to help restore the natural production of your body. This small “bridge” of chemicals will help to restart testosterone production and prevent a major hormonal crash in your system.

The choice to use anabolic steroids is a serious one. Even a small cycle lasting only two months can have short-term sexual effects, and long-term effects upon the HPTA system and testosterone production. If you haven’t thoroughly researched the side effects, you may not quite be ready for what is in store for you. Do your homework, and then make a decision as to whether or not the sexual side effects of Nandrolone use are acceptable to you.

Are you looking to burn body fat while lifting weight? Here are five tips you can employ to increase your fat burning results while hitting the iron. It’s possible to burn fat while adding muscle – you just have to train correctly!

Minimize rest between sets
Anytime your body is experiencing an elevated heart rate, you are burning body fat. However, most standard bodybuilding training routines allow you 2 to 3 minutes between each set to rest, allowing your heart rate to return close to normal. This is good for building muscle, as it means you will have fully caught your breath and will have the most oxygen capacity for moving weight. However, it will also mean you STOP burning fat between each set. Instead, try resting for only 30 to 45 seconds between each set, then jumping right back into the weights. Your body will never have a chance to lower heart rate, meaning you will always be burning fat for the duration of your weight training workout.

Stick with higher repetition ranges
Higher repetition ranges, from 8 to 20 per set, will activate more of the slow-twitch muscle fibers which are neglected during the first 6 reps of any set. It’s why you don’t see many ripped powerlifters, as they stick with the lower rep ranges. Train heavy, but not so heavy that you can’t hit 10 reps on every set – at least.

More sets = better!
Volume is the key if you want to burn fat! You should never try to knock out a workout in 30 minutes. Don’t leave that gym until you’ve spent AT LEAST 60 minutes in the gym. Volume matters – the more sets, the greater fat burning capacity.

Running the rack
If you want to kick in the fat burning process, try running the rack! Start with 50 pounds for biceps dumbbell curls for your initial 10 reps, then move down to the 40s. Complete as many reps as possible, then move to the 30s. Keep moving down the rack, continually topping out your maximum pump on each set!

Pre-exhaust training
Start a set with an isolation movement, immediately followed with a compound movement. This will maximize fat burning during the set while isolating and really targeting the intended muscle group. For example, you would complete a set of leg extensions immediately followed with a set of leg presses. Build muscle and shed fat at the same time!

You’re getting close to a show, and you have some fat remaining. A man can only handle so much cardio before the central nervous system starts to go haywire. The diet is about as low as you can go in terms of carb intake before you start becoming flatter than a stack of McDonald’s hotcakes. At this point, your options may be running low. Aside from using DNP and seriously risking your health, what moves are left for you to take?

Well, you can start by relaxing! There will always be another show if you miss your peak, and you can always find another small advantage in terms of fat loss by simply reducing the time between your sets. That’s right, you should consider changing your routine so that you only rest for 60 to 90 seconds between sets.

What’s that? Less rest? But you normally spend 2-3 minutes resting between sets so that your heart rate can return to its normal level, right? If you cut that time down, your heart rate will remain elevated for the duration of your set and – gasp! – the duration of your workout! Is this something you can accept and understand?

Yes, it’s like a mini-cardio session of low-impact, low-intensity cardio that last for your entire workout. With your heart rate never lessening, you never stop burning fat. You’re still maintaining your muscle mass via the lifting of the weights. But you’re also burning fat. Add to that your usual cardio session of 30 to 60 minutes, and suddenly you have turned your body into a fat burning machine that is busy at working burning fat for over 2 hours each day. And that, my friends, results in plenty of fat burning activity!

There will be some compromise here. You will be able to move less and less weight as the workout progresses. If you can understand and accept this, then you will be fine. You’re not going to lose much in terms of appreciable muscle mass. You’ll only be using this routine for a short while, as you speed up your metabolism and get a little bit of “fake cardio” completed while getting your body fat levels where they need to be.

Many athletes train in this manner year round, keeping the breaks extremely short. If you train in this manner, you will short circuit your new muscle gains, to be sure. You need to let your heart rate reset in order to build new muscle. But for the short term, reducing your intervals is a quick fix for losing fat fast!

Q: Can you take DHEA and BCAA’s for fat loss? I heard someone say the other day that they take both together, along with some other fat burning products and it works like a charm. But how can you tell?

A: Well, one way to “tell” as you say, is to just try DHEA and BCAA’s together, without adding a lot of other items to your dosing day. But yes, absolutely, these two together can be great. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) is comprised of leucine, isoleucine and valine. Leucine, of course, represents the highest concentration of any amino acid in muscle tissue, so it’s a very valuable product for setting the stage for the addition of muscle, the retention of muscle and/or recovery. All of these are important to fat loss because the more muscle you have or can retain, creates a better fat burning metabolism and a better overall body composition. DHEA is a great addition to this because it increases beta-andrenergic fat loss. They can be a great combination for this reason. Just make sure that you are doing the most important thing: Keeping your diet and cardio consistent – they are the true cornerstones of fat loss.

The best bodybuilding meals are the ones that are fast and simple, tasty, and contain plenty of muscle building protein. When you want food to build muscle and you dont have a lot of time to prepare it, the most convenient muscle building foods are protein rich sandwiches.

In this video, natural bodybuilding expert Scott Abbett shows you how to put together a tasty one when youre busy and on the run.

[via YouTube/HardBodySuccess]

We’ve had a lot of recipe requests so this video will be a recipe video… just a heads up. Let us know if you like this recipe. It’s a great treat that’s not unhealthy at all and if you’ve got a sweet tooth this is for you. We think it’s delicious. Thanks and have a good day.

High protein diets have always been popular with athletes. Their popularity increased tenfold during the past 5 years with the introduction of the low carb type diets to the public that include high protein foods.

Regular people who do not exercise can eat moderately high protein foods. On the other hand athletes and people on muscle building diets must eat at least 1gram per lb of bodyweight in order to build muscle. A high protein diet is the staple of bodybuilders. Bodybuilding athletes always include a high protein food source in their daily diet.

High protein foods you can include in your diet are:

• Turkey breast
• Chicken breast
• Lean cuts of red meat
• Lean cuts of pork
• Fish (most fish is high in protein)
• Eggs & Egg Whites
• Skim Milk
• Low fat cottage cheese
• Protein powders & bars

Whether you are going for muscle building or fat loss, a high protein diet plan can certainly help you either way.

If you are trying to build muscle, you need a high protein intake in your daily diet in order to recover from workouts and build muscle tissue. Protein provides the building blocks for muscle and without it muscle building and growth simply will not occur. During weightlifting and hard training, muscle tissue is broken down. In order for that muscle tissue to be rebuilt and grow stronger, we need to eat a diet high in protein. It’s pretty simple.

If fat loss is one’s goal, a high protein diet is also an absolute must. Most high protein foods are very low in carbs and saturated fats. Therefore by eating high protein foods in your diet, you also also eating quality low calorie foods. In order to accelerate the fat loss process, reducing carbs and overall calories is usually recommended. High protein foods can help you in achieving that.

An average person who trains hard and weighs 180lbs requires a minimum of 180grams of protein in his diet per day. This means at least 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Anything less and muscle building/recovery will not be optimal. Some hard training athletes consume up to 2 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight in order to accelerate the muscle building process. This is not recommended for most people who require a moderately high protein intake. The total amount of protein taken every day should be spread over 5 to 6 meals throughout the course of a day.

Timing of high protein foods is also very important. You should be consuming high protein foods at all times but more for your breakfast, post workout meal and before-bed meal. Start your high protein daily diet by giving your body good quality protein to start the day. Then, right after your workout, consume a protein shake that will help kick start the muscle repairing process. Last but not least you have your before bed meal where you must consume a slow digesting form of protein (casein mostly) that will give you a steady release of high quality amino acids throughout the night.

Eating high amounts of protein in your diet can be very demanding. It requires a lot of time to cook high protein foods like chicken and turkey. The best way to get all of your protein is to use protein powders. Protein powders are extremely high in protein and they are very convenient to use. Just one small scoop of protein can provide 20-24 grams of the highest quality protein available. Make sure you choose your high protein supplements wisely. Do not get caught up in the marketing frenzy of magazines. A tub of high quality protein should not cost you more than $30 at any given time.

If you decide to embark upon a high protein diet, make sure you include a lot of vegetables and fibrous carbs with your meals in order to help protein digestion. Try to eat at least two salads per day and/or steamed vegetables. Furthermore, try to stay consistent with your high protein diet, day in day out, in order to keep a steady influx of aminos to your muscles. Always remember that if you are not eating enough protein & calories in your diet, your body will use existing muscle tissue to repair itself.

For more information about protein foods vs. protein supplements visit: http://www.bodybuildingapplied.com/index_center_articles.asp?newsId=88

Kostas Marangopoulos is a natural bodybuilder, nutrition consultant, freelance writer and editor-in-chief of one of the best natural bodybuilding websites on the net, Bodybuilding Applied.com

His educational background includes a Master’s degree and he is also a certified personal trainer (CPT) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Kostas’ educational and informative bodybuilding articles have been featured on hundreds of leading websites including the most complete Natural Muscle Building Diet site online, Natural MuscleBuilding.com

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