Every now and then I catch myself stuck in the same routine and my workout starts to get a little boring. I know this is starting to happen when it gets easy to miss my regular workout. Recently, I noticed this had happened when I easily talked myself out of going to the gym for almost 2 weeks straight. Obviously, something needed to change. So here are a few ideas that I use from time to time just to spice up my workout. Give them a try, and I’m sure you’ll find some new excitement to your workout as well.

Change your Grip!

This is a small change compared to most of the others you can do, but one way to spice up your workout from time to time is to change the way you’re gripping the bar when doing barbell or machine exercises. One of my favorite grips is the palm grip. In fact, I’ve read several articles from fitness trainers and other professional athletes that suggest that on exercises like the bench press, you should only be using a palm grip.

So what is a palm grip? Let’s use the bench press as an example for the palm grip. Many of us have been guilty of using a standard grip on this exercise, myself included. A standard grip would be where you wrap your hand around bar as if you were holding a baseball bat. If you want a more effective bench press, try not wrapping your thumb around the bar. You might think that you’ll lose some stability by doing this, but I’ve never had that problem. You might have to bend your wrist a little more to compensate, or lower the weight just a little bit. The main benefit to using a palm grip on this type of exercise is that by putting your thumb in this position, you are reducing the amount of effort that your forearms will put into the exercise. Therefore, you chest and tricep muscles will have to work even harder to do the lift. Try this, and I’m sure you’ll notice a difference the next time you perform a bench press.

Try Trisets!

You’ve probably heard of super sets, where you do two exercise consecutively without resting in between. Have you ever tried doing three different exercises? This works extremely well with bicep exercises. The benefit to doing a triset with a bicep workout, is it allows you to hit the bicep really hard in three different ways. Here’s an example of a bicep triset: standing barbell curls, hammer curls, reverse barbell curls. You’ll also notice in this sequence that you have to change your grip with each set of the triset. This is the best way to utilize a triset. Here’s an example of a triset with triceps: straight bar cable push downs, rope cable push downs, reverse cable pushdowns. Again, the key here is to change the grip on each exercise. Give these a try, and I’m sure you’ll feel a new pump in whatever body part you utilize them with!

Change you Split!

Have you been following the same split routine for two long? Has your split routine consisted of chest and triceps, back and biceps, or something similar for several months? Try reversing your split or doing a 5 day split instead of a 3 day split. Do chest and biceps, back and triceps just to mix it up a little.

These are just a few basic ideas, but its always a good idea to mix up your routine on a continual basis. That way you can keep your body guessing and growing to adapt to the changes in stress that you place on your muscles.

As a Long Island Personal Trainer , we teach these types of principles to our clients.

For resources, see us at New York Personal Trainer

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Of all the myths that surface from time to time, the protein myth seems to be the most deep rooted and pervasive. It just won’t go away. The problem is, exactly who, or which group, is perpetuating the “myth” cant be easily identified.

You see, the conservative nutritional/medical community thinks it is the bodybuilders who perpetuate the myth that athletes need more protein and we of the bodybuilding community think it is them (the mainstream nutritional community) that is perpetuating the myth that athletes don’t need additional protein! Who is right?

If you tell the average nutritionist you are on a high protein diet because you are an athlete they will often reply, “oh you don’t want to do that, you don’t need it and it will lead to kidney disease” without a single decent study to back up their claim!

You see they too are susceptible to the skulking myth specter that spreads lies and confusion. In this article I want to address once and for all (hopefully) the protein myth as it applies to what the average person is told when they tell their doctor or some anemic “all you need are the RDAs” spouting nutritionist that he or she is following a high protein diet.

Myth #1 “High protein diets are bad for your kidneys”

For starters, the negative health claims of the high protein diet on kidney function is based on information gathered from people who have preexisting kidney problems, which has little to no relevance to healthy athletes. You see one of the jobs of the kidneys is the excretion of urea (generally a non toxic compound) that is formed from ammonia (a very toxic compound) which comes from the protein in our diets.

People with serious kidney problems have trouble excreting the urea placing more stress on the kidneys and so the logic goes that a high protein diet must be hard on the kidneys for healthy athletes also. Now for the medical and scientific facts.

There is not a single scientific study published in a reputable peer – reviewed journal using healthy adults with normal kidney function that has shown any kidney dysfunction what so ever from a high protein diet. Not one of the studies done with healthy athletes that examined this issue, or other research I have read, has shown any kidney abnormalities at all. For example, a recent study that examined the renal (kidney) function of athletes who follow a high protein diet–that is protein intake well above the US RDA– found no negative effects of a higher protein intake on the kidney function of these athletes.

The study called “Do Regular High Protein Diets Have Potential Health Risks on Kidney Function in Athletes? (International Journal of Sport Nutrition, 10 {1}) examined the kidney function of bodybuilders and other well-trained athletes following a high and medium protein diet.

The athletes underwent a 7-day nutrition record analysis as well as blood sample and urine collection to determine if their high-medium protein intakes affected their kidney function. The study found the athletes had renal clearances of creatinine, urea, albumin, and glomular filtration rates that were within the normal range.

The authors concluded “there were no correlations between protein intake and creatinine clearance, albumin excretion rate, and calcium excretion rate.” Furthermore, animals studies done using high protein diets also fail to show any kidney dysfunction in healthy animals.

One study that looked at the effects of a high protein diet on older dogs (“Effects of aging and dietary protein intake on uninephrectomized geriatric dogs.” Am J Vet Res 1994 Sep;55(9):1282-90) found not only did a high protein diet have no ill effects on the dogs kidneys, the dogs getting the higher protein intakes lived longer! Now don’t forget, in the real world, where millions of athletes have been following high protein diets for decades, there has never been a case of kidney failure in a healthy athlete that was determined to have been caused solely by a high protein diet.

If the high protein diet was indeed putting undo stress on our kidneys, we would have seen many cases of kidney abnormalities, but we don’t nor will we. From a personal perspective as a trainer for many top athletes from various sports, I have known bodybuilders eating considerably more than the RDA recommends (above 600 grams a day) who showed no kidney dysfunction or kidney problems and I personally read the blood tests! Bottom line? Higher than RDA intakes of protein will have absolutely no ill effects on the kidney function of a healthy athlete,
period.

So far, the data continues to support what we in the sports nutrition/bodybuilding field have been saying for decades, higher than RDA intakes of protein are perfectly healthy for athletes and their kidneys. Now of course too much of anything can be harmful and I suppose it’s possible a healthy person could eat enough protein over a long enough period of time to effect kidney function, but it is very unlikely and has yet to be shown in the scientific literature in healthy athletes or “regular” people for that matter.

Myth #2 “High protein diets cause Osteoporosis”

So what about the osteoporosis claim? That’s a bit more complicated but the conclusion is the same. In fact, recent data not only totally debunks this myth, but shows it may be the other way around!

The pathology of osteoporosis involves a combination of many risk factors and physiological variables such as macro nutrient intakes (carbs, proteins, fats), micro nutrient intakes (vitamins, minerals, etc), hormonal profiles, lack of exercise, gender, family history, and a few others.

The theory is that high protein intakes raise the acidity of the blood and the body must use minerals from bone stores to “buffer” the blood and bring the blood acidity down, thus depleting one’s bones of minerals. Though some early studies appeared to show higher protein intakes caused an excretion of calcium, which would ultimately lead to bone loss, recent studies have debunked that assertion and do not support the claim that higher than RDA intakes of protein will lead to bone loss (“Excess dietary protein may not adversely affect bone.” J Nutr 1998 Jun;128(6):1054-7).

Even if there was a clear link between a high protein diet and osteoporosis in all populations (and there is not) athletes have few of the above risk factors as they tend to get plenty of exercise, calories, minerals, vitamins, and have positive hormonal profiles.

Fact of the matter is, studies have shown athletes to have denser bones than sedentary people, there are millions of athletes who follow high protein diets without any signs of premature bone loss, and we don’t have ex athletes who are now older with higher rates of osteoporosis. What about regular people? One prominent researcher did an exhaustive review of the literature called “Optimal Intakes of Protein in the Human Diet” (Millward DJ .Proc Nutr Soc 1999 May;58(2):403-13) and came to some interesting conclusions on the issue. The study outlined an extensive body of recent data showing that high protein diets may in fact be beneficial for reducing blood pressure and stroke mortality. On the matter of bone loss, the review paper concludes “For bone health the established views of risk of high protein intakes are not supported by newly-emerging data, with benefit indicated in the elderly.”

Interestingly, a large body of research is now showing that the elderly may in fact require higher intakes of protein that is currently being recommended (“Increased protein requirements in elderly people: new data and retrospective reassessments.Am J Clin Nutr 1994 Oct;60(4):501-9).

Of course some will tell you that eating meat will increase bone loss, but a recent study 572 women and 388 men between the ages of 55 and 92 years, actually found animal protein consumption was associated with an increase in bone density over vegetable proteins! (Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:636-644.). So how long will it take for the conservative medical/nutritional community to give up on this myth that higher than RDA intakes or protein will make your bones turn into saw dust? I have no idea but clearly it’s untrue.

Myth #3 “All proteins are created equal”

How many times have you heard or read this ridiculous statement? Here has been such a plethora of research over the years showing different proteins can have different biological effects, I think even the most conservative people are letting go of this myth.

For example, whey protein has been shown to improve immunity to a variety of challenges and intense exercise has been shown to compromise certain parts of the immune response that whey may combat, and we know proteins such as soy, casein, etc. have many of their own unique effects.

So, this may be one myth that is finally put to rest with 99.9% of the myth perpetrators, but I am sure there is one die hard out there some place.

Myth #4 “Athletes don’t need extra protein”

Interestingly, there has not been much new research of note on this topic since I wrote the first version of this article in 1995. Now the average reader person is probably thinking “who in the world still believes that ridiculous statement?” The answer is a great deal of people, even well educated medical professionals and scientists who should know better, still believe this to be true.

Don’t forget, the high carb, low fat, low protein diet recommendations are alive and well with the average nutritionist, doctor, and of course the “don’t confuse us with the facts” media following close behind.

For the past half century or so scientists using crude methods and poor study design with sedentary people have held firm to the belief that bodybuilders, strength athletes of various types, runners, and other highly active people did not require any more protein than Mr. Potato Head…..err, I mean the average couch potato.

For those of you who may need a brush up, one review paper on the subject by one of the top researchers in the field (Dr. Peter Lemon) states “…These data suggest that the RDA for those engaged in regular endurance exercise should be about 1.2-1.4 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass (150%-175% of the current RDA) and 1.7 – 1.8 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass per day (212%-225% of the current RDA) for strength exercisers” (“Is increased dietary protein necessary or beneficial for individuals with a physically active life style?” Nutr. Rev. 54:S169-175, 1996).

Another group of researchers in the field of protein metabolism have came to similar conclusions repeatedly (“Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes.” J. Applied. Phys. 73(5): 1986-1995, 1992.) They found that strength training athletes eating approximately the RDA/RNI for protein showed a decreased whole body protein synthesis (losing muscle jack!) on a protein intake of 0.86 grams per kilogram of bodyweight.

They came to an almost identical conclusion as that of Dr. Lemon in recommending at least 1.76g per kilogram of bodyweight per day for strength training athletes for staying in positive nitrogen balance/increases in whole body protein synthesis.

They concluded “In summary, protein requirements for athletes performing strength training are greater than sedentary individuals and are above the current Canadian and US recommended daily protein intake requirements for young healthy males.”

This same group found in later research that endurance athletes also need far more protein than the RDA/RNI and that men catabolize (break down) more protein than women during endurance exercise. Although there has been some well thought out criticisms of the above conclusions for a variety of reasons, and the exact amount of protein each person needs depends on many factors (i.e. intensity and duration of exercise, age, whether the person is a beginner or experienced athlete, etc.), that people engaged in regular exercise require greater than the RDA in protein to get optimal effects, is without question in my view.

Conclusion

Now my intention of presenting the above quotes from the current research is not necessarily to convince the average athlete that they need more protein than Joe shmoe couch potato, because they already know they do, but rather to bring to the readers attention some of the figures presented by the current research since I wrote the first version of this article.

How does this information relate to the eating habits of the average athlete and the advice that has been found in the lay bodybuilding literature years before this research ever existed?

With some variation, the most common advice on protein intakes that could be-and can be- found in the bodybuilding magazines by the various writers, coaches, bodybuilders, etc., is one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day.

So for a 200 pound guy that would be 200 grams of protein per day. Although a tad higher than the research we have to go on at this time, it’s still an easy to follow time tested formula that clearly has no negative heath ramifications. Over the years the above myths have been floating around for so long they have just been accepted as true, even though there is little to no research to prove it and a whole bunch of research that disproves it!

I hope this article has been helpful in clearing up some of the confusion for people over the myths surrounding protein and athletes.

Chris J Watson – About the Author:
Chris J Watson – Weight Lifting Guide for all body types

To learn more, please visit Best Protein Supplement to Build Muscle or Best Supplement to Gain Muscle Mass today.

Yes, it’s true that weight training with cardio will be much more effective in overall fat loss than just doing cardio alone.

In fact, there’s several reasons for this and before I dive into them, let’s make it clear that if you trying to burn fat and not doing weight training as part of that, you are really taking some big steps backwards.

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to burn more fat and at a faster rate? You seem them in the gym, they don’t spend a lot of time doing cardio or weights but they seem to lean up quickly.

What do you do?

Why you do more cardio right? Burn more of those calories off. Pretty soon you are close to 2 hour sessions but that’s okay.

Wrong!

Fact: An important key to the entire process is weight training.

If you don’t train with resistance during this time, it’s entirely possible some of your “loss” will be from lean muscle tissue. That’s a big mistake.

And if you do lose a lot of weight too quickly (too much cardio, starvation diets) you will end up losing a majority of your weight thur lean muscle tissue. In just a second, I’m going to tell you why that’s how you can really screw up your metabolism and it’s exactly the opposite of what you want to do.

Fact: Weight training is the single most effective form of exercise for long term fat loss and lean muscle preservation.

When you incorporate weight training into your fat loss program, you are ensuring that your gradual body fat reduction comes from fat tissues and not lean muscle.

For starters…

Aerobic exercise is great for cardiovascular fitness and as a metabolic boosting tool and creating new pathways for nutrients. But it’s simply cannot build muscle to the extent that weight training can.

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Frankly…

If all you do is cardio for your fat loss goals plus a solid nutrition plan, you can drop a lot of lean muscle mass as well and end up lowering your BMR (basal metabolic rate).

So what?

If you lower your BMR by losing more muscle it means you have to exercise MORE to burn more calories!

That means more gym time, longer cardio sessions than the person right next to you who does some simple but effective weight resistance exercise as part of their overall “fat loss program.”

On the other hand, if you do some weight training as part of your program and you gain some muscle, you are burning more calories all the time. Even at rest!

This means that the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you burn all the time.

Before you think “but I don’t want to bulk up,” that’s not even part of the plan.

Simply engaging in some form of moderate weight resistance program will help you build and maintain the muscle and help you burn more of the fat.

You end up having a higher BMR, a faster metabolism and less fat without having to spend more time in the gym.

So it all adds up to this…

An important key to the entire process of burning fat is weight training.

Make sure that your “fitness” program always includes some form of weight training.

Lose the word “diet” from your vocabulary!

According to Miller Jones, a professor of nutrition and food science at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota…

4th graders are aware of the word diet, especially the girls.

One of the world’s largest study of weight loss has shown that diets do not work for the vast majority of slimmers and may even put lives at risk.

This type of yo-yo behavior is linked to many health problems. Because of the strain on the body of repeated weight loss and weight gain, the researchers found that the dieters would have been better off not dieting at all.

Research has shown the repeated rapid weight gain and loss associated with dieting can double the risk of death from heart disease, including heart attacks, and the risk of premature death in general.

For starters…

When you think ‘diet’ you are actively engaging in short term thinking. When you start to think of it as something you go on and then off again, that’s the wrong direction.

Some of the BEST resources on nutrition are not diets. They are eating plans. They are how to eat healthy for life programs. They teach you how to eat correctly for everyday living. There’s nothing short term about them.

“The benefits of dieting are simply too small and the potential harms of dieting are too large for it to be recommended as a safe and effective treatment for obesity.” -Dr Traci Mann

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A quick test is to simply look at any given plan and immediately ask yourself…

Is this something I can do for life?

Frankly…

If you are overweight, then thinking in the short term is exactly why you could be doomed to fail! As you bounce from one plan to the next, you become more and more frustrated.

FACT: Many diets that use a severe calorie restriction just makes it harder to lose the weight the next time.

FACT: Some studies show that repeated weight loss and regain actually increase the changes you’ll gain even more weight the next time.

FACT: Studies consistently find that people who report the most exercise also have the most weight loss.

Now with all this in mind…

No matter what eating plan you choose or what your goals, just drop the word ‘diet’ from your vocabulary and pick a plan you can stick with for life. That encourages slow weight loss or weight gain. That doesn’t “demonize” foods but helps you pick and choose from healthy alternatives and explains the reasons why.

If you are always changing your eating habits for special events or every 8 weeks, you might be dieting. That’s the time to take a step back and learn all you can about nutrition. Learning how to eat correctly is something you can stick with for life and avoid the common frustrations.

Nearly everybody who’s started out with the dream to get into shape, build muscle or lose fat, has fallen prey to some type of fitness myth. Many times, those myths come from sources and publications that we trust. Maybe it’s false advertising that leads somebody to start a myth or the quest to get rich. Or maybe it’s just simple ignorance.

The fitness industry is no exception. As with any commerce industry, there’s the potential for myths that develop into frauds, dangerous exercises, worthless supplements or just incomplete information. If there is money to be made, you are guaranteed to find some popular fitness myths.

These 6 sources of myths, deception and fraud are not all inclusive. They are the top contenders for a variety of reasons which will be explained below.

The best way I know how to combat and avoid falling prey to any of these misconceptions and myths is to travel down the path of education.

It’s far less costly to educate yourself (just learning from a variety of sources) than fall victim to ignorance and waste years and sometimes thousands of dollars on false information. Not to mention the frustration that myths can incur.

Fact is…

These 6 sources can be myth-makers or myth-busters!

1. Websites and Magazine Editors:

Without a doubt, magazines and websites can be a popular source of bodybuilding myths. Sometimes the story will just have it’s facts wrong. Or it might be an editorial. Sometimes editors have to take an old story and put some popular spin on it to make it more interesting.

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If something is published that is controversial (the recent Soy examples) it can be fuel for further research and studies but more often than not, people take a single article in a popular magazine or newspaper as fact.

There is a common belief that if it’s in print… it must be right.

Am I right about that so far?

Pick up an issue of Cosmo, Us, People or look at back issues of most popular fitness magazines. How many times have you seen a new twist or angle put on the ever popular, “Arnold’s Arm Routine.”

It’s part of life to re-create, re-package and enhance old stories. Just keep in mind that myths can start anywhere.

2. The “I Feel It” Syndrome:

Just because it worked for me, doesn’t mean it works for you. This can apply to training programs or supplements. The “I Feel It Syndrome” simply doesn’t take into account the Principle of Individual Differences. Everybody is slightly different. If a beginning builder happens to respond very well to some strange exercise (not taking into account they are new and will almost respond to anything) it doesn’t make that exercise or routine one that will work for everybody.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve personally heard people tell me that Creatine is a worthless supplement that simply doesn’t work.

While it might not work for them (roughly 30% of the population does not respond to regular creatine products) there are over 300 peer reviewed and published studies that show many benefits of creatine and that it does work.

For starters, I’m going to take 300 journals with well researched documentation over “somebody” in the gym telling me it doesn’t work.

3. The “Big Guy” Syndrome:

A younger bodybuilder might look up to the biggest guy in the gym, but without knowing how the big guy got big… it can be a real source of myths. How he or she got big might be 1) hard work and dedication 2) genetics 3) drugs 4) combination of all the suggested. The person asking simply doesn’t really know how they got bigger and most likely it will be a combination of hard work and dedication along with some pseudo-scientific explanation of their training.

Reminds me of a story one person told me.

A very large bodybuilder was the envy of all the younger guys in the gym. They always wanted to know his “secrets.” He never told them until one day, this young guy was pestering him.

“Do you really want to know the secret?” The Big Guy asked.

“Yes!” Said the young student.

“It’s Alpo Dog food. Seriously. Something they put in there just builds muscle. I can’t explain it.” The Guru said.

[ 2 weeks pass ]

The younger guy see the big bodybuilder again and says, “You know I really don’t like the taste. I just can’t keep eating the stuff.”

Now I can’t tell you if this is true. It’s probably a myth in itself. But it lends itself to proving a point that you can get a lot of myths from the biggest guy or gal in your gym. And over time, it can be pretty costly or foul tasting depending on the advice you receive.

4. Supplements Salespeople:

How many supplements have over 300 peer reviewed and published studies behind them from various sources? Not many. Supplement salespeople have a clear agenda to push their products. Which is fine expect you don’t know what they are thinking, their agenda or if they have some quota to fill. Just keep in mind they may or may not know what they are talking about. Keeping yourself informed will help you make the right choices and help them direct you to what you want.

5. Equipment Salespeople:

Similar to the supplement salespeople, how many highly trained and fully qualified equipment sales people are fully aware of biomechanics and how exercises related to the body? Not a whole lot. You could get an entirely different story about muscle building from a Bowflex salesperson over a person at Sears who wants to sell you a weight stacked machine. You can easily fall prey to the machines vs. free weights myths right here.

6. Podcasters:

Heck, I’ll put myself on the chopping block here. With the Internet being so popular and everybody having a microphone, all of us who podcast about fitness can spread myths or be a new source of a myth. Much like website or magazine editors, we want readers and listeners and might put new slants on old stories. Hopefully you will research things for yourself, get other opinions, check with your doctor if necessary and educate yourself so that you can make informed choices. Even my podcast is simply there to help you learn to love to learn.

Make no mistake… while this list isn’t all inclusive of every possible sources of myths, they are the lead contributors. But that doesn’t mean they are inherently bad or you need to avoid them.

In fact, the same sources can be the greatest contributors of myth-busting!

My point is…

Keep yourself informed and just be cautious.

I’m going to close this article out with a quote I think sums up falling prey to the fitness myths that you may encounter. “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” – Derek Curtis Bok

The Glycemic Index ranks foods on how they affect the blood glucose levels. It measures the amount of increase in your blood glucose levels two to three hours after eating.

The Glycemic Index shows how quickly a single food will turn into blood glucose on a scale of 100. Pure glucose is given a value of 100.

The Glycemic Index was created with the diabetic in mind.

You see, insulin spikes can be deadly to the diabetic. This fueled the need to develop a chart showing the insulin effects of certain foods. Clearly diabetics don’t want large spikes in insulin when preparing meals.

Before 1981, scientists believed that avoiding table sugar was the goal as it raised the glucose levels quickly. Current studies show that some foods actually have a higher blood glucose level than table sugars!

While it’s still a good idea to avoid empty sugar calories there’s many other foods that can spike the blood glucose levels.

Clearly not all foods are the same and they don’t have the same insulin effects on the body. Today it’s still favored to have a diet high in carbs and fibers and to avoid sugars.

Now get this: A baked potato ranks higher on the Glycemic Index than table sugar at 64! While some pastas rank lower than a baked potato and even table sugars.

But that’s not all…

You can see it’s value to a diabetic but using the Glycemic Index as a primary tool for choosing food can create problems.

First…

As you know, the Glycemix Index ranks how a single food breaks down in your body and is convered to blood glucose after eating. But if you follow the rules of performance nutrition, you should be eating a ‘complete’ meal:

* that consists of a lean protein
* a starchy carbohydrate
* and a fibrous carbohydrate

Not a single food by itself.

This changes the Glycemix Index of that meal!

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Second…

When you consume proteins with carbohydrates, it can greatly lower the blood glucose effects of that food. A baked potato’s score 85 on the Glycemic Index when combined with a protein is much lower.

Third…

There are flaws of the Glycemic Index like:

* Limited data. Only about 5% of the foods are listed in the Glycemic Index. And there is a very limited number of researchers that currently do testing.

* The numbers on the Glycemix Index are an average of the responses of groups of people. This explains the variation in some charts. The numbers listed are not exact values.

* A wide variation of in the actual Glycemic Index measurements. For example, a baked Russet potatoes have been tested with a Glycemic Index as low as 56 and as high as 111!

* Food preparation methods like microwaving, grinding, frying, baking, etc. There’s even differences in the GI when boiling pasta for 10 minutes or 15 minutes.

* Food combinations can affect the Glycemic Index of a listed food. While the Glycemic Index is based on single foods, we often consume foods in combinations. This can affect the overall Glycemic Index of that meal. Figuring out the precise Glycemic Index of foods after being mixed is less accurate.

* Individual differences in a response to a food on the Glycemic Index. People simply have different blood glucose responses. Without monitoring each person’s actual blood glucose levels, results can and often will vary.

* Reliance on the Glycemic Index can lead to over eating. If you only rely on the Glycemic Index to pick and choose foods you can end up consuming too many fats and excess calories.

In any event, the Glycemic Index is useful to people with certain dietary needs. But it’s service to the bodybuilder is vague. There’s no way that refined pasta is better for you than nature’s own potato.

Basing your choices only on the Glycemic Index can lead to over consumption of high calorie foods. And with the limited data and varied testing results, your own reactions to a particular food may vary greatly.

Needless to say…

If you follow the rules of performance nutrition and eat complete meals your goals will be much better served.

Imagine how nice it would be to know how long it might take to be “swimsuit” ready. You’d know when to start getting cut for the summer and roughly how long it might take.

How many people ask…

How long will it take me to lose weight?

By using some information in your body composition, it’s easy to tell how long does it take to lose weight.

Just a few steps can take you from a body fat percentage to the number of weeks it’s going to take you to reach your goals.

You might know how to burn the fat, but do you know how long will it take me to lose weight? Let’s find out right now.

Keep in mind that your body is made up of lean body mass and fat. If you know you are 40% body fat, the conclusion would be the other 60% is lean body mass (muscle and bone).

If you know the correct description of weight loss then you’ll know it’s the reduction of body fat while maintaining or gaining muscle mass.

Let’s use a short term and realistic goal of a 5% reduction in body fat for these examples. A few simple calculations and we can translate this goal into pounds and how long it’s going to take to achieve your goal.

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Calculate How Much Does Your Fat Weigh:

(Example Client is male, 220 pounds, 40% body fat)

Step 1: Determine the Fat Weight

Body Weight x Body Fat Percentage (220 x 40% = 88)

In our example, this person is carrying 88 pounds of fat.

Step 2: Determine the Lean Body Mass

Body Weight – Fat Weight (220 – 88 = 132)

132 pounds are from lean body mass in our example.

Now here comes the fun part finding your ideal weight with that 5% reduction in overall body fat.

Calculate Your Goal Weight:

Step 1: Your Goal Weight

Lean Body Mass / (1.00 minus Body Fat Percentage Goal)

In our example, the person carries 132 pounds of lean body mass. The body fat percentage goal is 35% (5% body fat reduction).

132 / (1.00 – .35) = 132 / .65 = 203 pounds

Do you see it? 203 pounds is the goal weight for a person who’s 220 pounds at 40% body fat that wants to reduce their body fat by 5%.

Calculate How Long It Will Take to Burn the Fat:

Step 1: Current Weight – Goal Weight

That means 220 pounds – 203 pounds = 17 pounds body fat reduction.

Based on the accepted standard of one pound per week, this person is looking at about 17 weeks to go from 220 pounds at 40% body fat to 203 pounds at 35% body fat while maintaining their 132 pounds of lean body mass.

Remember, you want to burn the fat, but keep the muscle.

And now you know, it’s going to take 17 weeks to see the expected results. 5% is a short term, safe goal and at one pound a week, you’ll have a very high rate of muscle retention.

Not only do you know how to burn the fat thru nutrition and exercise, but unlike most people, you can find out how long it will take to see the results you want.