Why fats are essential

Fats are a very important part of the diet, but not all fats are the same. Fats are major source of energy that help you absorb certain vitamins and minerals. Fats also play a huge role in helping balance blood sugar levels and regulating hormones. Yes this includes the muscle building hormones as well. 

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Most people know that trans fat is bad and is something that you should stay away from. Which is 100% true. However, most people also think that saturated fat is bad too, but that is not true, Especially in moderation. Saturated fats are the easiest for your body to break down. They also help improve your cardiovascular health too. They can raise HDL levels and help with weight loss as well. However the #1 thing for weight loss is a calorie deficit. Don’t think it’s just the type of foods you eat. 

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Unsaturated fats are known as the aka healthy fats. You have Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated Fats. Both are good for you. However the essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats. These can not be made in the body and have to be consumed from food. Some examples of polyunsaturated fat is wild caught fish, grass fed beef and nuts. Now some examples of monounsaturated fats are avocados and nuts. These fats play a big role in blood pressure levels, brain health, and healthy cholesterol levels. 

Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. Fasting has no standard duration, as it is merely the absence of eating. Anytime that you are not eating, you are fasting. Some of the most common intermittent fasting methods are daily 16-hour fasts or fasting for 24 hours, 2-3 times per week.

Some people claim that Fasting is the key to weight loss and health benefits. However, most of the time people miss understand fasting and how it actually works. Most people think that if you fast, during that time your body is burning your body fat for energy, which is true but only to a certain extent. The most important factor while fasting is the amount of calories you are consuming during your feeding window.  You can fast every single day for 16+ hours but if you are still eating in a calorie surplus then you will NOT lose weight or body fat. For you to lose weight and body fat, your body MUST be in a calorie deficit. Now this doesn’t mean that fasting is bad and pointless. There are multiple studies that show fasting has many health benefits and is good for the average person to include it into their routine. However if you are an athlete or someone looking to build a lot of muscle, then Fasting is something that you shouldn’t do very often in my opinion, 1-2x a week at most. If you do fast, I recommend it to be on a rest day for 16-20 hours. Once you finish fasting make sure to get the right macronutrients and quality foods in your body for optimal recovery. Also a big mistake people make is that they drink BCAAs and black coffee while they are fasting. If you do this, then I’m sorry you are no longer fasted anymore. Then only thing you should be drinking is water. Fasting is a great idea for someone that can’t stand to eat breakfast or never has an appetite in the morning, I recommend a try fasting, because it should fit easily into your lifestyle. Remember, It’s all about finding what works for you and if you can do something consistently for a very long time. If not change it up and find something that works.

Tips for building bigger arms

Let's face it having big arms is every guys dream. Also the first thing people judge you off of is your arms and calves, because those are the first two things they can actually see. I have been getting alot of questions on how to grow arms, so i've decided to make this article and give a few tips that will really help build some cannons.

Lets start of by simply separating all 3 muscles on your arm. The first muscle you have is your bicep, second is your tricep and third is your shoulder. The shoulder is really over looked when it comes to having a good set of arms. Having big shoulders can really make your arms look even bigger a give them that crazy 3D look. Now having big shoulders is good  if you already have good biceps and triceps, but the last thing you want to do is overpower your Bi’s and tri’s with your shoulders. If you do that, it will make your arms look even smaller. So pay attention to the mirror and try to stay as proportionate as possible.

Now that's over, we can can move on to the good stuff, building your biceps and triceps. The tricep muscle, also known as the triceps brachii, is located in the back of the arm between the elbow and the shoulder. The triceps consists of three heads and is  roughly 75% of the arm. Let me say that again, 75% of the arm!! So focusing on building some big azz triceps will really make your arms grow and look A LOT bigger. Although trying to make your triceps bigger you can’t neglect the biceps. The biceps, which consist of two different heads the short head or  outer biceps and the long head or inner bicep. These muscles are responsible for elbow flexion which means moving the hand toward the shoulder, elbow supination which means rotating the palm upward, and shoulder flexion/transverse flexion. Yes, I know I am kind of getting scientific on you right now but I feel that you should learn this stuff, which can help you in the long run and will also make your more knowledgeable. Don’t worry though the scientific stuff is over with. Here are 4  key tips to building bigger arms.

1. Train your arms more often

            Most people only train their arms 1x a week, which is on their arm day. This is where most people mess up. If you are enhanced (steroids) and have great genetics, 1x a week may work great for you but for most people it will not. I recommend to start training your arms at least 2-3x a week.

     2.   Do NOT neglect the compound movements

           When you train arms, doing isolation movements and getting a great pump is great and all but dont forget about doing some heavy compound movements. For example, weighted chin ups, close grip bench press, weighted dips, etc..  I recommend having a combination of both isolation and compound movements.

    3.   Mix it up

          Stop doing the regular sets of 3x8-15 reps and moving on. It's time to mix it up, start throwing in drop sets, tri sets, supersets, pyramid sets, GVT, 8x8, etc. There are all kinds of ways to mix up your training. If you feel that you've hit a plateau in arm growth start doing a few of these and I guarantee you will see results.  

 4. Intensity

    Last but not least,  intensity guys.  So many people never train hard enough and the don't put enough emphasis on shocking their muscles. Most people stop during the set once they have reached the number of reps provided or when its starts to burn, and that's the last thing you want to do. If you have to  do 15 reps, then my gosh those 15 reps better be the hardest reps you have ever done if your life and that is how you should go about every other set you do. Also Intensity may be my #1 tip when it comes to building any muscle group. It is really over looked and like I said not enough people empty the tank.

Guys I really hope you enjoyed this article, if you could take time to write a comment down below or even share this article, that would be great. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and I have much more content coming soon.

Whey protein good or bad?

Did you know whey protein is the secret to building a lot of muscle?!!! HAHAHA just kidding. Whey protein is probably the biggest over hyped supplement ever. People still think to this day, if they drink whey protein after their workout, they will get shredded and huge. These supplement companies do a great job of marketing these products.

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Honestly whey protein is a supplement that has calories just like any other food. Their is no special ingredient that makes you build muscle faster.  It’s not a steroid, it’s literally a food. It’s a protein source that is filtered from milk. I’d much rather you get your protein from whole food sources but I do recommend that if you struggle getting your daily intake of protein short by 25-50g, I would throw in 1-2 scoops of protein a day to help with that. So is it necessary ? No, but it can be useful and it is very convenient. If you are finically stable and can afford plenty of groceries and by supplements, by all means go ahead. But if you are on a budget and have to decide on groceries or supplements. You better spend every dime you have in that grocery store.

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Now, Which kind of whey protein is the best to get? Good question, There are thousands of different brands and kinds. So protein powder will never bulk you up, get you lean or build muscle faster. . Protein powder is food, it has calories,  it's just in powder form and it digest quicker in your body. Basically your body breaks it down faster than eating a piece of chicken for example & protein powder is more convenient and allows you to hit your daily protein intake much easier. You need to get a protein that contains a small amount of ingredients, 20 to 25 g of Protein per scoop.

Little to no sugar, 1 to 2 g at most. I recommend zero.  Also 1 to 2 g on the fat and 1 to 4 g on the carbs, but  0 is always best.

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Isolate, concentrate, hydrolyzed. It’s all a preference. Pick what you like and what works for you. If I ever get any type of protein I usually go with a simple whey isolate, flavored naturally with little to no ingredients expect the protein it's self. 

A great place I recommend, where you I can build your own is

truenutrition.com

Chek it out and comment below your thoughts.

Does the Ketogenic diet work?

I get all kinds of people asking me about keto diets and do the really work? Well lets first start off by defining what ketogenic (keto) means. The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate protein, and very low-carbohydrate diet. Typically, in most diets, glucose is being used as a primary energy source, your fats are not needed and are therefore then stored as fat. Now when you start a keto diet, you will be lowering the intake of carbs less than 50g a day. Once you do this, the body then goes into a state known as ketosis. Ketosis is a natural process the body initiates to help us survive when food intake is low. During this state, we produce ketones, which are produced from the breakdown of fats in the liver. Now, going into ketosis does not happen overnight, you must allow your body time to get into this state. This usually take a few days and  I recommend testing to see if your body is in ketosis. 

For the big question, Does it keto work? Yes, it does work. It has many health benefits as well. The only way  the keto diet shows results bodyfat wise,  is When you  put your body into a calorie deficit. Being in a calorie deficit is the most important thing when it comes to dieting, getting lean, or losing body fat .  Keto diets are definitely not for most people but some people feel that a higher fat diet and lower carbs make them feel better and have better energy throughout the day . My recommendation is to give it a try, if you feel that keto type of foods fits your lifestyle better and helps you have quality energy, and great workouts, then go for it. Now me personally I’ve tried this diet and it is not something I can do for a long period of time. I love me some carbs haha. 

How to build your upper chest

COMING SOON. 

How much protein do you need?

This is a heavily debated topic and if you ask people there are many different opinions. Some will say you only need 0.6-0.8 x bodyweight (lbs) per day  to optimally build muscle. If you are in the fitness community most people will tell you to eat 1-1.5g x bodyweight (lbs) per day. Although some people will even go as high  as

2g x bodyweight (lbs). _Example 180 person (lb) 0.8 x 180= 144g of protein Per day 1 x 180 = 180g of protein per day 2 x 180= 360g of protein per dayNOW which one of these above are right ?

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Technically there is a lot of science that proves 0.6-0.8g x bodyweight can actually build muscle at a efficient rate. However there is also science that says higher protein diets also have so great benefits to them.

So what do I recommend?

My recommendation is to start with 1g x bodyweight. Once you get that number, Stay within a 20-30g difference (+ or -). Honestly, it's not going to make that big of a difference if you are consuming 170g of protein or 200g of protein.

Yes of course thats a difference in calories, but to optimally build muscle you will be perfectly fine to stay within that range.

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I do NOT recommend going the extremely high route, as in 2g x bodyweight. That is pointless and unnecessary. Put those extra calories towards your carbs and fats. Trust me you will notice the difference.