If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, is your training routine doomed? Should you just turn on HBO and get back to exercising when you’re home? Not so fast! If you have 20 minutes, and a cozy hotel room, you can still get a great workout in! I have a simple routine that I use when I’m stuck in a hotel room, and you can try it too! Let’s get your heart racing and roaring, and then you can get back to complimentary cable. Also, if you’re prioritizing working out while traveling because you don’t want to lose momentum on your fitness journey, you’ve come to the right place! We have tons of resources for you to check out. If your hotel does have a gym, we have a Strength Training 101 guide that will show you exactly how to use it. If your diet suffers when you’re traveling, our healthy eating guide will provide tips on what to keep in your mini-fridge. And if you want more exercises to do from your hotel room, our Beginner Bodyweight Workout will walk you through another full routine you can do from anywhere. You can grab them, and our other free guides when you join the Rebellion below!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
THE HOTEL ROOM WORKOUTWhenever I create a workout, I always aim for a complete full body routine that will build muscle, burn fat, and also exercise your heart. And when I’m pressed for time, I do it in a circuit, so I can jump from one movement to the next. I hit four types of exercises for my routines:
That means that you can work out almost every muscle in your body with just four exercises – simplicity for the win! Always start with a warm-up (to get your core temperature up and muscles loose): 25 jumping jacks, 15 bodyweight squats, 10 push ups, 10 lunges (each leg), 10 hip raises, 25 jumping jacks. Do one exercise right after another – this should take you probably 3-4 minutes. After that, move into your workout – set your watch/laptop for 15 minutes and then do as many full circuits as possible in that time frame, using PERFECT FORM for each repetition. I’ve split the workout into three levels – beginners should start at level 1 until they feel comfortable enough to advance to levels 2 and 3. Do each exercise, one after another, without stopping if possible. If you need to stop between exercises or even in the middle of the set, go for it. Just remember you’re trying to complete as many circuits as possible within the 15 minutes without compromising your form. Advance to the more challenging exercises at your own pace, and if some exercises are too difficult or it’s too many reps, adjust them to fit your experience level – just make sure you are getting stronger and challenging yourself with each additional hotel stay. For example, if you can only do 5 incline push-ups…aim for six when doing the workout next time. So, here it is! LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
After your workout (you should be sweating like crazy if you did it right), ALWAYS remember to stretch. Here’s a cool down sequence you can try: MORE WORKOUTS BUILT FOR HOTELS AND TRAVELLING If you’re a road warrior and find yourself in hotels often, we have many resources here at Nerd Fitness to offer you. If you enjoyed the Hotel Room Workout Circuit, it and others just like it can be found in our article “15 Free Circuit Training Routines: Build Strength and Stamina.” If you like working out in unconventional places, like a hotel room, check it out! It’ll cover training in playgrounds, living rooms, or a gym (okay, that last one is 100% conventional). Plus, there’s a circuit routine inspired by Batman. You’re welcome. The next resource I would toss your way is the article “How to Stay in Shape While Travelling.” I took an epic quest of awesomeness for half a year, and while living out of a backpack, got in some of the best shape of my life. You can read all about it right here. The last resource I will mention is our uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. Many of our clients travel quite a bit, and having an accountability partner that is available in any part of the world has been a game changer for many Rebels. Are you trying to learn a new exercise, lose weight, or build muscle, but find doing it on the road a challenge? I’d love for you to click below and find out if we are a good fit for each other: WHY YOU SHOULD WORK OUT IN YOUR HOTEL ROOMEven when I’m living out of hotel rooms, I prioritize working out. I find that on days when I exercise, I eat better. Something activates in my brain when exercising that says “I’m trying to be healthy, so I’m going to eat healthy.” On days when I don’t exercise at all, I tend to say things like “meh, I’ll do it tomorrow” or ‘it’s only one meal” or “it’s only a few beers.” Not good, because as we continuously remind Rebels, diet is 80-90% of fitness equation. That’s why a workout, even if it’s for only 20 minutes, can be very critical while traveling. It really does have a way of stopping you from gorging yourself silly on pizza later. The next time you’re in a hotel room, or any room, try our 20-Minute Hotel Room Workout. If you find even Level 3 too easy, try this one instead. I’ll warn you though, I don’t hold back on this more advanced circuit. Alright, now I want to hear from you: Do you spend a lot of time in hotels? Travel a lot for work? What are your tips and tricks for staying healthy while living in hotels? Let us know in the comments! -Steve PS: I mentioned above that what you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of your fitness journey. If you have no idea where to even begin on eating healthy, like a lost sheep with no shepherd, I encourage you to check out our 10-Level Nutrition Guide. It’s designed for beginners, with easy simple progressions, each level getting a bit more challenging and healthier. You also progress at your own speed, to make sure your dietary changes stick! You can download it for free by signing up to the Rebellion below:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
### All photo sources can be found right here.[1] from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-20-minute-hotel-workout/
0 Comments
So you want to get bigger and stronger, like this guy. Leopard print leotard optional. Maybe you’ve always been the skinny guy and can’t gain weight to save your life (trust me, I’ve been there). Maybe you’re a bigger guy and you’d rather have broad shoulders than a broad waistline. Maybe you’re a female, and you’ve realized that lifting weights with the right diet will give you that “toned” look that everybody is after. Maybe you just want to be stronger and faster. No matter who you are or what your starting point is, I want to help get you where you want to go. Building muscle is something I’ve been obsessed with since high school (okay, not obsessed, but it’s where the majority of my fitness research and experience has taken me). After struggling with building muscle for close to a decade, I’ve made significant progress in the past few years, packing on 20+ pounds of muscle, learning handstands, and adding 200+ pounds to my deadlift. If you’re looking to start building muscle, getting bigger, and becoming stronger, these are the things you need to do:
I realize doing those three things is much easier said than done – I struggled with progress for a decade and know exactly what you’re going through. After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in effort for months (or years) and not seeing results. And unfortunately, this is what I see from most people: Lots of well-intentioned but misguided effort in the gym and no changes. You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness! But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get started with Strength Training! How do you build muscle? Lift Heavy ThingsIf you are going to build muscle, you’re going to need to lift heavy things. This means you’ll most likely need access to a gym with a great free-weight section. Body weight exercises can be fantastic for weight loss and keeping the muscle you already have, but if you’re serious about weight training you’ll need a gym with a squat rack, bench, barbells, and a spot to do pull ups, chin ups, and dips to be most efficient. Got access to a decent gym? Good, now we can started. Because we’re looking to create functional strength and size, we’ll be doing lots of full-body routines with compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once. They’re more efficient, they create solid growth and stimulation, and they will keep you safe. Why is that? Well, when you spend all of your time doing stupid isolation exercises on weight machines (ugh), you’re only working those specific muscles and not working any of your stabilizer muscles (because the machine is doing all of the stabilization work). On the other hand, when you do compound exercises like barbell squats, you work pretty much EVERY muscle in your body, setting yourself up to be strong and injury free. Stay away from machines, focus on dumbbells and barbell exercises. Each of your routines should have one leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and a core exercise:
That’s IT. Don’t worry about adding in any ridiculous machine shoulder shrugs, iso-chest flys, preacher bicep curls, calf-raises, whatever. Learn these few exercises, get really good at them, and your entire body will get stronger and bigger. Focus each week on adding more weight to each exercise. For example, if you did 3 sets of 5 squats of 150 pounds this week, try for 3 sets of 5 squats of 155 pounds next week. If you do that, you’ve gotten stronger. Eat right, and you’ll get bigger too. what’s a sample routine for building muscle?Using the principles I’ve laid out in my “how to build a workout routine” article, here’s a routine I’ve created for myself recently:
Each day has a leg exercise, push exercise, pull exercise, and some core work. While it’s possible to build out the perfect routine on your own, many of our Rebels end up spending hours and hours building something custom – only to realize it isn’t what they need (or isn’t effective) weeks and months later for their goals. For people who want to avoid that altogether, we built the solution – our uber-popular 1-on-1 Nerd Fitness coaching program pairs you with your own Nerd Fitness Coach who will get to know you, your goals, and your lifestyle, and handcraft a workout plan that’s specific to not only your body, but also to your schedule and life. Click on the image below to schedule a call with our team to see if we’re a good fit for each other! How many sets and reps should I do?That depends on your goals. If you’re just interested in getting stronger, you can do 3-5 sets of 5 reps, with a focus on lifting heavier and heavier each week. If you’re looking to add more size along with strength, mix up your rep ranges. Sets of 5 reps will build compact explosive strength, while sets of 6-12 reps will build more size but less concentrated strength. I try to mix it up. This week, I might do 3 sets of 5 reps for each exercise (other than the core exercises), adding enough weight to each exercise so that it’s incredibly taxing. Next week, I’ll do four sets for each exercise, adding weight each time and doing less reps. For example, I’d do 12 reps of an overhead press at 100 pounds, then 10 reps at 105 pounds, then 8 reps at 110 pounds, and finally 6 reps at 115 pounds. The good news is that no matter which path you take (pure strength, size, or a mix of both), as long as you are adding weight each week you WILL be getting stronger. ANY path will work, provided you are getting progressively stronger with it! So if you do 5 sets of 5 squats at 140 pounds this week, aim for 5 sets of 5 of 145 pounds next week. Or 3 sets of 10 at 100 pounds, then next week try for 3 sets of 10 at 105 pounds. Get stronger, which is 20% of the puzzle. The other 80% is nutrition (which I cover later)! If you want even more info, you can head to our article “Determining the Correct Number of Reps and Sets” for a deep dive into the subject. Any other weight-lifting tips?Warm-up before exercising – don’t walk into a gym, slap 45-pound plates on the bar, and then start your routine. Get your heart rate up and muscles warm first by doing a dynamic warm-up of jumping jacks, lunges, bodyweight squats, hip raises, push-ups, leg swings, jumps, etc. After that, always start with doing a set or two of lifting JUST THE BAR. Only then should you start adding weight for some warm-up sets before moving into your real sets. Have focused form – if you’re doing a bodyweight squat incorrectly, you might develop bad habits. However, if you do a squat incorrectly with 405 pounds on your shoulders, you could do some serious damage. If you’re just starting out, check your ego at the door: start with a VERY light weight and make sure you are doing the exercise properly. There is NO SHAME in starting with just the bar. You can always add more weight next week if this week is too easy. Stimulate, don’t annihilate – I try to always have one more rep left when I finish a set. Some trainers will preach working your muscles to annihilation, but I think that’s just asking for an injury, poor form, and beyond-sore muscles. Your muscles get built while resting, not in the gym, so don’t worry about destroying them completely each day you step in the gym – it’s not worth it. Change up the time between sets – if you’re doing 3 sets of 5 reps of a really heavy weight, it’s okay to wait 3-5 minutes between sets – you’re focusing on pure strength here. If you’re doing sets up in the 8-12 range, try to keep the time between sets around a minute or so. This will affect your muscles in different ways. Just be consistent between sets and when doing the same workout between weeks to track your progress. Don’t overdo it – More does not mean better in weightlifting. You don’t need to spend two hours in the gym, you don’t need to do 15 different kinds of chest exercises. My routines last no longer than 45 minutes, I only do three or four sets (after warm up sets) for each exercise, and it’s enough to stimulate muscle growth. Three routines a week is plenty too – you shouldn’t lift every day, as you need to give your muscles time to regrow bigger. Less is more – just make your routines really intense and exhausting. Write down everything – Keep a training journal, and write down exactly how many sets and reps you did for every exercise. That way, you can compare how you did this time with how you did last time. You’ll know how much more you need to lift this week to make sure you’re stronger than last week. Follow a routine, have a plan. The best thing you can do is have a plan to follow and stick with it! We provide a free bodyweight routine, and a comprehensive gym training routine to get you started with strength training in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab your guide when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Okay, what about diet?If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, this will be 90% of the battle. If you’ve been lifting weights for a while “but can’t seem to gain weight,” then you are not eating enough – it’s that simple. I thought I was one of those people who just could never gain weight…and then I learned it was all diet, started eating 4,000 calories a day, and I put on 18 pounds in 30 days. Yeah, I wanted to throw up from always eating along with three Muscle Milk shakes a day, but it worked. Looking back I would have done things differently (so many calories and so much sugar/carbs), but after 6 years of exercising without putting on any weight, it was great to see so much progress in such a short period of time. 4,000 calories sounds freaking insane right? I know. It makes eating a full-time job, as you’re always either cooking, eating, or cleaning up after yourself. But if you really want to get bigger and you’re struggling to do so, then all of your effort is going to have to go into eating more, eating healthier, and eating ALL THE TIME. Here are a few different techniques for weight gain: Eat a lot of whatever – this was my first plan years ago: it’s cheapest, the fastest, but probably the least healthy. Just make sure you get 200+ grams of protein a day and 3,500+ calories in any way that you can: pasta, rice, pizza, milk, hamburgers, chicken, protein shakes, muscle milk shakes, whatever. This is how I went from 162-180 pounds in 30 days. I’m not proud of how I ate, but it produced results and I remained healthy and strong. Eat a lot of “healthy” stuff – I did this once and put on about 10 pounds in 30 days. Lots of oatmeal, brown rice, chicken, my home-made big-ass shake, almond butter sandwiches on whole-grain wheat bread, beef, eggs, fruits, veggies, and some milk. Still not optimal, but it works and is better for your insides than the previous method. Still relatively cheap, as tubs of oats, brown rice, and bread are inexpensive and can add on a lot of calories quickly. Eat Paleo – I’ve tried this strategy too, and despite my best efforts to GAIN weight I managed to lose five pounds (all of which was fat). It’s certainly possible to gain weight on the paleo diet (try adding in three big-ass Primal Shakes per day), but it is tricky and very expensive to get 4,000 calories of paleo-approved food daily. LOTS of nuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, shots of olive oil, and yams along with tons of chicken, grass-fed beef, fruit, and veggies. GOMAD (Gallon of Milk a Day) – Obviously this method will only work if you’re not lactose intolerant. Oh, and it has to be whole milk. You’ll definitely put on some fat, but you’ll build muscle and get really strong quickly – and then you’ll adjust the diet to thin out. I’ve attempted this diet occasionally, as whole milk is certainly a fast path to tons of carbs, fat, protein and calories. Be prepared for your stomach and body to constantly feel bloated. Note: you can adjust the amount of milk you consume daily based on how your body responds. How many calories should I eat to build muscle?That’s going to depend on your situation – your age, how much you weigh now, how much you want to weigh, and how fast your metabolism is. For some, just 2,500 calories and strength training will be enough to build muscle. For others, you might need to eat 4,000+ calories in order to put on weight. The only way to find out is to track your normal calorie intake for a few days, and then start adding on 500 extra calories per day for a week or two and see if you notice any changes. Want a rough idea of how many calories you should be eating? Head right here for our calorie requirement calculator. Bottom line: If you don’t see any change, then you need to eat more. Yes, it will feel excessive. Yes, you will feel full all the time. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and expensive. But if you really want to be bigger, then you are going to need to really dedicate yourself in the kitchen. Unless you’re a genetic mutant, it’s incredibly tough to build muscle and strength without overloading your system with calories and nutrients. Just keep eating. Won’t all of this eating make me fat? I don’t want to get bulky.
I get this question all the time in emails, usually from guys who are 6 feet tall and 130 pounds. Don’t worry, if you can’t gain weight now, putting on this extra weight is going to be great for you. Yes, you will put on SOME fat along with the muscle you’re building if you’re running a calorie surplus. This is why picking the right amount of calories per day is important. If you can build muscle at 3,000 calories, but you’re eating 4,000 calories, you’ll put on a pound or two of fat per week along with your muscle. However, if you need to eat 4,000 calories to build muscle and you’re only eating 3,000, you won’t see any changes. Everybody is different, so you need to experiment and find out what works best for you. Once you get to your desired weight (actually, aim for about 10-15 pounds heavier than your goal weight), you can scale back the calories, add in some extra sprints to the end of your workout, and keep lifting heavy – the muscle will remain, the fat will disappear, and you’ll be left with the body you want. I’m not skinny, I need to LOSE weight – what’s different for me?You can actually build muscle and lose body fat at the same time. You just have to be careful about how you do it. We cover the subject in depth in the post, “Can You Lose Weight and Gain Muscle at the Same Time?” This gist goes like this: If you are eating enough protein, and have decent fat stores to pull from for energy needs, you can build muscle even while in a caloric deficit. As long as you are resting (next section) and strength training (previous section), you can shed bodyfat while still putting on muscle. Now, this only works if you have plenty of fat stores to pull form. Once you start to lean out a little, you’ll likely have to increase your calories to start putting on more muscle. Just remember, you can build muscle while losing weight, as long as you:
Let’s talk about that last one for a bit. What about rest?If you’re skinny and trying to bulk up, avoid cardio like the plague. Why? Take a look at the best marathon runners in the world – they look like a stiff breeze would knock them over. Now take a look at Usain Bolt, the best sprinter in the world – tons of muscle, power, and a body to envy. I have nothing against people who run all the time and love to run marathons/half-marathons – as long as you’re active I’m all for it. I’m just telling you that if you want to build muscle as quickly and efficiently as possible, cardio is the enemy. I will admit that I’m biased against chronic cardio, but mostly because it bores me! You can be far more effective when you focused on getting stronger and only do ‘cardio’ on things you enjoy – after all, your success will largely depend on your nutrition, NOT your cardio! I spend three days a week in the gym, with each workout clocking in at 45 minutes. I go for long walks on my off days along with a day of sprints to stay active, but I know that my muscles get built while I’m resting, not when I’m working out. I really focus in on my workouts to make them as exhausting as possible, and then I give my body ample time to recover (while eating enough calories to produce a surplus). If you’re lifting heavy, and eating enough, make sure you’re also getting enough sleep! 5-6 hours a night isn’t going to cut it – you need to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night for optimal muscle-building. Take naps too if you have the opportunity. Sleep needs to become a priority. If you’re a big guy/girl trying to slim down, a little extra cardio might speed up your fat loss, but a lot of it might cause you to lose the muscle you already have. Don’t worry about going for 10 mile runs on your off days – do 20-30 minutes of intervals or go run hill sprints in your park. The weight will come off more slowly, but you’ll only be losing fat, not fat AND muscle. Once you hit your goal weight and the target amount of muscle mass, I’d recommend adding back in some cardio for your overall conditioning, but keep it varied (sprints and intervals). The focus is to keep building explosive muscle and not long, slow, boring muscle. If you love going for long runs and aren’t going to give that up, I’m not gonna stop you. Just know that the long hours of cardio will severely inhibit your progress on building strength and size. What Say You?This is a basic overview to get ya started. It really boils down to a few major things: lift heavy, eat lots of good food, and rest. Simple to understand, tough to implement. Trust me, I know – I’ve been battling this for the past decade. If you made it this far, and you want more specific instruction, or have more questions about strength training and bulking up, sign up for our email list in the box below. I’ll send you two free resources that will help you reach your goals: our massive Strength Training 101 guide and a Skinny Guy Bulk Up Cheat Sheet and Shopping List.
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
So did I miss anything? Do we have any strength building success stories? People who are skinny struggling to bulk up? Big guys who lost weight and got stronger while lifting weights? Post your questions in the comments and I’ll go ahead and answer them. Let’s hear your strength and muscle stories! -Steve PS – If you made it this far, and you are tired of not getting results, check out our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. No more guesswork, no wondering if you’re doing exercises correctly – you’ll get expert guidance and accountability from a professional on Team Nerd Fitness who gets to know you better than you know yourself! Sound good? Head over to our Coaching page and schedule a free call with our team to see if it’s right for you! PPS: 40,000+ rebels have joined us in the Nerd Fitness Academy! If you’re interested in strength training and want more specific workouts to follow, nutritional advice and meal plans to pick from, a boss battle system, character leveling system, and a supportive community, check it out. We’d love to help you level up with us. See you inside! ### All Photo Sources are found right here.[1]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/the-beginners-guide-to-building-muscle-and-strength/ Pull-ups are my favorite exercise of all time. They work all of the “pull” muscles in your body – your back, biceps, forearms. They are indicative of your level of fitness – anybody that can do a pull-up is in pretty good shape. And anybody that can do 10 or more is clearly in great shape. Lastly, pull-ups make you feel like a badass after doing them. However, pull-ups are also hard as hell, especially if you’re just getting started. Unlike other exercises that can be completed with just your body weight (like squats, lunges, and push ups), pull-ups and other exercises that strengthen your pull muscles require at least one piece of equipment or something to hang from! On top of all of that, if you can’t do one yet, how the heck are you supposed to work on them to get better? I’ve recently received thousands of emails from fellow rebels who are working towards their first pull-up but aren’t there quite yet. Whether you’re 300 pounds overweight and can’t even look at a pull-up bar without freaking out, or you’re half an inch away from finally being able to do your first pull-up, this article is for you – sorry it took so long for me to write! Pull-ups are quite the intimidating exercise, but like Optimus Prime has taught us, we can make small changes and improvements over time that will result in the ultimate goal: One. Freaking. Pull-up. It will take a combination of two things to get your chin up over that bar:
I realize doing those two things is much easier said than done. What most people don’t realize is that they spend too much time on the strength part, not realizing that decreasing their body weight is as important and impactful (if not more so!). Which is why most people never get to do a pull-up! After all, there’s nothing more frustrating than putting in the effort for months (or years) and not seeing results and getting demoralized. And unfortunately, this is what I see from most people: Lots of well-intentioned but misguided effort in the gym and no changes. You probably don’t have years to make the mistakes that I did and want to skip this problem, and you just want to start getting results today. In addition to the free resources below, we also offer 1-on-1 Online Coaching, where you’ll get personalized instruction for your body type and goals, and professional accountability from a Coach on Team Nerd Fitness! You can schedule a free call with our team to learn more about coaching by clicking on the image below of Christina! She’s one of our coaching clients who went from 0 pull-ups to now doing sets of 10! But enough of that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how to get your first pull-up!
A few tips to get startedThis should hopefully be obvious, but the more you weigh, the more you have to lift in order to complete a pull-up. If you’re truly serious about completing a pull-up, start by getting your diet under control. I’m a HUGE fan of the Paleo Diet, because I know it works. A few folks have already lost 10+ pounds in just over a week following the Paleo Diet in the Nerd Fitness Academy. As you start to weigh less, you’ll have less weight to pick up and move up over that bar! Got it? Good. MAKE YOUR BACK EXERCISES A PRIORITY. A lot of people do every other exercise before doing any back-related exercises, if they do any at all. After warming up properly, your first exercise should always be the stuff that you want to work on the most – in this case it’ll be your back. The progression below is just a path that I’ve created, but does NOT need to be followed to a T. I give sample sets and reps and when to move up, but if you feel like you can progress sooner or want to try doing full pull-ups sooner than I recommend, that’s OKAY. This is the slower progression method, where some people will want to do fewer reps and progress to the next levels sooner – that’s okay. I recommend moving up to the next level when you can do 3 sets of 8 reps of a particular exercise. If you want the accelerated path, move on up as soon as you can do 3 sets of 5 reps. Almost every exercise below has a video to show you how to do it. Click on the picture or the video below it. If you want to know how to incorporate the progressions below into a regular training routine, you can put your email address below to download our beginner bodyweight workout! It’s a great way to get strong as you also get better at your pull-ups!
Grab Your Beginner Bodyweight Routine Worksheet. No Gym Required!
Level 1: Bent Over Dumbbell RowsWe’re going to start with these, the most basic of back exercises, in case you’re starting from ABSOLUTELY square one. For these exercises, focus on lifting more and more as you get stronger. Every OTHER day, pick up a dumbbell that you can lift for three sets of 8 repetitions with a 2-minute break between sets. As soon as you can do 3 sets of 8 reps, it’s time to move up to a heavier dumbbell.
Level 2: Body Weight RowsBody weight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, just at a different angle. You can also make adjustments. You know how I HATE HATE HATE exercise machines? Here, I wholeheartedly recommend the use of a smith machine…but ONLY for rows! Because you can adjust the height of the bar, you can adjust how difficult the exercise is. If you’re just getting started, put the bar very high, so you only have to lean back slightly. If you’re stronger, you can start with a lower bar. Here’s a whole post I did on body weight rows (also called inverted rows). My advice:
A sample routine that starts with your back exercises
As soon as you’re doing bodyweight rows where your body is at a 45-degree angle or lower, you can progress to level 3. IF YOU DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO A BAR FOR INVERTED ROWS: Try using your kitchen table, or move up to Level 3 and progress with caution there. IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A GYM OR WANT TO JOIN A GYM, I know they can be intimidating! We have multiple chapters on how to find a gym and get started using the equipment, in our free guide Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab our nerdy guide when you join the Nerd Fitness Rebellion with your email in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
Level 3A: Assisted Pull-UpsPersonally, I don’t like using the assisted pull-up machine in a gym as it doesn’t give you the full feeling of a pull-up, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Instead, I recommend doing one of these alternatives:
My advice:
A sample level 3 routine:
Level 3B: Negative Pull-UpsNow, let’s say you don’t have a rubber band, you don’t have somebody to hold your feet, and you don’t have a chair – you ONLY have a pull-up bar. That’s okay – you can do what we call negatives. When doing a negative, you jump above the bar and try to lower yourself slowly and in control until you’re at the bottom of the movement. This can be very dangerous if you’re very overweight, which is why I’d recommend moving slowly through steps 1-3A first. However, once you have a decent amount of back strength, doing negatives is a great way to build arm and back strength. You can either jump above the pull-up bar, and then begin to lower yourself back down IN CONTROL, or you can hop up on a chair to get above the bar and then lower yourself back down. Again, the name of the game is “in control.” You don’t need to lower yourself so slowly that one repetition destroys you…lower yourself in a controlled speed – Counting to three during the movement is a good tempo. Here’s a sample workout using everything up to this point:
For your negative pull-ups, do as many as you can (up to 5 reps) per set – jump and lower yourself in control, then jump right back up and lower yourself. If you can do 5, wait 2 minutes and then start again. If you can’t do 5, do as many as you can in control, wait 2 minutes and then start again. Once you’re doing 3 sets of 5 repetitions on your negative pull-ups, along with your assisted chin-ups and body weight rows…you’re ready. Level 4 – Chin Ups and Pull-UpsMy dear rebel, it’s time. Depending on your weight, your level of fitness and strength, and how far along you are in these progressions, you might be able to start with more than one pull-up. For MANY people, especially if you have spent time in the gym in the past working on your biceps (like most guys do), you might find it easier to start with chin ups (with your palms facing toward you) for your first exercise before trying pull-ups (with your palms facing away from you). I’ve already covered how to do a pull-up/chin-up in another article, so I won’t get into it too much here…just focus on these things:
At this point, here’s a Level 4 routine set up for a week:
Level 5 – Next stepsOnce you’re able to do 3 sets of 10 pull-ups or chin-ups, you have a few options:
Personally, my favorite thing to do in a gym is weighted pull-ups; if you’re at this level and interested in doing so, here’s what you need to do:
So, here’s an advanced sample routine for back exercises:
Don’t Make These Pull-up Mistakes!My work here is done – it’s now up to you to take care of business. As you start to get stronger with your pull-ups, it’s important to check in and make sure you’re doing them correctly. 90% of people I see doing pull-ups in a gym are doing them incorrectly! Here are the 5 big mistakes people make when doing a pull-up: I want this for you so badly, because in my head there’s no greater exercise than a pull-up. It makes you feel like a badass, you get super strong, and it’s an amazing benchmark and milestone on the path to a leveled up life! Just ask Christina, who can now do multiple sets of pull-ups – her story is incredible: Or Bronwyn, who lost 50+ lbs and now does chin-ups with her daughter on her back! I know you might be overwhelmed right now, and you might be worried you’re gonna spend months without getting results. Although that happens for many, it’s because they don’t have the right plan (or nutrition) in place! You can absolutely do this on your own and follow the program above, but if you’re looking for more specific guidance or you want to avoid the guesswork and be told exactly what to do on what days to get to a pull-up on schedule, check out our coaching program! We’ve helped tons of men and women get their first pull-ups with our 1-on-1 Online coaching program, where our coaches build a program that incorporates pull-ups and fits your busy life! You can schedule a free call with our team to see how coaching can help you succeed by clicking on the image below: Anyways! In case you don’t need a long article, here’s a the short version: How To Do A Pull-up (short version)
No matter your starting point, whether you’re a guy or girl, you CAN do pull-ups. And you WILL do pull-ups. You don’t need to follow the progression above exactly – it’s merely one path that you can take in order to reach the promised land…where the pull-ups flow like wine and the women instinctively flock like the Salmon of Capistrano. Follow the path that works for your schedule, your experience, and your level of comfort with this movement – there’s no shame in going slowly and progressing safely. And if you’re gung ho about pull-ups, ready for negatives and trying to squirm for that first rep, feel free to go for it. Just be safe. When you DO finally do a pull-up, I want to be the first to know – email me at [email protected] and tell me about it! For the Rebellion, -Steve PS: If you are interested in learning more about pull-ups, bodyweight workout routines, and getting started with strength training, I applaud you – this is the BEST decision you make in your life. If you want more specific instruction, we walk you through each step of the process in our free guide, Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know. Grab it free when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
### from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/do-a-pull-up/ “She is seriously crushing it.” When you speak with Emily, it doesn’t take long to realize how proud she is of leveling up her life. And she should be proud! What she’s accomplished is simply amazing. Emily, a dog walker from Chicago, had been obese her entire adult life – and it wasn’t like she didn’t try to lose weight. Emily had attempted:
Such start and stop patterns continued for years. Then things changed. Emily saw that Staci, our head female trainer for our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program, was accepting clients. She knew it was time to try something different. And this time, things were different. For starters, Emily, for the first time in her adult life, is no longer obese. And when she heads to the gym, she crushes it, rocking 195 lb squats, 225 lb deadlifts, and 110 lb bench presses. Awesome. While all this is indeed super amazing, the thing I really want to highlight today is Emily’s mindset change. Because she had tried getting in shape, multiple different ways, in the past. However, a trap of “perfectionism” saw Emily abandoning all these earlier efforts. But you don’t need to hear it from me. Let’s bring in Emily! HOW EMILY LOST 65 POUNDS, LEARNED TO LOVE STRENGTH TRAINING, AND LEVELED UP HER LIFE
I’d love to hear from you about your past – Can you take us through a typical day before you started your journey with Nerd Fitness? Emily: A typical day for me looked something like this:
I did a lot of living in the moment. It really felt like I was trying so hard all the time, but a lack of planning ahead gave me too many opportunities to slip up. Steve: Yeah, marketers really do place junk food at every angle in our grocery stores. It really is tough to avoid it all. Was this the first time you had tried to get in shape? Emily: Hardly. I’d tried sticking to 1,200 calories a day for weight loss but just couldn’t do it. I ended up hungry and grouchy a lot. Later, I tried again and bumped it up to 1,500 calories a day. Same results though, I ended up miserably and abandoned the effort. As far as working out, I could never achieve consistency. There would be times when I wouldn’t even try and exercise. Other times, I’d try and work out every day. But I never felt good about what I was doing. I gave the P90x and TurboFire programs a shot, but they were too tough for me. I tried some Jillian Michaels videos but got bored. I joined Planet Fitness, but it turns out I hate treadmills and elliptical machines with the fire of 1,000 suns. I tried their weight machines too, but it felt really awkward. Going through all this has taught me a valuable lesson: if you don’t like what you’re doing, you probably won’t continue to do it. Steve: You’re 100% right! We often tell people to exercise in a way they love and to do that as much as possible. That, and also strength training. But since you’re working with Coach Staci, I’m sure we’ll get to more of that soon. Was there a specific moment when you decided to ask for help?
I had just hit my highest weight ever. I was on the couch crying, looking through the subreddit r/progresspics (where people post before and after photos), and I was so frustrated. I felt like I was constantly trying to lose weight, making lots of good choices while still getting nowhere. I had been a member of the Nerd Fitness Academy for a while and had leveled up a lot of my choices, but the weight loss just wasn’t happening. Then, I saw that Staci was accepting clients for 1-on-1 Coaching, and decided to sign up. Which has been a game changer. In the past, I had a tendency to pick a shiny new program, try hard to be perfect, fail and burn out, and give up for a while until I found another shiny new program. Staci really helped me focus, pick myself back up when I fell, and keep going. Steve: I’m so happy to hear you hit it off with Staci. Can we talk a little bit more about your “perfectionism?” I think jumping from one program to the next is something a lot of people can relate to. Emily: Yeah, my perfectionism was really holding me back. I used to set ridiculously impossible goals. I’d do okay for a bit, then I’d have an eff it moment and eat half a package of Oreos. From there I’d spend the next two weeks spiraling in shame and frustration, wondering why I can never seem to stay on track. Then I’d vow to get “back on the wagon” and the cycle would begin all over again. I had to start where I was and learn to set teeny tiny incremental goals. Goals that I could still do even when everything felt impossibly hard. Goals like:
I had been trying to jump into a healthy lifestyle with both feet, when what I really needed was to baby-step my way there. So looking back, the most important change I’ve made is focusing on consistency over perfection: It doesn’t matter if my food log isn’t absolutely flawless, just that I log all my food as best I can each day. It doesn’t matter that every workout isn’t the most incredibly hard-core workout ever, just that I actually get myself to the gym three times per week. Keeping myself moving forward even when I feel like giving up is the absolute most important thing. Steve: Yes! You nailed two key points: Often it’s easier to make small habits you can stick with instead of changing every single aspect of your life all at once. The other is that consistency is the name of the game. No one is perfect, but a key characteristic of success is to keep going. Your response highlighted both ideas perfectly. What’s your workout program look like? What is Coach Staci having you do?
I lift weights on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday mornings first thing. I also go to yoga class on Monday after work. I LOVE lifting, it makes me feel like such a badass. Once I picked up a barbell for the first time, I was like “Okay, this is it. I found my favorite thing to do.” I’ve gone from basically just lifting the bar to a 195 lb squat, a 225 lb deadlift, and a 110 lb bench. Steve: I don’t know if you can fully understand how happy you just made me! I’m so pumped that Staci helped you find a love of strength training. Talk to me a little bit about nutrition. What have you done differently? What strategy are you following? Emily: Since I was constantly hungry when cutting calories before, we knew we had to keep my volume up. Which meant eating vegetables to meet my calorie goals. But I was convinced I didn’t like veggies. However, I decided to start an experiment. Every week I would pick up a vegetable I thought I didn’t like, and try cooking it a few different ways. If at the end of the week I still didn’t like it, that’s fine. I wouldn’t buy it again. The thing is, I found I actually DID like a bunch of different veggies. I just didn’t like the kind forced on me as a kid: boiled to death and soggy with no seasoning. Another thing that helped was making a food plan ahead of time. Planning helped me restructure my life and make the healthier choice easier, and the less healthy choice harder. For example: let’s say it’s Thursday evening after work. I had a hard day and I’m hungry, grumpy, and tired. I know that I’ll make the easiest choice available at the moment: Emily With No Plan hasn’t thought ahead, as though it’s a surprise that she has to feed herself every day. She could either figure out a healthy meal to make, probably have to swing by the grocery store and pick up ingredients, come home, prep everything and cook. Or, she could order delivery. Honestly, she’s probably going to order delivery. Emily With A Plan is prepared! She previously decided that dinner is chicken fajitas. There’s chicken thawing in the fridge and the veggies are washed, chopped, and ready to go. In the moment there’s no tough decision to make. Plus, it’s faster to just make the fajitas. She’s probably not ordering delivery. I’ve used this strategy a lot. I ate a ton of chips, so I stopped buying them. When I wanted them I would have to go to the store and buy a single serving. That’s a lot of work for like 10 potato chips. I ate a lot of cookies too, so I decided “I no longer keep store-bought cookies in the house.” If I want them I have to make them from scratch. I’ve actually made them only a handful of times since implementing this rule, which has drastically reduced my cookie consumption. Shifting the regular structures of my life in this way has allowed me to use my laziness as an advantage. If I make unhealthy choices too much work, I’m WAY less likely to choose them. Steve: That’s incredible. I made that same exact point in a recent article, “Super Simple Batch Cooked Chicken For Lazy People.” You really distilled down the argument on your example of fajitas. Also, your strategy on learning to like veggies is the exact one I used! Great work all around. What’s a typical day for you like now? Emily: A typical day for me now:
Planning ahead and setting up healthy habits has helped me so much: I don’t have to decide what’s for lunch or dinner, because that decision was already made. I don’t have to white knuckle my way past junk food at the grocery store while picking up dinner ingredients because they’re already in the fridge. I don’t have to decide to work out, because gym time is blocked out on my calendar. If it’s time to go to the gym, I just go. No decision, no skipping because I don’t want to, no internal drama. Just go. That also means when it’s not gym time, I don’t have to think about it or feel guilty that’s it’s been too long since I last worked out. I’ve set up the structure of my life to support healthy habits and remove opportunities for unhealthy behaviors. Steve: You really are crushing it Emily. Both you and Coach Staci should be very proud. Your appearance has changed? What else has changed about you? Emily: I have completely changed. You’re right, how I look has obviously changed, but I’m also way more confident now. I’ve proven to myself that I can do what I once thought was impossible. I can look my flaws square in the face and learn from them instead of running from them. I can rebuild my life from the ground up. I’m more assertive now instead of letting people walk all over me like I used to do. I’m way more energetic than I ever was before. And I’m more social because I have the energy to go out and do stuff. I’m like an entirely different person. Steve: I’m so happy to hear that. We often talk about how one improvement in life can lead to another, and then another, creating a chain reaction. I’m so happy you feel more confident as a result of your new habits. Okay, real talk: NF Coaching isn’t cheap. You’ve been a client for a year and a half. What makes you stick with it and keep investing in yourself? Emily: Coaching has definitely been worth the investment. Just knowing Staci is there in my back pocket, that she believes unequivocally I can do it, and she’s there with me every step of the way has been invaluable. She keeps me grounded and focused. She keeps me from getting distracted by shiny new programs. And when things get rough and I start to get overwhelmed, she helps me keep things in perspective and just keep trucking along. Interestingly enough, I’m actually better off financially now than I was before Coaching. Managing my calorie budget has helped me with my financial budget – there’s a ton of overlap. It’s helped me hone my long-term planning skills. Practicing the skill of not eating junk food even though I want it has helped me sharpen my ability to not buy things I don’t need. Both require trying to get the most out of limited resources. Both require putting long term goals before short term desires. Steve: I totally believe it. The financial and calorie budget analogy and overlap makes a lot of sense to me. You’re a clever one, Emily, and you’re okay in my book! Alright, I’ve got to ask: do you have any nerdy passions or pursuits? Emily: I read a ton of fantasy and sci-fi. My favorites are Name of the Wind, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Way of Kings. I’m in three book clubs. I also love playing board games. I consider myself a Trekkie, but have also cosplayed as Kaylee from Firefly. Lastly, I just started playing D&D for the first time – my character is a kick-butt Druid. Steve: A love of fantasy and sci-fi, cosplaying experience, and repping a D&D character: your nerd credentials are in proper order. We may proceed. What’s next for you Emily? Where do you go from here? Emily: Two main goals:
Steve: I have no doubt you will rock a chin-up soon. You’ve been crushing everything else you’ve sought after. Best of luck Emily! And thanks again for taking the time to share your story with all of us! THE 6 KEYS TO EMILY’S WEIGHT LOSS AND LEVEL UP SUCCESSWe can all learn a lot from Emily. Losing weight and transforming yourself is tough. When someone around us does it, it’s worth analyzing their behavior to see if any lessons can be gleaned for the rest of us. Something we can ponder, and then take action with ourselves. Emily’s journey provides plenty of good examples. In speaking with her, I distilled six key traits that set her apart. Six behaviors that helped Emily succeed despite the odds against. Here’s what we can learn from Emily: #1) EMILY DIDN’T GIVE UP
Restricting caloric intake to super low levels? Check. Running mindlessly on treadmills? Check. At home workout videos? Double check. She tried all of it. And she didn’t like ANY of it. So she’d move onto the next “shiny new program.” What’s important is Emily never gave up. She kept trying new things. Then, when she started working with Nerd Fitness Coaching, she tried something different: picking up a barbell. Now, Emily loves strength training and feels like a badass for doing it. There’s no ONE way to get in shape, and Emily finally found something she loves and will stick with. The important thing is Emily kept trying until she got it right. Speaking of… #2) EMILY IS WILLING TO EXPERIMENT
Vegetables are nutrient dense, full of fiber, and low on calories. If you’re trying to eat within your calorie goals, but don’t want to be “hungry and grouchy” the whole time, vegetables will be key. Emily was convinced she didn’t like vegetables. But she decided to test her assumptions and try some out. She did this by picking out one new veggie a week. If she cooked it and hated it, no big deal. She wouldn’t force herself to eat it again. But if she liked it…BOOM! A new vegetable could be added to the menu. Emily discovered she liked many different kinds of vegetables, as long as they were prepared correctly. Be open to experimentation. Try new things. Not everything you experiment with has to work. But some things you try just might. #3) EMILY BUILT A SYSTEM AND HAS A PLAN One of the true gems of Emily’s interview comes from the “Emily With No Plan” and “Emily With A Plan” comparison. She really nailed it. When you have a plan, like prepared meals for the week, you take all the guesswork out of “what should I eat?” Dinner time, which comes around every day, doesn’t have to be a surprise. Emily knows exactly what to eat because she planned it out over the weekend. And she never has to stress about not having supplies, because she picked those up too over the weekend. When it comes time to figure out what to eat, the easiest option available to Emily is the healthy meal she has planned for. The same strategy can be seen on her workout schedule: Tuesday morning? She’s up early crushing it at the gym. Wednesday morning? She’s sleeping in. Emily never feels guilty about waking up late, because it’s all part of her plan. Wednesday’s are her day to rest. The gym will be calling tomorrow. Make a plan. Put it on your calendar. Make your healthy habits automatic instead of worrying about what to do from one moment to the next. #4) EMILY DIDN’T LET PERFECT BE THE ENEMY OF GOOD In the past, Emily had let “perfectionism” derail her efforts. In her own words, Emily would find a “shiny new program.” She’d go all in, excited about her new endeavor. Then…life would happen. She’d miss a workout. She’d eat some Oreos. She’d order takeout. When this would inevitably happen, she’d have an “eff it” moment. Emily would abandon everything and “then spend two weeks spiraling in shame and frustration.” Then, she’d try again, have another “eff it” moment and the cycle would repeat. But not anymore. Today, Emily is consistent. If she wants to have some cookies, it’s okay! She knows tomorrow it’s back to strength training and the chicken fajitas she has ready to cook. No one is perfect. We all have moments where we stray from the path. The important thing is to not let one decision affect all future decisions: Don’t let some potato chips today stop you from going to your yoga class. Don’t let sleeping in and missing a workout this morning stop you from cooking dinner tonight. Don’t let “perfect” be the enemy of “good.” #5) EMILY INVESTED IN HERSELF AND ASKED FOR HELP Emily had tried to get in shape many times before. And Emily had stopped trying just as many times. When Emily saw that Staci was accepting clients as part of NF Coaching, she decided to try again. But this time, she would ask for help. It’s okay to ask for help. Even if you have to invest your time or money to do so. You are not the first person to want to get in shape. Emily is not the first Rebel to transform herself. What makes them successful varies from person to person, but oftentimes it’s that they reached out for assistance. It’s okay to ask someone for guidance. Someone who has helped others do exactly what you want to do. Yes, you will most likely have to pay for this expertise. But oftentimes, it is indeed worth every penny. I’ve personally had an online coach for 4 years, someone who knows exactly how to help me reach my goals, and it’s the best investment I’ve ever made. Remember, you don’t have to make this journey alone. #6) EMILY IS HAVING FUN ALONG THE WAY I know it’s cliché, but getting in shape really is a lifestyle adjustment. Meaning this isn’t something you do for a week, a month, or even one year. It’s something you will do for the rest of your life. For this to work, you need to enjoy the journey ahead. And Emily is enjoying herself! She feels like a total badass when she deadlifts. And she should, because doing deadlifts is badass. Emily doesn’t dread picking up the barbell. She looks forward to it. That means she’ll keep doing it! Emily takes a yoga class because Emily likes taking yoga classes. Emily makes chicken fajitas because Emily likes chicken fajitas. Emily occasionally makes homemade cookies, because occasionally Emily likes making homemade cookies. You need to enjoy what you do, otherwise, you won’t stick with it. You need to have fun today, so years from now you’ll still be doing it. It’s a message I really push in the video “Want to get in shape? Think in days and years, not weeks and months” We are not making temporary changes, because they will only create temporary results. We are making permanent changes, so our transformations will be permanent. HOW WILL YOUR NEXT ATTEMPT BE DIFFERENT? BE LIKE EMILYI’m super proud of what Emily and Coach Staci have accomplished. And if you’re still reading this, I want you to know I’m proud of you too. You’re still reading, which means you’re still trying (see #1). You found your way to our strange corner of the internet and you’re part of the Rebellion. I’m so happy you’re here today. We’ll continue to be here for you tomorrow, next month, and years from now. No matter where you are on your journey, I would encourage you to think about what made Emily successful:
If you found yourself relating to Emily’s story, jumping from “shiny new program” to “shiny new program” without getting the results you’re after, maybe it’s time for something different. Depending on your current situation, our 1-on-1 NF Coaching Program might be the No matter what you do, here’s what I want you to take away from Emily’s story:
If you do those two things, I can almost guarantee you’ll be a healthier version of you in 12 months. Then maybe it’ll be your story on the website we’ll be sharing. And hey, maybe your journey will inspire change in someone else! -Steve PS: I want to give a special shoutout to Coach Staci, who helped turn Emily’s life around. Staci has guided and inspired hundreds if not thousands of Rebels and we are very lucky to have her on Team Nerd Fitness. If you want to see if we can help you level up your life, check out our 1-on-1 Coaching program. We’d love to talk to you, no matter what you end up deciding. from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-emily-started-picking-up-barbells-learned-to-meal-plan-and-lost-65-pounds/ So you’re gonna buy yourself a gym membership? Great! I have one too! Having access to a dedicated place to get stronger and train can be really helpful for leveling up your life. So if you want a gym membership yourself, I support your decision 100%. However, there’s a lot to consider when thinking about purchasing a gym membership…
These are great questions! Let’s make sure you have answers to all six. And if you’re joining a gym for strength training purposes, make sure you download our massive guide: “Strength Training 101:Everything You Need to Know.” Gets yours free when you sign up in the box below:
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT GYM?As part of our Strength Training 101 series, we dedicate an entire article to picking the correct gym. Let’s recap some of it right here for you. #1) WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Picking a gym isn’t as easy as running to the closest one and signing up. There are a lot of things you need to take into consideration. There’s equipment to contemplate, classes offered to compare, and distance from your home to calculate. It can be a good idea to create a list of things you are after, to make sure the gyms you research have what you need. Want such a list? You got it. Types of gyms. You’ll mockingly hear big-name-chain gyms referred to as “Globo Gyms,” taken from the critically acclaimed masterpiece, Dodgeball. You can think of Globo Gyms as your standard large franchise like 24 Hour Fitness, LA Fitness, Gold’s Gym, etc. You know, the big commercial gyms. Oftentimes their price and location make for a convenient membership. I am a member of a Globo Gym. It’s conveniently located and fits my budget. On the flip side would be a locally owned gym. Something where the owner hangs out and greets everyone. You’ll often find more free weights at such a gym, which is awesome, but it might come at the expense of other amenities like childcare. These are some pros and cons to weigh. The other thing to consider would be a CrossFit gym. More expensive, but arguably more of a community setting than you’ll get at a “Globo Gym.” Although they tend to be a little pricer. Bringing us to… #2) WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET? How much are you willing to spring for your membership? You might get away with as little as $10 a month. Conversely, a $400 monthly membership is not unheard of. Although typically a gym membership will run you $30-$50. To put the cost in context, it can be important to consider the gym’s amenities offered. Do they hold free classes like yoga? A single class can cost $10-$15, so if you plan on attending a few, this can quickly equal the price of your gym membership. Do they offer childcare? If you need someone to watch your offspring, this alone might be worth the membership. Refer to our list above for some ideas. #3) HOW IMPORTANT IS LOCATION? Don’t set yourself up for failure here. If your gym is all the way across town, you may end up less likely to use it. Consider a location on the way to or from work. If you have to pass by the gym twice a day, you’re much more likely to stop in. Might be worth springing more for a convenient location for your day-to-day. As I mentioned, this entire section on “Finding the Right Gym” was taken from our Strength Training 101: Everything You Need to Know ebook. It walks you through every aspect of starting a strength training practice, form equipment, specific workouts, and how to know when you should progress to lifting weight. You can grab it for free when you join the Rebellion below!
Download our comprehensive guide STRENGTH TRAINING 101!
WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE I PURCHASE MY GYM MEMBERSHIP?So you’ve narrowed down the type of gym membership you want to purchase. Before you pull the trigger, do the following: Get a guest pass. Some gyms give out free passes for a week or two, some you have to pay for (e.g. $20 for 20 days). Even if you have to pay for it, this is probably the best money you can spend. After all, you don’t buy a car without test driving it, right? Make sure you head to the gym at different times of day that align with when you plan on going regularly. There’s nothing worse than finding a perfect gym, signing a big contract, and then discovering that the gym is so swamped with people after your workday that you can’t even get to the equipment you’d like to use. During your guest visits there are lots of things to look for: Is the equipment in good working order? Is there enough equipment for everyone or are you fighting for a bench? What’s the general vibe of the gym? Does it seem clean? If you’re going before work, are there enough showers available? Did you have to wait to use one? It’s also never a bad idea to talk to the other members and ask them what they like and dislike about the gym. You can also read reviews online on sites like Yelp or Google, but remember that people are more likely to complain than compliment, so take all online reviews with a grain of salt. Nervous about approaching people? Read this. HOW DO I BUY A GYM MEMBERSHIP?At this point, you’ve decided to pull the trigger. Want some potential money saving tips? I got you: Join with a friend or family member. Gyms can be sales driven, so bringing in someone else can make for an enticing offer. They likely have a quota to make, so the more the merrier. It’s worth asking every gym about a family plan. Join in January (or keep an eye out for specials during the slow months). The start of the new year brings a fitness craze, and many gyms capitalize on this by waiving fees or offering discounts. If it’s near, it might be worth signing up during this rush. January won’t be the only time gyms offer specials. Google “name of gym deals” and similar items to see if any recent ads show up, as well as check on sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. If you just missed a deal, bring it up to them. They very well may still offer it. If not… Haggle. While this can be uncomfortable for some, asking for a discount won’t hurt. The worst thing they’ll tell you is “no.” The best thing that could happen is they’ll give you a free membership.[1] While I’m joking on that last part, many people do have success with negotiating gym membership fees, especially at locally owned stores which don’t have corporate oversight. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Once you settle on a price, the next step is contract time. Keep an eye out for the following in your contract:
Always get everything the salesperson promises you in writing (and remember that most of the time they are working on commission). I’d also suggest that you get a copy of the contract and take it home with you to read before you sign it. If they won’t let you do that, that’s a bad sign. Remember, if the sales person is overly pushy, or you don’t feel comfortable for any reason, walk away. There’s a lot of gyms out there that would be happy for your business. Got your membership? Perfect. Now the fun starts! HOW DO I TRAIN AT THE GYM?If you’re worried about what to do at the gym, you’ve come to the right place. We have an entire guide on “How to Train in a Commercial Gym,” which you should check out. If you’ve never worked out in a commercial facility, it’s a great place to start. I personally train in such a facility and I wrote about being the only Rebel in a big box store right here. Read it for my personal tips on how to get in, take care of business, and get put. You can also check out this article to make sure you walk into the gym with the right equipment in order. Be prepared! Afraid you’ll make a fool of yourself the first time you try and work out with your new membership? I’m prepared for that too! I wrote an article “How to not be a newbie at the gym” covering this exact concern. Jim Bathurst, our head male trainer for Nerd Fitness coaching, also wrote a sweet article on “29 unwritten rules” for proper gym etiquette. You can check that out right here. Both should help for the first time you step foot in the gym to train. What’s that? You have absolutely NO idea what you’re doing in a gym and you wander around like a lost sheep without a shepherd? You’re not alone! There’s nothing worse than feeling foolish or worrying so much about doing something wrong that you never try in the first place. Our advice would be to consider enlisting the help of a trainer – if you can afford it – for a few sessions to help you get started. If you want full accountability, expert guidance, and consistent instruction, we have you covered there too. Check out our online Coaching program that might help you too! If you’re just starting out, and have no clue where to begin, we got you covered! We can build you custom workouts, provide accountability so you can follow through and crush them, or help you change your nutrition strategy if you’re trying to lose weight. We work with busy people just like you, helping many of them step foot in the gym for the first time. Wanna see if we are a good fit for each other? Click on the big image below to schedule a free call with our team: WHAT IF I’M SCARED OF THE GYM?If you’re nervous about even stepping foot inside a gym, you’re not alone. We get tons of emails from Rebels anxious about walking in the door of their local fitness facility. Which is understandable, because stepping foot into a commercial gym to train can be intimidating. The people there all seem to know that they’re doing, making you a potential outsider. I’ll tell you what I tell all Rebels nervous about walking into a gym:
After explaining these points to a worried Rebel, I then bring up the idea of “20 Seconds of Courage.” Our lives are a series of decisions. And each individual choice really doesn’t take that long to make – less than 20 seconds. Once you make that decision, you set yourself on a course with no way to off, until you make another decision. You don’t have to be courageous for a full hour. 20 seconds will be enough to walk into a gym. I want you to use 20 seconds of courage to enter any local fitness facility. From there, you can start thinking about actually purchasing a membership. WHAT IF I DECIDE THE GYM ISN’T RIGHT FOR ME?Hey, I get it. The gym can suck. If you want to get a membership to start working out, great! But if it’s not your bag, don’t sweat it. There are tons of other options. You can start doing bodyweight exercises from home. You can start doing an at-home yoga practice. Like the outdoors? Start working out there! There’s is nothing, written anywhere, that says the only way to get fit is in a commercial gym. And if it is written, it’s just some sales propaganda. Do what’s best for you. However, if you DO want to start working out in a gym, follow the tips laid out in this article:
Alright, I think that about does it for this article on buying and using a gym membership. Did I miss anything? Do you have any advice for someone just stepping foot in the gym? Let me know in the comments! -Steve, PS: If you’re just getting started on your fitness journey, I’ll again remind you of Nerd Fitness Coaching! We can build you custom workouts, for the gym or for your home. We can also guide you through nutrition strategies if you’re trying to lose some weight. We can make a plan for your specific situation, so you can level up your life! ### All photo sources can be found right here.[2]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/6-things-you-should-do-before-buying-a-gym-membership/ I sat in the parking lot, absolutely terrified. My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing, my brain was going crazy. After ten minutes, I finally mustered up my 20 seconds of courage, literally yelled at myself, got out of the car, and walked through the double doors. I was getting ready to try something I had always wanted to do but had been too scared…. And an hour later, I left a sweaty mess… A sweaty mess with a giant smile on my face. I had just attended my first swing dance class. I know plenty of people who hate exercise but WANT to find a way to like it. And that’s what today’s post is all about: exercising in a way where life doesn’t suck. Let’s dig in!
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Cutting out all excuses“But Steve, I don’t like to exercise!” While some are like Odie and love to run around all day, others are like Garfield and feel like they must be allergic to exercise. I hear this every day, and I’m not surprised. After all, I think exercise sucks too. Today we’re going to eliminate the phrase of “I don’t like to exercise” from our vocabulary. Cool? Instead, we’re going to change our our definition of exercise and our thoughts around it. Here are my favorite ways to exercise without…exercising. I swear this will make sense. The Truth About ExerciseAs stated in our Rules of the Rebellion, you can’t outrun your fork. Unless you’re Michael Phelps swimming for 8 hours a day at a Olympic level, there is no amount of exercise that can cancel out a diet full of processed foods, junk food, and liquid calories. “But Steve, he’s out-swimming his fork.” Hey, fair enough! Let’s get back on track. For whatever reason, we human beings are amazing at justifying and rationalizing the most ridiculous things. We use these rationalizations to justify really unhealthy behavior, and then compound that decision by saying things like, “Well, I already made one bad decision, so today is ruined. I’ll start tomorrow.” In order for us to live a healthy life, we need to get your head straight and understand a few key facts: If you aren’t losing weight, it’s because you’re eating too many calories each day. This is caused by any number of environmental or hormonal or psychological or habitual factors, but the science remains. Exercise is actually a really inefficient way to lose weight sustainably when compared against focusing on fixing your nutrition. This is where the problems arise, and what we’re going to do to fix stuff:
Combine these four facts, and we’re left with this: Exercise is a bonus. Exercise helps your heart get stronger, can help build muscle, usually gets you outside the house and absorbing vitamin D, and brings you a litany of other health benefits. Exercise is not an excuse to eat like crap. Instead, you need to reframe your mindset. Instead of “I earned this” start telling yourself: “If I’m going to exercise, I might as well make it worth it by eating right too.” Daily exercise is a constant reminder that you are leveling up your life – that you must continue to make other good choices or you’re practically wasting your time. If you’re looking for some guidance in this crazy world of ‘losing weight and getting in shape,’ I hear ya – this stuff can be overwhelming. Expert instruction, accountability, and an instructor that gets to know you better than you know yourself, sound good? Check out our 1-on-1 coaching program to get paired up with a coach today. 25 Ways to ExercisE Without Exercising When you say “but I don’t like exercising,” what you’re really saying is: “I don’t enjoy the particular type of exercise that I have in mind.” If you don’t like lifting weights in a gym, don’t do it. If you don’t like running, don’t do it. I have zero plans to run more than a 5K in my life. Unless there are zombies that can run a 10 k…in which case I’ll run an 11k. My main goal with Nerd Fitness is to get you to enjoy exercise, find a way to do it every day, and combine that with making better decisions about the food you put in your body. So, we need to find a way to exercise every day because it KEEPS US THINKING HEALTHY, which leads to other healthier decisions made throughout the day (where the real big wins are). Here are 25 ways to “exercise” without realizing its exercise. #1) Hiking, especially with friends – This last week I went and hiked around Lake Radnor in Nashville with fellow entrepreneur Matt Bodnar. We hung out with deer, saw incredible scenery, and talked about life and business. I also happened to walk five miles over various elevations. #2) Walking – No time to hike? Go for a walk. Even a 15-minute brisk walk is enough time to get close to a mile walked, which gets you one step closer to Mordor. Do you have a 30-minute meeting at work? Have a walking meeting instead. Steve Jobs was known for doing this. #3) LARPING – Live Action Role Playing. Might seem silly to those on the outside, but to those playing, it’s an amazing adventure that reminds us how awesome our imaginations are. Also, depending on the game, you could be wearing a heavy costume, swinging heavy weaponry, and running for your life! #4) Rock Climbing – I love rock climbing. It’s one of the best arm/back/forearm workouts in existence, you get to feel like a badass when you reach the top of the wall, and all climbing routes are graded so you can level up the challenge as you get stronger/fitter/better. It’s a fit nerd’s dream! #5) Geocaching – If rock climbing is a fit-nerd’s dream, then geocaching is a adventure nerd’s dream brought to life. Become a real life treasure-hunter (Lara Croft? Nathan Drake? You decide!), and get a great workout in while you’re at it. #6) Dancing – Ever tried serious swing dancing? You’ll be sweating within ten minutes. How about hip hop? Drenched in sweat, and sore as hell the next day. Zumba? Tango? Flamenco? You’d be surprised what you can sign up for and what will elevate your heart rate. #7) Roughhousing with your kids. I don’t have kids, but when I do, you can bet your ass I’ll be the dad out rolling around in the back yard with them. Don’t forget what it’s like to be a kid – it keeps you young. I really enjoyed this article from Art of Manliness on the importance of roughhousing! #8)Climbing on stuff – Last week on my hike at Midoricon, I was walking through the woods with NF Rebel Joe (No, not THAT Joe). It was awesome to see this guy, having lost 100 pounds since finding Nerd Fitness, explore the woods like it was no problem: climbing on stumps, balancing on fallen trees, climbing trees, and more. When was the last time you’ve done stuff like THAT? Hmmm? (Shout out to MovNat!) #9) Martial arts – Be honest. You watched The Matrix, you heard Neo go “I know Kung Fu” and you wanted to be able to one day say the same thing. Whether it’s Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Karate or Capoeira, there’s a martial art out there that will make you feel like a badass. #10 Consider a standing desk – Although we all know that correlation does not prove causation, it’s no surprise that there’s a strong correlation between sitting all day and an early grave. Why not fix your posture, strengthen your legs, and spend the day being more productive with a standing desk? #11) Have an active meeting – Hat tip to Charlie Hoehn on this one. If somebody wants to meet up with you for coffee, suggest something active: throwing a baseball, tossing a frisbee, going for a hike – anything that gets you up and moving. I say yes to pretty much anybody that invites me to play golf. Wink wink. #12) You know… – That thing that consenting adults do? Yeah. Do more of that. Self-explanatory. Moving on… #13) Clean – Ugh, nobody likes to clean the house/apartment. I certainly don’t. So I make a game out of it. I see how much I can accomplish with a single song blasting at max volume. Of course, after getting through one song, I figure “welp, I’ve already started, might as well keep going.” #14) Do handstands – Here’s how.This is a fun activity that builds up serious arm and core strength and will leave you sweating bullets after even a few minutes. Find a park, go do handstands, cartwheels, somersaults, and whatever else makes you feel young again. #15) Parkour – Our beginner’s guide to Parkour is one of the most popular on Nerd Fitness. I don’t care how old you are, there’s no reason you can’t get started with rolling around in your hard and vaulting over picnic tables and bike racks. #16) Play out – Is Parkour too serious for you? Try a playout! Spiderman was on to something – climbing walls, swinging from skyscrapers, and popping flips around the bad guys. You might not be able to swing between buildings, but you can definitely visit a playground in your area and get creative! #17) Adult gymnastics – In the same vein as Parkour, gymnastics will help you build some of the BEST real world strength you can get with any type of exercise, and it’s all done in a playful way without a single weight being picked up. Swing from rings, somersault, flip onto pads, and more. There are gyms all over the country. #18) Yoga – Build flexibility, strength, and learn to freaking relax. There are million kinds of yoga, so sign up for a few different kinds and see which one lines up the best with what you’re looking for. #19) Play video games that make you be active – Beat Saber. DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) counts too. Just Move. Anything that gets you off your ass and moving! Oh what’s that? You’re playing a normal game like Grand Theft Auto V? Make a rule that you can only play while standing up. That’s what I do to keep myself from spending twelve hours on the couch in marathon gaming sessions! #20) Play on a playground – Obviously not when kids are around. Preferably with pants on. Go down the slide, swing across the monkey bars, climb the rope all, balance on the balance beam. Create an obstacle course for yourself and see how quickly you can get through it. You can even work out on a playground too. #21) Play a musical instrument – Did you know playing the violin for an hour burns about as many calories as walking around a track at a moderate pace for an hour? It turns out, our brains can burn boatloads of calories too. So challenge your brain! #22) Join a Rec league – New in town? Want to be active and meet people? Join a kickball or softball league. You get to exercise AND it’s a great way to meet new people! #23) Bike to work – I know there are a lot of Rebels in our community who dropped a bunch of weight by making one change: they biked to work, or biked to their friend’s house, or started biking generlaly. You get from Point A to Point B, you save money on gas, and you get a workout. That would make Michael Scott proud. #24) Play a childhood game – What games did you play as a child? Capture the flag? Kick the can? Simple tag? Get a few friends together and give it a try – it will be the most fun you’ve had in a while! #25) Park at the far end of the parking lot – Every step counts. Every tiny decision that is slightly different than the “OLD you” counts. #26) Take the stairs. It’s only two flights! You are designed to move. You can do this. Sure, you’ll get winded the first handful of times. But it eventually becomes routine. And it all counts! Make a game out of it. #27) Crush audiobooks while “exercising.” This is called ‘temptation bundling.‘ Pair something you love with an activity you’re trying to do more of. But I bet if you could only listen to Harry Potter (for the 600th time) while walking on a treadmill, you’d be more likely to get to the gym.
Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit
Challenge yourselfI’d love for you to commit to trying something new at some point in the next six weeks. I committed to Swing Dance Lessons for 6 weeks and I’m really really glad I did. Here’s my advice to you:
That one thing you always wanted to try but have been putting off? Today’s a good a day to get started. Just take that FIRST step. Google classes in your city. Find a site that focuses on beginners, and read about it. If there’s a place to pre-pay or make a deposit, do it. And then go. Use your beastmode skills if you have to. But suck it up, expect to not be good at the new activity immediately, and have some fun. What’s the one new thing you’re going to try this month? -Steve PS: If you’re reading this because you HATE exercise but think you SHOULD be exercising, I hear ya. I too hate certain kinds of exercise, so I don’t do them – you’ll never catch me running because I strongly despise boring cardio! If you are here because you’re trying to lose weight and want somebody to guide you through the entire journey, and who will ALSO never make you do exercise you hate, consider checking out our popular 1-on-1 coaching program. Your coach will get to know you, your likes and dislikes, and work with you to build an exercise plan and food strategy that you actually enjoy and also gets you results! ### photo source: treadmill, treadmill fall, dog, jump, garfield from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/25-ways-to-exercise-without-realizing-it/ Around 39 million Americans experience migraine headaches, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. If you’re one of these people, you know the sometimes debilitating symptoms they can cause and the toll they take on your quality of life. May 17, 2018 marked a breakthrough in migraine prevention therapy when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Aimovig (erenumab). Since its release over 120,000 patients have been prescribed Aimovig in the U.S.
“Treating a headache or migraine attack after the pain starts, is what we call abortive therapy or acute attack therapy,” notes Treppendahl. “Treating the condition of migraine with the intention of not ever having a migraine, is preventive therapy or prophylaxis.” Until recently, there have been only 3 classes of medications available for migraine prevention (antihypertensives, antidepressants and antiepileptics) and one therapeutic drug indicated for the prevention of chronic migraine (onobotulinumtoxinA – a cosmetic agent). This new class of drugs was developed to specifically target key mediators involved in the pathophysiology of migraine. How Migraine Prevention Drugs Work “It’s important to understand how drugs like Aimovig are different from what was available prior to their approval this year,” she continues. “Aimovig is the first monthly self-administered injection available to prevent migraine. This novel class of drugs was designed to decrease the number of monthly migraine days by blocking a targeted neuropeptide (calcitonin gene-related peptide or CGRP). This neuropeptide has been studied for over 30 years by neuroscientists due to the key role it plays in migraine pathophysiology and head pain.” Two additional medications, Ajovy (fremanezumab) and Emgality (galcanezumab), now have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of migraine in adults. They are similar in method of delivery (self-administered injections – monthly or quarterly) and employ similar mechanisms of action (blocking the release of CGRP into trigeminovascular system during a migraine attack). Drug Effectiveness So Far Since their FDA approval, The Headache Center in Ridgeland, has prescribed this new class of drugs for approximately 700-800 patients, and according to Ms. Treppendahl, they have seen some very dramatic improvements in a large percentage of these patients. “While we have had a small handful of patients report no improvement, which is to be expected, fortunately, the majority of patients are reporting significant improvements,” she reports. “This has been a real game changer for patients that have ‘tried everything’ for prevention and never had any success.” During clinical trials for the drugs, many patients were on other preventive medications, or they were overusing attack medications (more than 3 days per week), and they still had a significant positive response compared to the placebo group. Some decreased their monthly migraine or headache days by 50%. Others reported a 75% reduction in headache days and some super-responders (those that reported zero headache days during one month with Aimovig on board). When discussing prevention, it is important to know what the goal is. “First, we would like to be able to cut the number of headache days in half,” Ms. Treppendahl explains. “We call this the 50% responder rate. That is the minimally acceptable goal. Of course, we prefer to cut headache days down by 75% or even by 100%. In addition to decreased headache days per month, we look for other things such as a reduction in the severity of attacks, attacks that respond more readily to treatment, decreased use of medications to abort attacks, less days with disability, no missed work or school or social functions and patient satisfaction and report of an improved overall quality of life.” Other Migraine Therapies and Behavioral Modification Of course there are a number of other drug therapies and methodologies that are used to treat migraine pain. These range from anti-seizure medications, to antihypertensives or beta blockers, neurotoxin injections such as BotoxTM, antidepressants and neuromodulation devices. There are also specific actions a person can take: • Trigger avoidance: Managing triggers – Headache Diary to help identify potential triggers – Smartphone Apps • Lifestyle modification: “Prescribed” lifestyle changes – Good sleep hygiene – Healthy diet and exercise • Mind-body therapies have proven efficacy and benefit in migraine mangagement: – Biofeedback – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – Progressive Muscle Relaxation Call to Action In closing, Ms. Treppendahl offered a word of encouragement and a call to action for those who suffer chronic, debilitating migraine pain. “Don’t wait another day. If you suffer from frequent or severe head, face or neck pain, please seek out a headache specialist to get treatment before the condition progresses and you lose time and years of what could have been, a more productive and rewarding life.” Christina Treppendahl, FNP-BC, AQH, is Founder and Director of The Headache Center at 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 7205 in Ridgeland. She is a Family Nurse Practitioner with a Master of Science degree in Neonatal Nursing from Vanderbilt University and a Post-Master’s degree in Family Nursing from The W in Columbus, Mississippi. Ms. Treppendahl is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Headache Disorders program abroad at the University of Copenhagen. She is certified in headache medicine by the National Headache Foundation. Ms. Treppendahl is a national speaker for migraine-specific FDA-approved pharmacologic therapies and has given presentations for the National Headache Foundation and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also Founder and Director of The Headache Center Institute, a non-profit organization promoting patient awareness and provider training. She is currently enrolled in the Master’s of Headache Disorders program abroad at the University of Copenhagen. In addition to the clinical practice, The Headache Center has a robust research center that enrolls patients in national clinical studies for migraine and cluster treatment.
This article is shared with permission from Well-Being Magazine. It was originally
published in the magazine’s January/February 2019 issue. For more from Well-Being
visit www.wellbeingmag.com.
The post Migraine Prevention: Game-Changing Medications • Well-Being Magazine appeared first on The Headache Center. source https://www.mississippimigrainecenter.com/migraine-prevention-game-changing-medications-%e2%80%a2-well-being-magazine/ Via https://neurologyjacksonms.blogspot.com/2019/02/migraine-prevention-game-changing.html The past 7 months have been really eye-opening for me. In May of 2018, after spending the past 33 years of my life trying to get bigger… I decided to go in the other direction: I was going to make a concerted effort to get as lean as possible while still having a life. After 6 weeks of very focused effort (counting calories) and seeing NO progress, I made a few key adjustments. Since then, I’ve lost 22 pounds AND hit strength training personal bests: Sure, we’ve featured success stories from people in our community who have lost 100+ pounds in a year, 50+ pounds in a year, and other amazing transformations. So, who wants to hear about an in-shape guy who got more in shape? BORING! However, I want to share my story for a few reasons. For starters, I want to show that 15+ years later, I still practice what I preach and I’m still learning every day. Next, I want to share the things I did that might seem counterintuitive:
Whether you have those final stubborn 10-15 pounds to lose, or you have 80+ pounds to lose, I promise the lessons I share here can help you level up. Note: We all have our challenges, and we all find certain things easy and other things brutally difficult. As you read, you’re NOT allowed to say the following:
And instead, you’re ONLY allowed to say: “How can I make this lesson work for me in my situation?” Deal? Deal. Here are the 7 biggest lessons I learned while losing 21 pounds and leveling up my workouts… #1) WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? ALL CALORIES COUNT.If you are trying to lose weight, calorie restriction is King (or Queen). In order to lose weight consistently, my body needed to be in a “caloric deficit”: burning more calories than I ate, consistently. Most people attempt to do this by out-exercising a bad diet. I instead put 95% of my effort into fine-tuning my nutrition. Specifically, I ate more calories on training days (to help rebuild muscle), and fewer calories on non-training days (to force my body to pull from fat stores). However, the average between the two was low enough to force my body to start burning stored fat which led to overall weight loss. As a 6 foot tall, 190 pound male who trains 4x a week, here’s how I ate:
I followed the above calorie strategy with a 90%+ compliance rate. In other words, I did not let perfect be the enemy of the good. (Calculate your own caloric intake estimates here.) I knew one bad day wouldn’t screw up any progress – it’s total calories consumed over many weeks and months, so as long as my average day was good, I would get results. I’ll get into what those calories were composed of and how I trained below. But my strategy allowed me to build strength and minimize muscle loss despite the deficit (yes, you can lose weight and build muscle at the same time). LESSON: Start with calories – know how many you eat daily, and adjust the number down. You can vary your calorie count for training days or rest days – as long as your total average number is low enough to induce weight loss. Tracking calories and not getting results? Check your tracking – see #4 below. #2) STRENGTH TRAINING IS CRUCIAL FOR BODY FAT LOSS.I strength trained 4 days per week for about 60 minutes each workout without fail. This is something I truly prioritized in my life. I can count on 1 hand the number of times I did not hit the gym 4 days in a week. Each day composed of a heavy barbell lift:
I also did lots of body weight training and gymnastic ring work:
So, despite the fact that I was losing weight and eating a caloric deficit, judging by the pictures and my measurements I was able to maintain most of my muscle, and even build strength strategically. I got stronger at a lot of lifts throughout this experience. I hit a personal best deadlift of 420 pounds – a 30 pound record, at a weight of 172 pounds. By lifting VERY HEAVY weights while also eating a caloric deficit, my body was forced to adapt. It diverted as many resources as possible to “rebuild muscle stronger to prepare for the next weight training session,” which didn’t leave many calories for “store as fat.” I cover this extensively in both “Why can’t I lose weight?” and “Can you build muscle and burn fat at the same time?” Not only that, but because I was in a deficit my body started pulling from the “store as fat” pile to fuel myself and my workouts. So this strategy really crushed it for me:
LESSON: Most people go about weight loss by creating a calorie deficit and doing a bunch of cardio – this means their body will burn both fat and muscle for extra energy. Weight can be lost from both places. If your goal is to build a muscular, lean physique, you need to teach your body to preserve as much muscle as possible – and you do that by training heavy! #3) BATCH COOKING CHANGED MY DEFAULT BEHAVIOR.For the past 6 months, I’ve been batch cooking up a storm. 1-2 times per week, I batch cook trays of chicken breast, potatoes, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and/or cauliflower. Most days, my dinner looks like this: And most weeks, my fridge looks like this: To answer your next question: That’s SodaStream sparkling water (much cheaper than buying bottles or cans), and homemade cold brew coffee. Yes, I’m a weirdo who drinks cold brew in the dead of winter!) By batch cooking just once a week, aka making ONE big effort just once, it essentially changed my default behavior for the rest of the week and set me up to succeed. I had developed this nasty habit of ordering delivery multiple nights per week – which practically everybody does in Manhattan. Here’s why: compared to cooking a meal, it was just easier to a hit button on my phone and have food show up 30 minutes later. However, once I started batch cooking, the “lazy” option WAS the healthy (and far less expensive) option. Every evening, I could either:
Here’s what I batch cooked:
Once a week or so, I’d go out to dinner with friends or family and eat whatever the hell I wanted. I’d also drink whiskey (neat). I went on multiple trips and vacations I knew the more diligent I was with my weekly behavior, the more ‘fun’ I could have with my ‘occasional’ behavior and still not get derailed. The most important part of this: by eating the same foods each day, I knew exact portion sizes without having to calculate or figure out much. I just did the same stuff over and over. That is…once I figured out how much I needed to eat! LESSON: Your default behavior is the reason you are where you are right now with your health. So change your default. Consider batch cooking to make the easy, lazy, default option the healthiest. Learn to cook one thing. Literally one thing. And then expand from there once you build up some confidence! #4) MY METABOLISM WASN’T BROKEN. MY TRACKING WAS.For the first 6 weeks of my weight loss journey, the scale didn’t budge. I couldn’t figure out what the heck was going wrong. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight and the scale didn’t go down, it’s easy to assume, “my metabolism is broken” or “it’s because I’m eating carbs” or “my body is unique and different. Damn my parent’s genetics” I was counting calories accurately (or so I thought), and the scale didn’t move which made my head hurt. Clearly I was broken, right? All those years of ‘bulking’ had ruined my body and I was no longer able to lose weight. Welp, as a firm believer in things like “science” and “logic,” I decided to test my assumption that I was actually eating the amount of food I thought I was eating. So I bought a cheap ass $10 food scale. And it rocked my world. EYE OPENING EXAMPLE: I eat 3 servings of oats each day, blended into my post workout and post dinner smoothies. A serving of oats is described as “½ cup or 40 grams.” So I used ½ cup of a measuring cup and thought that was pretty close to accurate. I then WEIGHED half a cup of oats, and it came out to 60 grams! Which means that for 6 weeks, I consumed an extra 225 calories without realizing it. The same thing happened with my lunch from Chipotle: I weighed out the portion of rice in the serving, and compared it against the weight that Chipotle says is a serving, again I was overeating by 50%. Realizing that I was overeating my carb portions by 50% multiple times per day, NO WONDER I wasn’t losing weight. I was accidentally eating hundreds of calories without even realizing it. So I adjusted my food intake accordingly. And for the next 5-6 months, my weight steadily declined. Part of me was frustrated, embarrassed, and angry that I didn’t realize I was overeating with every meal of every day. The other part of me is SO THANKFUL I was tracking everything and dug deeper when I wasn’t getting the results that I should have. For starters, I stepped on the scale every morning at the same time of day. I kept a rolling 7-day average to make sure the trend was moving in the right direction, but didn’t sweat variations from day to day. After all, water weight, sodium, one unhealthy meal – can really make the day swing. I’m very thankful I educated myself on the exact macronutrient breakdown of the foods I ate regularly. I also took weekly pictures from the front and side. Week to week I couldn’t see changes. But month to month, especially with the scale moving down, I started to see differences and was encouraged with the progress. LESSON: Educate yourself on the food you’re eating, and how much. Every online calorie calculator will give you a different answer, and should be considered just a starting point. And then start tracking your progress! Take photos. Take measurements. Write down the number on the scale. And then make small adjustments based on the results you’re seeing. Adjust your calorie intake down or up. Not getting the results you’re expecting? Consider tracking your food more closely to educate yourself even further! #5) ABS AREN’T MADE IN THE GYM.Want to know my favorite ab exercises that allowed me to get a 6 pack (with those final 2 abs poking through?) I actually didn’t do any cardio or ab exercises over the past 7 months. Another note: I also didn’t do any bootcamp or “muscle confusion” or any of that stuff. And yet here I am with 8-pack abs and healthy and happy. What gives? Why didn’t I do those things? You also can’t spot reduce fat, and a flat stomach comes from a low body fat percentage (aka – how you eat!) Sure, I went for walks, often long ones through the city. Sometimes through the course of a day I would walk 5+ miles. But I never went for a run, or got on a treadmill, or did the elliptical. Instead, I just focused on getting stronger, eating a caloric deficit, eating enough protein, and getting enough sleep. I trained my body to think: “I better build muscle, because I know I’m gonna need it again soon.” My body then diverted as many resources to muscle building as possible, pulling from fat stores for energy, and helped me lean out while staying strong. Abs aren’t made in the gym, as they say – they’re made in the kitchen. Everybody has ab muscles, they’re just hidden under layers of fat. So to get my abs to ‘pop’ it simply required me to cut my body fat percentage low enough to remove the fat on top of them. LESSON: Everybody has abs, they’re just hiding under layers of fat. Cardio isn’t a prerequisite for weight loss. To build a certain type of physique, you need to eat and train in a certain way.
#6) CARBS AREN’T EVIL. BUT EATER, BEWARE.These days, it’s easy to assume carbs are evil. Paleo says “booo” to carbs, while Keto says “GTFO” to all nearly all carbs. So what’s the real deal? Is the choice REALLY:
Nope. Thermodynamics still apply. I do 100% agree that certain people are affected differently by carbs and sugar and fat (check out The End of Overeating for a deep dive into this). At the same time, vilifying carbs doesn’t get to the root of the problem, or set you up to live a sustainably healthy, happy life. Carbs can still be a valuable part of a nutritional strategy, provided they’re used strategically! I ate rice, oats, and potatoes most days:
Notice anything missing from my list of ‘approved foods above?’ Liquid carbs. I didn’t drink any sugary beverages – I stuck to black coffee, tea, or water. I occasionally drank alcohol, but that was 1 or 2 drinks, once a week or so. So how do carbs fit into a weight loss plan? Carbs help replenish the glycogen stores in my muscles (which get depleted during a workout), provide me with fuel, and help me not be miserable while staying in a caloric deficit most days. They’re also delicious. The reason carb heavy foods get a bad rap is because most people don’t know true serving sizes. They’re easy to overeat, and people can’t stop themselves once they start. This is why these foods are notorious for causing people to gain weight. I still eat plenty of carbs in potato or rice form, I just make sure I have the correct amount, and made sure the rest of my plate is filled with protein and veggies. There’s nothing inherently wrong with carbs – you just have a smaller margin for error if you plan on eating them while trying to lose weight! If you accidentally eat 2 servings of broccoli, you might consume an extra 30-50 calories. Accidentally overeat candy, soda, pasta, or cake? It could be hundreds of calories. So – yes, you can eat carbs. You just need to plan for them. And know that you have a smaller margin for error if your goal is weight loss – especially as you get down to lower body fat percentages. LESSON: Don’t eliminate carbs completely if doing so will cause to go off the rails and give up on your miserable diet. Continue to eat them, just eat them intelligently! For example, a portion of pasta is probably 30% of the size of what image you currently have in your head. Some other tips:
#7) HAVING HELP…HELPS.I have a coach. I could say it’s “expensive,” but that’s relative. He’s worth every penny. Either something is worth it, or it isn’t. We all pay $12/month for netflix and $60 a month for a phone and $80 a month for internet because it’s worth it to us. I personally pay hundreds of dollars a month for an online coach because the return on investment I get for my health, my confidence, and outsourcing my workout programming is a no-brainer for me. Here’s why:
Then, I simply followed the instructions. I know that I never would have been able to lose this weight or hit my deadlifting goals without him: picking up 420 pounds at 172 pounds of bodyweight. I can’t wait to see what I’m capable of next, and I hope my coach (Shout out Anthony!) will work with me for the next decade! LESSON: Every day, whether you realize it or not, you prioritize what you invest in with your time and your money. I used to invest my time and money in ordering takeout, travel, and nights out at the bar. I minimized a lot of those things to instead focus my investment in two key areas:
How are you investing your time and money? It’s not what you say, it’s what you do that shows your true priorities. If you are serious about your health, if you have specific goals you want to reach, or you’ve tried multiple times to get in shape on your own without success, consider hiring a coach. It’s a serious investment, but I’ve found it to be the best money I spend each month. I found so much success with it, and we had so many people requesting Nerd Fitness instruction, that we built our own coaching program. You can learn more about our Coaching Program and speak with our team by signing up in the box below: #8) FOR THE DATA NERDS: MY EXACT MEALS AND MACROS:Everybody asks, so I figure I’ll just tell you the exact portions. You’ll notice that I ate a LOT of protein. Because I was eating a caloric deficit, my goal was to eat plenty of protein, which helped me feel full (not hungry), give my muscles enough fuel to rebuild themselves, AND not lose my strength. Training days: 2,600 calories
Non-training days: 2,115 cal
TRAINING DAYS:
REST DAYS
SPECIFIC SUPPLEMENTS
Any other questions? Leave them in the comments below and I can expand this section! THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS EFFORTLESS WEIGHT LOSSMy weight loss and strength gains weren’t effortless, but they also weren’t impossible or unsustainable. My largest investment each month is my coach, and he’s worth every penny. Otherwise, my days are fairly boring and consistent:
Sure, I don’t look like an instagram fitness model, and Marvel Studios won’t be calling anytime soon. That’s okay with me! This is what 7 months of focused effort, calorie counting, and consistent strength training results look like for somebody trying to get lean. Although I enjoyed the occasional adult beverage and slice of pizza, spent plenty of time playing video games (I just finished the story of Red Dead Redemption 2), and still took vacations and trips to visit family. I was also damn focused and really dedicated to my efforts over these past 7 months. They say “happiness equals reality minus expectations.” We’re sold quick fixes by beautiful people, and assume in just 7 minutes a day, or with a pill or powder, we too can look like them. This is my reality: a guy who lives and breathes this stuff, trying to build a better physique sustainably, while also enjoying life. Make sure you have the right expectations matched with what you’re willing to sacrifice and focus on to get those expectations! Here’s what it required:
I know I know, this isn’t very sexy. Measuring stuff isn’t effortless. And saying no is hard. But damn it, I am so proud of the past 7 months and can’t wait to see what the next 7 months hold. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: This feels sustainable to me. I didn’t crash diet. I didn’t put myself through misery and manipulate water intake to look “ripped” for my “after” photo. It’s more like a “before and now” instead of “before and after,” because this is me as I am. I feel like I can eat like this for the next 10 years. I can make small adjustments to build more muscle while staying lean, and start working towards hitting a 500 lb deadlift. To recap:
I hope this helps you make your next steps. And I’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you might have! -Steve PS: If you have the money to invest in yourself, I would recommend you looking into hiring a coach. Whether it’s an online coach with Nerd Fitness, or an in-person trainer to help you perfect your movements, the right coach is a game changer! ### All photo sources can be read right here.[1]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/losing-the-last-20-pounds-7-lessons-learned-while-still-eating-carbs/ “Steve, how many calories should I eat every day? I got goals, son!” Great question! Knowledge is power, so today, we are going to make you more powerful. First off, we’ll discuss your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which are fancy terms for how many calories you require on a daily basis to exist. I’ll even give you two calculator options below – to determine your personal BMR and TDEE – plus I’ll show you how to use this information. We’ll end today’s article by giving some practical advice on calorie requirements and weight loss, including a step-by-step plan, because I’m nice like that. Let’s do this! THE NERD FITNESS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE CALCULATORWe’re going to start off by doing some math. Don’t worry though, our robot calculator (beep boop boop) will do all the hard stuff for you. We will need to know your height in inches, your weight in pounds, and an idea on your activity level (Use the metric system? I wish we did too here in the States! Click right here for our Metric calculator). Although you can adjust it, I want you to set your “Activity Level” as “Sedentary,” (I’ll explain why in a minute): Nerd Fitness Total Daily Energy Expenditure Calculator(Note: we have used the The Mifflin-St Jeor Equation to create this calculator! [1]) Hooray! You now know your BMR and TDEE! You may be thinking, “Ah, Steve, what do either of these mean?” I got you boo. Make sure you write down your two numbers. WHAT IS BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR)?Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the total amount of calories needed to keep you alive. Breathing, cell production, pumping blood, and keeping your body temperature up all require calories to function. When you sit perfectly still, you use plenty of calories keeping your body in good working order. “Basal” more or less means “basic,” so you can think of BMR as the number of calories needed for basic daily functions. Your sex, weight, and height will all affect the number of calories you need, which is why they are variables in our equation above. The taller you are, or the more you weigh, the higher your BMR will be. There is simply more of you that needs calories. More blood to pump, more cells to produce, etc. Roughly two-thirds of the calories you need each day go into keeping your body running. The other third? That goes into powering your motion. Because going from one place to another requires calories from your body. So does lifting stuff. Let’s talk about Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) next. WHAT IS TOTAL DAILY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TDEE)?Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimate of how many total calories you burn in a day. Since your BMR calculates the calories you need for a state of rest, we need to factor in movement and exercise to get an idea of how many calories you burn each day. To do this, we’ll take your BMR and multiply it by an “Activity Level” factor.[2] Activity Levels can be thought of as the following: Sedentary. You get up to tell Netflix you are still watching. You don’t intentionally exercise at all. Sedentary = BMR x 1.2 Lightly Active. You casually stroll through your neighborhood a few times a week. On average, you walk for exercise about 30 minutes a day. Another way to think about this would be 15 minutes per day of vigorous exercise like jogging or lifting weights. Light Active = BMR x 1.375 Moderately Active. If we called the gym on a weeknight looking for you, they’d find you. This averages out to about one hour and 45 minutes of walking (for exercise, not going around your house) a day, or 50 minutes of vigorous exercise. Moderately Active = BMR x 1.55 Very Active. You work in construction during the day and you’re on the company softball team. This averages out to about four hours and 15 minutes of walking (again, for intentional exercise) a day, or two hours of vigorous exercise. Very Active = BMR x 1.725 If you’re following along at home, you may notice that different Activity Levels can make a big difference for the calories burned. Let’s use some numbers: Suppose you’re male, 35 years old, weigh 200 pounds and are six foot even (72 inches). You’re also wearing a Nerd Fitness Shield Tee and it looks great on you. It really brings out your eyes. Awesome shirt or no awesome shirt, we know your BMR comes in at 1,882 calories given the variables we identified. Which means you’ll need roughly 1,900 calories for basic bodily functions. This is where things get interesting. If you’re Sedentary, we’ll multiply 1,882 (BMR) by 1.2 to get a TDEE of 2,258. Which means you’ll need 2,258 calories to support bodily functions and to walk around your house, to go from your car to your office, from your office back home, etc. Let’s imagine a scenario where you are not Sedentary. Instead, we’ll calculate that you are Lightly Active, meaning you walk around your neighborhood a few times a week. We take your BMR of 1,882 and multiply it by 1.375 to get a TDEE of 2,588. The difference between Lightly Active and Sedentary is 230 calories, about what you’d find in a glazed donut. Let’s keep going. Let’s say you hit your local gym a few times a week for strength training practice. And on your off days, you do a little yoga and take walks. This will push you into the “Moderately Active” category. We take your BMR of 1,882 and multiply it by 1.55 to get a TDEE of 2,917. The difference between Sedentary and Moderately Active would be 659 calories. That’s an extra meal’s worth of calories! Here are some examples of things that are roughly 650 calories: A whole meal’s worth of Sicilian fish with sweet potatoes: Or, one Big Mac® with Bacon: Or, one large Orange Dream Machine® from Jamba Juice: People often UNDERestimate how many calories they consume, and then OVERestimate how much exercise they’re doing. This is why Activity Level could be a “trap” when doing TDEE calculations! WHAT SHOULD MY ESTIMATED ACTIVITY LEVEL BE?We people are notoriously bad at estimating our Activity Level. We’re also terrible at tracking calories accurately and almost always underestimate (often by as much as 30-50%+ percent). Study after study demonstrates that people evaluate their movement and exercise greater than what it actually is.[3] We think we’re working out “intensely” for 60 minutes. However, when researchers look at stuff like heart rate, VO2 max, and calories burned, they determine that we actually only exercised “moderately.” What’s this mean for you? If your goal is weight loss, pick an Activity Level below your initial guess. Take our predisposition to overestimate Activity Level and grab the one beneath it. Instead of “Moderately Active” pick “Lightly Active.” This will give you a more accurate estimate of your caloric needs, and give you a larger margin for error when trying to lose weight! The other thing to consider would be strength training. As we mention in our “Lose Weight and Build Muscle” article, strength training requires a lot of calories out of your body, not only for the exercise itself, but also for rebuilding your muscle too. In general, consider strength training to be “vigorous exercise,” which we highlighted above. If it takes 30 mins of walking a day to be “Lightly Active,” 15 minutes of daily strength training would roughly be equivalent. If estimating your Activity Level and TDEE is starting to freak you out: Trying to pick and calculate the right amount of calories to consume can be stressful. Especially if you’ve had trouble losing weight in the past. And that’s just the math part – we haven’t even got to the psychological part about how delicious pizza and ice cream are. It’s actually the reason we created our uber-popular 1-on-1 Coaching Program. We sought to take all the guesswork out of getting in shape, by creating a program to tell you exactly what to do. If you’re trying to lose weight, adjust your diet, or start a strength training practice, we can help! We work with busy people just like you level up their lives in a permanent and sustainable fashion. If you’d like to learn more about it, click on the big image below: USING BMR AND TDEE FOR WEIGHT LOSSIf you’ve read this far into the article, I imagine you are interested in learning your Total Daily Energy Expenditure for weight loss. I also imagine you support my belief that The Shawshank Redemption is the best movie ever made: I started this article by stating that if you are having trouble losing weight, it’s because you are eating too many calories. The TDEE we calculated above will give us a good estimate of calories you require each day – if your scale is staying constant: congrats! You found your ‘calorie equilibrium.’ This means your body burns just as many calories as you consume each day. However, I’m going to guess you’re here because your goal is to see the scale go down! To really be able to utilize this number, we also need to have an idea on the number of calories we are consuming. Without knowing this, the TDEE is really just an arbitrary number. Many would say the easiest way to assess and track calories consumed is with an app. We live in the future. Use a smartphone and download one of the following:
You don’t have to use the app forever. A solid week’s worth of data will help you get a sense of the food you are consuming, especially if you eat roughly the same food each day. You can then compare this to your TDEE. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need to have your calories consumed less than your TDEE on average. Here are some numbers to think about: 3,500 calories equals roughly one pound of fat. There are seven days in a week. If you want to lose one pound of body fat in a week (a sustainable goal for some), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day: either through consuming 500 fewer calories, burning 500 more calories, or a combination of the two. Let’s imagine that your TDEE is 2,500. This would mean you’d have to consume around 2,000 calories a day to lose around a pound per week. As we discuss to great detail in our “Why Can’t I Lose Weight” guide, sustained weight loss is largely a result of controlling the first half of the equation: “calories in.” If you’ll remember, your BMR is about two-thirds of the total calories used, independent of movement. And most people overestimate exercise and underestimate consumption. So controlling calories in is the most effective way to sustain weight loss. Said another way, it’s much more difficult to increase your Activity Level than it is to reduce the calories you consume. What’s the easiest way to eat fewer calories consistently? By eating REAL food. Why? Because real foods are more likely to fill you up and satisfy your hunger while also keeping you under your calorie intake goal for the day! MOVING TOWARDS A HEALTHIER WAY OF EATINGThe Nerd Fitness philosophy on diet can be written in three words: Eat REAL food. I lay it all out in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating, but you’re smart – you know what real food is: Food that grew in the ground, on a tree, ran on the land, swam in the sea, or flew through the air. Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples of REAL food. This is what you should be eating more of. The fine folks at WiseGEEK did an awesome post where they took pictures of what 200 calories of a certain food looks like. 200 calories of broccoli gets you enough broccoli to fill up an entire plate: Or half a Snickers bar: Yeah… What I’m saying is by eating REAL food, you have a MUCH higher margin for error to stay under your calorie goal for the day. If you “accidentally overeat Broccoli,” you might accidentally eat an additional 50 calories. If you accidentally overeat candy or soda or processed foods, you can consume an extra 500+ calories without feeling satiated or content. If you want to create a caloric deficit consistently, REAL food is the answer. Before you get all huffy, I know a Snickers bar is way more delicious than broccoli – it was designed in a lab by scientists to be AMAZING! I’m not gonna tell you to never eat a Snickers ever again either. Instead, you need to start being proactive about your food choices. If you’re gonna eat a Snickers, just plan for it (or adjust after) by reducing your calorie intake elsewhere. If the scale isn’t budging – you’re still eating too much! SHOULD I DO KETO OR PALEO FOR WEIGHT LOSS? WHAT’S THE BEST DIETShould you do the Mediterranean Diet? Keto? Vegan? Paleo? Maybe. They all follow the same premise: by changing the foods you eat, you’re more likely than not to eat a caloric deficit without a struggle. Certain people respond better to certain diets than others. So yes, any of those diets can help you lose weight – but you need to stick with the changes permanently to make the results stick permanently! I personally follow a mental model diet, that focuses on real food all the time, and occasionally includes some junk food: Minimize processed food – they’re designed for you to overeat them. Take a look again at that Snickers bar. Do you really think you’d only eat half of one to stick to 200 calories? Of course not. This argument is more or less the rationale for following a paleo diet. Eat veggies. Vegetables are nutrient dense and light on calories. Because of all the fiber, they are also tough to overeat. Imagine eating all that broccoli. Are you going for seconds? Probably not. So eat your veggies to help keep you full. Hate vegetables? I once was like you. Read how I turned it around here. Be wary of liquid calories. Cut back on soda, juices, smoothies, and any beverage with calories. Even most coffee orders (with sugar, cream, etc.) will have a ton of hidden calories. All these drinks are sugar bombs since there is no fiber to balance out all the carbs you are consuming. Stick to water, and unsweetened tea or coffee. Here are our thoughts on diet soda. Prioritize protein. When your body heals itself, like after exercise, your body uses protein as the building block of muscle rebuilding. Outside of repairing your body, protein will also work to keep you full and satiated: 400 calories of chicken will leave you wayyy more full than 400 calories worth of Gatorade.[4] If you prioritize protein on your plate, you’ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting on proper nutrition. Some great sources of protein include chicken, eggs, beef, pork, fish, nuts, legumes, quinoa, and most dairy products. These four points will help you on your journey to create a caloric deficit. Disclaimer: this is all easier said than done. After all, 70% of the country is overweight. Don’t worry though, because most of them don’t read Nerd Fitness. You do. This is like a strategy guide for life. If you’re struggling with portion control and challenges, jump fully into the NF community. We cover human behavior and psychology to help you improve your environment, fix your habit building, and how to surround yourself with people that make you better (including our free message board community). We’ve helped thousands of people like you here at NF, and we really focus on nutrition. Like we said, it’s 90% of the battle! It’s why we created our 10-level nutritional system. Each level gets a bit more challenging and healthier, but you can progress at your own speed to make your changes stick! The name of the game here at Nerd Fitness is “consistency.” You can download our 10-Level Nutrition Guide when you sign up in the box right here:
Download our free weight loss guide
THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life
HERE’S WHAT TO DO TO LOSE WEIGHT WITH YOUR TDEELet’s recap this whole article for you, with some actionable steps:
That’s it. You can do this. I know you can because many of our readers have done it themselves. However, I won’t lie to you, it’s not easy. Human biology is working against you. But again, it is totally doable. As I started this article off, knowledge is power. I hope you calculate your calorie requirements today and use this information to make actionable changes. Knowing your caloric requirements is a great first step for a weight loss journey. You’re on the right track. For the Rebellion! -Steve PS: If you want any help on the way, I’ll remind you of the Nerd Fitness Coaching Program. We can help you calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure and create a workable plan to keep your calories under it. If you want to learn more, schedule a free call with our team to see if we are a good fit for each other, by clicking the image below: PPS: Seriously, how great is The Shawshank Redemption? I could quote that movie all day long. If you don’t agree… ### All photo citations can be found right here.[5]
Footnotes ( returns to text)
from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-every-day-a-look-at-total-daily-energy-expenditure-tdee/ Most supplements in the fitness world are a complete waste of money. Some supplements aren’t even absorbed well, making for some expensive urine![1] Others, like “weight loss pills,” can actually be outright dangerous.[2] However, there are a few supplements which could be an exception to this rule. And one of those supplements is creatine. Creatine is one of the most popular and tested fitness supplements on the market. Technically, it’s an amino acid derivative, but you don’t really need to know that. That is, unless you are a chemist. We get loads of questions here at Nerd Fitness on using creatine correctly, so today I’ll jump right in and give you the low down. We’ll discuss everything you need to know about this supplement:
Let’s go!
WHAT IS CREATINE?Creatine is a naturally occurring substance found in muscle tissue. Right now you have creatine, specifically creatine phosphate, in your body. All vertebrate animals do. Yes, even corgis. Think of creatine as an energy reserve your body taps into when it needs a boost. Or like, an extra energy tank in Metroid or Mega Man. Our bodies naturally produce creatine in our liver, pancreas, and kidneys. We also obtain it from certain foods, because all vertebrate animals contain creatine in their muscles. So if you eat meat, you are getting extra creatine in your diet. Red meat in particular (beef, lamb bison), has the highest levels of dietary creatine. (Don’t eat meat? Cool. Read our plant-based guide.) Outside of diet, people often supplement with creatine. It’s one of the more popular supplements taken, and in fact, is THE most popular supplement taken amongst college athletes.[3] The reason people supplement with creatine: the more creatine you consume – whether through nutrition or supplementation – the more will be found in your muscles. Why should you care? What does creatine do, exactly? WHAT DOES CREATINE DO?Science time! To discuss supplementing creatine with any justice, we need to talk about ATP. All cells rely on adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for energy. It’s our body’s energy currency. Sort of like “Mana” in World of Warcraft or Magic: The Gathering, ATP is a fuel tank for doing awesome things like running, doing pull-ups, or summoning lighting. But much like “Mana,” ATP can be replenished only so quickly by your body. With intense enough exercise, you’ll use more ATP than your body can produce. Which means you’ll run out. It’s why people can only sprint at 100% maximum effort for a short amount of time. You just plain run out of juice, or ATP. And depending on how you are exercising, your body will replenish its ATP through one of three ways:
I get it, there’s a LOT more to it than that (The three systems often blend into each other, so it’s not so clear cut).[4] Why I bring all of this up: your body can quickly convert creatine to ATP (in seconds). This means the more creatine you have stored in your muscles, the longer you can utilize the phosphagen system – short and intense energy – to produce ATP. It’s math: the more creatine you consume, the more will be found in your muscles. The more creatine you have in your muscles, the longer you should be able to sprint at max effort (or lift heavy, etc.). Granted, there’s a point where your muscles become saturated with creatine and your body can’t hold anymore. We’ll talk about dosage and absorption rates shortly. But first… WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CREATINE?There is good evidence to suggest that creatine supplementation does, in fact, allow for longer periods of intense exercise by helping to produce more ATP. [5] One such study found that supplementing with creatine for 28 days allowed users to increase their bike sprint by 15% and bench press performance by 6%.[6] This is generally why people supplement with creatine. If you can produce more energy for more intense exercises, you can workout harder. Instead of stopping at 10 reps because of exhaustion, perhaps you can squeeze out that 11th rep if you are storing more creatine. Or instead of slowing down your sprint at 10 seconds, you keep going until 12. If you’re looking to improve physically, being able to achieve one more rep or just a few more seconds of a sprint can be critical. Creatine has a boatload of other benefits too: Cell signaling. Creatine has been shown to increase satellite cell signaling, which helps your body communicate its “needs” better. I personally picture a little cell crying out “help me, I’m broken” when thinking about cell signaling. However, improvements in cell communication can have an impact on muscle repair and growth.[7] Cellular hydration. Creatine helps your muscles retain water, which helps them work more efficiently.[8] Hydrated muscles perform better than dehydrated muscles, so creatine as a performance enhancer seems appropriate. Muscle growth. Creatine supplementation has been shown to increase the hormone IGF-1, which is needed for muscle growth.[9] In fact, the International Society and Sports Nutrition states “Creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available to athletes in terms of increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training.”[10] Don’t get thrown off by the “creatine monohydrate.” We’ll talk about types of creatine shortly. Just know that creatine has been shown to aid in muscle growth. Brain health. While not technically a muscle, your brain stores creatine. Can more stored creatine help with brain health? There is research and evidence that suggests some conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and epilepsy can all be helped by supplementing with creatine.[11] A creatine supplement might also help with memory and cognition in the elderly.[12] Also, I have to highlight this study linking creatine supplementation with working memory and intelligence.[13] This makes sense because your brain also uses ATP, which remember, creatine helps produce.[14] All of these studies are going to lead to a natural question… SHOULD I SUPPLEMENT WITH CREATINE? IS TAKING CREATINE SAFE?The use of creatine has been “extensively studied,” which makes my job of recommending it easy.[15] The International Society of Sports Nutrition analyzed over 500 studies on creatine usage and concluded: “There is no scientific evidence that the short- or long-term use of creatine monohydrate has any detrimental effects on otherwise healthy individuals.” However, we should acknowledge there is anecdotal evidence that taking creatine can cause kidney damage, dehydration, diarrhea, and an upset stomach.[16] Kidney damage would be the most serious of these, let’s talk about that specifically for a moment. Again, no study has been able to verify the claim of organ damage, and kidney function with creatine supplementation has been looked at specifically.[17] However, if you have a history of kidney problems, it might be a good idea to talk to a doctor before you start supplementing with creatine. Better safe than sorry. The other concern would be dehydration and diarrhea, which actually might have an easy cause and solution. I mentioned earlier that taking creatine can help with muscle hydration. Because your muscles are holding onto more water, this leaves less water for other places. So if you start taking creatine, you should also increase your water intake! Shoot for 16-18 ounces of water (a half liter) for every 5 grams of creatine you take. We’ll devote an entire section to dosage in just a moment. It should also be noted, that being dehydrated puts extra stress on your kidneys. It can also cause diarrhea. HOW TO TRAIN ON CREATINEThe reason creatine is so popular is because of its impact on athletic performance. For you to receive most the benefits of supplementing creatine, you’ll need to work out. The creatine won’t lift that barbell for you. The interesting thing about creatine: nearly any type of physical performance has been linked to improvement when combined with creatine supplementation: Strength training. If you’re looking to grow strong, you need to lift heavy. Taking creatine has been shown to increase muscle strength.[18] In other words, taking creatine can help you lift slightly heavier or slightly more. If you do this consistently, you could start to achieve gains faster than you would without creatine supplementation. This is the number one reason people take creatine. Endurance. Despite creatine’s popularity for strength training, it can also be used as a tool for endurance athletes. That’s because creatine has been shown to increase glycogen stores.[19] If you remember our example from earlier on different metabolic ways to replenish ATP, you’ll recall that glycogen is a medium to long term energy source. Meaning the more glycogen you have, the longer you can run. If you’re looking into improving an endurance sport, creatine might be worth checking out. Recovery. Creatine has been shown to help reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.[20] Shorter recovery times, means you can get back to training sooner. More gym time can equal a stronger you. No one likes being overtly sore. Creatine may help a little here. When you start to learn more about creatine, it makes sense why so many athletes take this supplement. However, I do need to mention that a majority of the benefits of creatine supplementation kick in with the conjunction of a regular exercise practice. Supplements must be combined with a good solid workout! You don’t get big muscles or faster speeds from only protein and creatine. They need to be combined with a proper training program! If you’re not quite sure how to get going, I’ve got a few resources for you. The first is our Beginner Bodyweight Workout. It’s a circuit – where you quickly go from one exercise to the next – that you can start doing tonight in your living room or basement or spaceship. It’s one of our most popular routines here at Nerd Fitness, and it’s something you can do from your own home. No gym required. If you want someone to help guide you – and hold you accountable – we can help with that too! We have an uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching program where we work with busy people just like you to complete life overhauls. We can help you start strength training, offer nutrition recommendations, or provide you with accountability and structure to start working out from home. No matter where you need to go on your fitness journey, we can help guide you there. If you want to learn if we are a good fit for each other, click on the big box below: COMMON MISTAKES WHEN TAKING CREATINESo far this article has more or less come out as an advertisement for creatine supplementation. While there are a lot of great benefits of creatine, and not much in the way of studies showing harm, we need to talk about one potential downside. Bloating. Since creatine helps you retain water, you might feel a little bloated after taking it. Granted, hydrated cells perform better. But it can still be uncomfortable and cosmetically unappealing to hold onto a bunch of water. The dosage and timing of taking creatine might be a factor, which we’ll talk about soon. However, if bloating continues to the point that it’s interfering with your life, stop supplementing with creatine. Speaking of creatine challenges, there’s also the fear that taking too much creatine could upset your stomach.[21] We’ll get to proper dosage of creatine in just a moment, which might solve this. It should be noted, that certain types of creatine are sold as “anti-bloating” and “easy on the stomach.” Let’s talk about types and brands of creatine right now, by looking into these claims. WHAT IS THE BEST CREATINE TO TAKE?Creatine actually exists in multiple forms. We’ll go over each one briefly, plus give our recommendation on which type to take. We’ll then leave you with a brand or two to try out. First, some different types of creatine: Creatine Monohydrate is the most common, and thus the most studied form of creatine. It’s essentially a creatine molecule and a water molecule combined. This would be the form of creatine we recommend. When we discuss the benefits and safety of creatine, we mean creatine monohydrate, because it’s the form that ends up being used in research.[22] If there is a downside to creatine monohydrate, it would be that your body might have trouble absorbing all of it.[23] Which means you can pee a lot of it out. When people sell other types of creatine, they’ll generally claim their version has a better absorption rate. Creatine Ethyl Ester is thought to be absorbed into the body easier than creatine monohydrate. There may be some evidence this is true.[24] However, when it comes to body composition, creatine monohydrate still looks to be superior.[25] Creatine Hydrochloride is another form of creatine that is touted as being absorbed easier than creatine monohydrate. You’ll also see claims that it won’t make you bloated. Early evidence may back some of the claims of better absorption rates, but I would hold off on this form of creatine until more studies are done on its safety.[26] Buffered creatine attempts to solve the stomach issues that are anecdotally reported as a side effect of creatine consumption. This form of creatine is mixed with an alkaline powder, with attempts to make it easier to digest. So far studies on the results of these benefits are mixed.[27] Again, for now, I’d avoid buffered creatine until the research concludes its safety. Hopefully, I convinced you to stick with creatine monohydrate. Again, it’s the most tested version of creatine there is, which makes it the most recommended.[28] Want some recommendations on brands? The brand of creatine monohydrate I personally take: Bulk Supplements. dotFIT is another good brand for you to check out. MyProtein also carries a good choice. Both of those are creatine monohydrate options. If you are going to take creatine, take creatine monohydrate. Which leads to the next question… HOW MUCH CREATINE SHOULD I TAKE?The question “How much creatine should I take?” will lead us to the topic of creatine loading. The theory on creatine loading goes like this: at first, you’ll want to take more creatine so your muscles start storing it in greater quantities. Then you can taper off, as your muscles will already be saturated to their max with creatine phosphate. Studies have shown this is the most effective way to increase creatine levels in muscle.[29] Note, your results may vary, though the strategy below is well researched. Do what works best for you! I’m no doctor, nor do I play one on TV. For 5 days, consume 20 grams of creatine per day to ‘load’ your muscles. After this period, then you can go to 3 to 5 grams of creatine per day. If you’re concerned about taking 20 grams of creatine a day (more is not necessary or beneficial), the other strategy would be to just take 3 to 5 grams of creatine a day. In three to four weeks your creatine stores will be full.[30] If you have stomach issues with 20 grams a day, forget about loading. Stick to 3 to 5 grams a day and you’ll be fine. This is the strategy I employ: 5 grams of creatine on training days mixed in a small amount of water, consumed like a shot, immediately following my workout. Which leads us to… WHEN SHOULD I TAKE CREATINE?Studies demonstrating the best time of day to take creatine are mixed. When it comes to “Should I take creatine before or after my exercise?” this study showed it didn’t really matter.[31] It might be up to your personal preference on whether to take creatine before or after your training. However, there is evidence you should take creatine somewhere close to when you exercise. One study split subjects into two groups. The first supplemented with creatine immediately before and immediately after their exercise. The other took creatine first thing in the morning and again at night. The study found the first group gaining the most muscle and strength.[32] I would recommend taking creatine either before or after your training practice. Maybe split your intake and do a little bit of both. Take a mixture with you to the gym, start drinking it before working out and finish it right after. On rest days, when you take creatine matters less. The point of taking creatine on a rest day is to keep the creatine phosphate content of your muscles raised for when you do workout next. Take it whenever it is convenient on rest days. But take it close to when you workout on a training day. THE VERDICT ON CREATINEYou don’t need to supplement with creatine. If you’re eating a varied diet that includes a little bit of meat, you’ll be consuming and building plenty of creatine. Our stance at Nerd Fitness: if you have a healthy diet, you don’t need to worry about any kind of supplementation. Eating nutrient dense foods like vegetables, fruits, and meat will provide you with all you need to thrive. However, if you are strength training and looking to maximize your gains, a creatine supplement might be worth looking into. There’s decent evidence in support of it allowing people to increase their athletic performance.[33] And all of the downsides of creatine don’t appear to be supported by the data.[34] Although to be fair, more long term studies will be welcome on the safety of creatine supplementation.[35] However, just to be safe, if you have any history of kidney trouble, make sure you talk to a doctor first before you start supplementing with creatine. Okay, I think that about wraps up the article on creatine. Now I want to hear from you: Do you have experience taking creatine? What results did you see? Does it sound like I’m being sponsored by the supplement industry? Or am I not praising creatine enough? What other supplements would you like me to look into? -Steve PS: As a reminder, if you’re looking to take creatine for a boost in athletic performance, you need to actually train. If you don’t know where to start, we can help! We offer a 1-on-1 Online Coaching program to help busy nerds just like you level up their lives. If you want someone to tell you exactly what to do, click on the big image below to find out if we are right for each other: ###
Footnotes ( returns to text)
from https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/what-is-creatine-how-to-start-supplementing-with-creatine/ |
Fitness Tips By JamesHello my name is James I am a health and fitness lover and like to be in a good shape. I like to share fitness tips with people so they can live a healthy life. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |