Leg Exercises

I usually post about nutrition but today I'll tell you about working out.

I won't go into detail on technique.

Other people have detailed videos that are so great it would be a waste of time to try to compete.'

I'm just telling you what, why, and giving you an image.

Anyway...

Great Leg Workouts

Squats or Goblet Squats

Squats are usually regarded as the most important workout there is, and it's because it pretty much is.

If you have knee issues, than that's even more of a reason to do it. Increasing blood flow to your knees helps them heal. I've fixed many a bad knee via squats.

Incomplete form stresses the knees. Make sure you go all the way down with your butt below parallel to engage your stretch reflex and not stress the knees.

For those having issues doing squats, such as stability and tightness, you should start out with goblet squats until you've worked your way to enough stability to do it.

Romanian Deadlifts

Unless you're doing Low Bar Squats, most of your posterior chain will be built using the deadlifts.

Romanians isolate the glutes and hamstrings more than regular deadlifts.

Most people are quad dominant, especially people nowadays that sit all day and develop a weak posterior.

So you definitely need an exercise that strengthens those weak posterior chain muscles and this is it.

Again, if you want to learn form there's plenty of sources I'm just highlighting these workouts briefly.

Lunges

We all know about the lunges and it's a great exercise to add in addition to squats.

Do you know all the variations you can do to keep them fresh?

There's Backwards lunges, Walking Lunges, Barbell Lunges, Side Lunges, and even Stationary Lunges which is the same thing as a ...

Split Squat

Split Squats allow you to focus on one leg at a time and use lighter weight. 

There's the normal version.

And the Bulgarian version.

Calf Raises

Most calves are genetic but you can still build them.

They work all the time, much like forearms. All the walking and stari climbing you do is constant exercise for them. So they need extra stress. Meaning lots or sets, reps, weight, and frequency. Meaning many times a week.

You can do them standing, sitting, and even donkey...

Sitting focuses on the soleus more, standing focuses on the gastrocnemius more.

As you may have noticed I never mentioned leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, smith machine, etc.

I try to stay away from machines as much as possible.

I won't go into all the details but machines work off a fixed position and make you work around it.

Instead of having the weight work around you.

Not to mention missing out on all the stabalizing muscles.

These exercise hit many muscles at once, burn more calories, are actually functional, and don't put as much stress on joints.

How Quick Can I Get my Six Pack!?

Different for different people?

Oh, you wanted a more concrete answer. Sorry, I'm not a bull shit artist.


But I could be. It's very easy based on all the stuff people fall for. People will fall for almost anything.




If you're a guy you need to usually be around the single digits of body fat.'

For girls you need to be around 15-18%



So now you know your goal.

Next, you need to know where you are currently.

So get your body fat measured.

I don't care what you use, electronic calipers or skin fold calipers, or if you're rich or well connected dunk yourself in water every time. I don't care.



Whatever you do, do it the same way every time. Same day of the week, same time of day, same routine before you measure.

And if you you're getting pinched, have the same person pinch you every time. Everyone measures different with skin folds. Trust me. Which makes using skin folds a bit more impractical.

Now, you can lose around .5- 1% a week. But it's hard to say, everybody is different.

Plus, it's hard to really measure your body fat in the first place.


Depending on how well you follow your diet, and how often you exercise your calories in vs calories out amount can expedite all this.

If you're planning for some high school reunion, wedding, beach vacation, etc. you want to give yourself plenty of time ahead.

Once again                                               

1) In case it takes longer than you planned
2) You will make mistakes. Learn from them
3) So you don't have to rush it, and can keep more muscle during the cutting phase.

If you're just doing it with no deadline. Give yourself one. Measure every week.

Let's say your doing well with your program but the numbers have stopped dropping.

Give it 2-3 weeks.

Have they still not dropped?

Assess the mirror and clothes. If you're looking leaner and clothes are fitting loser than don't worry.



Mirror and Clothes Fitting>Weight and Body Fat.

Water weight can mess up the scales. What you look and feel like are always number one.

Make sure you're on an awesome program.

Like training with me. Either in person or online. Either one get's tremendous results. Ask my clients.



Sorry, had to market myself.

Anyway, you should be lifting at least 3 times a week.

If you got time, add cardio also. Especially if you're a woman. Sorry, guys really do have it easier.

I won't go into all the details about lifting on this.

Nutritionally you should be on around a 30% deficit from your maintenance calories.

Can you do less of a deficit. YES!

But for those that want to lose quick and want more guaranteed results I like this way better.

It's all dependent on your metabolism and if you're reading this, yours probably sucks.

You can cut lower and lose quicker but to safely describe how to do it I would need to post a whole other blog. Just try this first before you do anything extreme.

ALWAYS COUNT YOUR CALORIES.

"But my friend doesn't count calories and he's in great shape" -Some loser

Once again, your friend has a great metabolism. You don't.

Myfitnesspal takes around 3 minutes at most. And it only get's easier after time.

Follow this and you'll get there in no time.

Worst Current Trends

1) HIGH ALTITUDE MASK


For more red blood cells, or did you just want to look cool. Either way you fail in both. You'd have to live in that environment in order to gain the red blood cell count. The only thing you're actually doing is holding back your workout intensity because you can't breathe and having people talk about you behind your back for looking like a weirdo.




2) BODY WRAPS

Something bodybuilders invented a long time ago and used in contests as it gave TEMPORARY RESULTS in reductions in water weight. This is not something that will give you any long term results aesthetically and especially health-wise. This is worse than juicing. You're so lazy you're going wrap yourself to lose weight? Why in the name of science would that work? Do you have any proof beyond some anecdote about your friend looked skinnier. Whatever water weight she lost will come back and you're even worse if you sell this shit to people for profit. Unless you're actually dumb enough to believe you're getting results from it.

The name of one of the biggest scams in wraps is called 'IT WORKS'. If you have to call your company something like that, it shows how much bull shit you're involved with.



3) Juicing

The most hippie dominant trend in the world of fitness. Something with no scientific results but supposedly works because it's "RAW" and "NATURAL". Save yourself time and just eat it normally and get much better results. And burn that fedora.

4) Vibrams aka Toe Shoes

Actually they're supposedly pretty good, as that a lot of athletes and coaches I respect use them. But there were lies about the overall effectiveness of them causing millions in refunds. I mostly just hate the sight of them and they usually smell because they require a lot of washing that most people fail to comply with. Not to mention you have to buy dozens of toes socks to go with it.

5) Calorie Counters

Not talking about My Fitness Pal. I'm talking about things like Bodybugg(which I was forced to sell as a trainer at 24 hour Fitness). There's no true accurate way to know, so why put so much emphasis. in its. Just do your lifting and your cardio, count your calories consumed, and that's it. You will know if what you'red doing is effective off your results. Will you really alter your day because Bodybugg told you that you only burned 150 calories raking the yard? Don't make things any more complicated than necessary.

6) Paleo/Caveman/Atkins/Ketogenic Diet

Avoid all carbs? Let's get this straight you want me to demonize an entire nutrient because Greg Glassman, some old fat guy with no muscle, said to? Think for yourself.

The reason this seems to work is because carbs are the easiest thing to over eat. When you cut them out you're left with pretty much only protein. How much meat can one eat. Only so much. But all that meat means a lot of saturated fat, so this make s the diet even worse.

How do people get their energy on this diet without carbs. Well all that extra protein is stored as glycogen, not fat as most believe. So in other words they're eating really expensive carbs (protein).

7) Banana Diet

Eat only bananas. This is even worse than the paleo diet. Fuck all these scientist and research. Let's just eat only one food all the time. Either she's got great genetics or is lying about what she does. Either way don't fall for it.

8) Pre-Workout, Intra-Workout, Post-Workout Supplements

Lies made by the supplement companies. No supplements are really necessary. There's no anabolic window so get your protein and carbs whenever you got the time (within reason).


9) Testosterone Booster

Look, either take the steroids or don't do it at all. There's no halfway. This is complete bullshit at it's highest capacity. The only effect I know of, anecdotally, is that it make guys hornier. And there''s plenty of supplements better at doing that.

10) Detoxing

No scientific proof again. Much like juicing. Something that is sold to many for profit and MLM marketing schemes. Your body detoxes all day on it's own. If this actually worked every doctor would try to patent it and sell it for huge loads of money.

11) GLUTEN FREE

There are people who need to avoid gluten. But that doesn't mean gluten is bad. I'm allergic to peniscillan, but it doesn't mean everyone should avoid it. I know a lot of people have lost weight doing gluten free, but that's becaue it makes them avoid a lot carbs. And we already went over how that paleo diet stuff works.

Should Men Do Zumba?

No








Hell No

Carb Cycling

I've got a lot of questions on this so I've decided to write an entire blog about it. But just remember, as I'll repeat many times throughout.


Two things real quick.

1) If you believe the math in this is too complicated I'll send my 9 year old cousin to your house to help your math because you're half retarded. She'll teach you long division as a free bonus.

2) IF YOU'RE NOT REGULARLY TRACKING YOUR CALORIES THAT DON'T EVEN BOTHER CARB CYCLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Carb cycling is for those already regularly tracking their macro nutrient ratios and have either stumbled into a plateau or are feeling one on the rise.

Only pull this out when necessary. And only follow it for a while, don't live your life off of carb cycling. Do it for a while, get off it, then get back on if needed.

And yes, this pretty much similar to refeeding.

Now without further ado, let me explain this shit.



So let's say you're man dieting on around 3000 calories or woman on 1500 calories.

And let's say you're on a 40/30/30 (Carbs/Protein/Fat) split just for fun. If your ratios are different than obviously alter them as needed super brain.

The man will be eating on maintenance diet 300 carbs/225 protein/100 fat

The woman would have a maintenance diet of 150 carbs/110 protein/50 fat

* Some numbers are rounded off in order to be more easily remembered, so don't get anal



Anyway, now to cut from this point on you should be doing well if you're lifting and cardio are on point.

Now when you finally need to tweak and reduce calories, cut them all from your carbs.

Cut them by 25%, leave the rest the same as you need your protein and fat.

The man will now be eating 225 carbs/225 protein/100 fat

His overall calories have now dropped to 2700, from carb cutting alone.

The woman will now be eating 110 carbs/110 protein/50 fat

The woman's overall calories have dropped to 1330 from carb cutting.

Added bonus is it's now easier to remember your ratios as proteins and carbs are exact same now.

Still with me? This isn't physics.



So you stick on this for a while and probably get all the results you could ever want.

If you don't then NOW IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR CARB CYCLING.

Top 2 reasons you've earned the right to do this are:

1) You've hit two plateaus and have finally needed to do this out of necessity as a final effort
2) You've been logging long and consistently enough to prove you have the skill and discipline to follow this

Now what you will be doing is this. You will cut an additional 25% from the carb amount you're currently eating.

Again, everything else stays the same.

So now the man will be eating 170 carbs/225 protein/100 fat

The man's calories have now dropped to 2480 from additional carb cutting. Over 500 calorie deficit from the beginning.

The woman doing the same will now be eating 80 carbs/110 protein/50 fat

The woman's overall calories have now dropped to 1210. Around a 300 calorie deficit from the beginning. Less cutting than the man, but women have less to cut. I don't want a bunch of women running around on 1000 or less calories starving themselves to get in shape, but only losing muscle. Only cut what's necessary. Nothing more.

VERY IMPORTANT



THIS IS A ROTATIONAL DIET

You will only eat like this for 3-5 days.

Then you will have 1-2 days of a high carb day.

You will add 15% to your starting carb amount.

The will now eat 345 carbs/225 protein/100 fat

The woman will now eat 125 carbs/110 protein/50 fat

EX. Man eats 3 days at 170, then 1 day at 345

EX. Woman eats 5 days at 80 carbs, then 2 days at 150 carbs

At the risk of over explaining and confusing you, you can also do a 2 day low, 2 day medium, 2 day high

EX. Man eats 2 days at 170 carbs, 2 days at 225 carbs, 2 days at 345

EX. Woman easts 2 days 80 carbs, 2 days 110 carbs, 2 days 150 carbs

So, there it is. Carb Cycling.

Much like reading a book. It's not hard to do, it's just most people don't want to think and would rather just not do it.



Special thanks and shout out to Chris Aceto the author of Everything You Need to Know About Fat Loss and Championship Bodybuilding and Tom Venuto author of Burn the Fat, Feed the Mucscle.



Shout out to my cousin that will teach all the half retards how to do basic math so they can lose weight.