You Can't Be Both, Here's Why

Why You Can’t Get Lean While Getting Big and Strong

Increasing muscle density and size is what makes you big and strong. So to get big and strong, you need to pack on more muscle.

But here’s the rub. Muscle is calorically expensive. It requires a lot of energy to create. To create that new muscle, you need to consume more calories than you’re expending. How much more? More than you probably think.

The biggest mistake most men make when they set down the path of gainz is that they eat the same amount of food they were eating before they were training. Intense weight training puts a lot of stress on the body. To fully recover, you need to provide your body the fuel to do so. That means you need a sufficient amount of calories that come from protein, carbs, and fat.

If you train and provide your body with enough calories, muscle mass and strength will increase.

But you’re also going to put on some body fat.

I’m sorry to say so, but sadly it’s true.

There’s no escaping that fact. Some of those excess calories you’re consuming for the production of muscle will be stored as fat. That’s just how your body operates.

Why You Can’t Get Big and Strong While Getting Lean

To get ripped, lean, shredded, etc. you need to shed body fat.

Shedding body fat requires you to consume fewer calories than you’re expending so that your body uses your fat stores for energy.

But here’s the rub: just as you can’t put on muscle mass without putting on some body fat, you can’t reduce body fat without reducing some muscle mass.

When you’re in a caloric deficit, your body not only uses fat for energy, it also breaks down muscle tissue for the nutrients it needs to keep your physiological systems running. As muscle tissue cannibalizes, muscle mass and strength go down.

This is why you can’t get big and strong while you’re trying to get lean. Getting big and strong requires excess calories, while getting lean requires a caloric deficit.

You’ve got to pick a goal at the exclusion of the other.

(ArtOfManliness.com)

I Do These Stretches Daily

12 everyday stretches that will help you stay flexible and fit at any age

Complete list (BusinessInsider.com)

This Is The Kind Of Fitness Partner I'm Searching For

(BroBible.com)

These Are Apart Of My Weekly Routine

The Best Equipment-Free Exercise for Every Body Part

Quads: Prisoner squat

Any properly performed bodyweight squat is going to be your best bet for equipment-free quadriceps engagement, but if I have to choose just one, it's going to be the prisoner squat. This is because in addition to targeting the entire lower body, the arm placement also fires up the shoulders, upper back, and core in ways a basic bodyweight squat does not. 

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your weight centered in your heels. Bend your knees slightly, tighten your core, and place your hands lightly behind your head, your elbows pointing outward. You'll keep your arms in this position throughout the exercise, just make sure you don't push or pull on your head or neck. 

From this position perform a traditional bodyweight squat by pressing your hips back and bending your knees to lower your glutes toward the ground. Keep your chest upright throughout the exercise. When you've squatted as low as you comfortably can with good form, press through your heels and return to standing. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions. 

Obliques: Oblique twist 

While the plank certainly engages the obliques, to really target these muscles that wrap around your torso, you need to perform exercises that involve twisting or bending. The oblique twist is a favorite because it requires core stabilization combined with a twist; plus, you can do it with or without added weight. 

Sit on the floor, your knees bent, your heels on the ground. Keep your upper arms close to your sides, but bend your elbows to a 90-degree angle. Tighten your core and lean back so your body forms a "V" with your torso and thighs.

Keeping your torso fixed in space at this angle, and your glutes fixed to the floor, twist your body as far as you can to the right, reaching your hands toward the ground on your right side. When you've twisted as far as you comfortably can, reverse the movement and twist back to center, continuing the twist to the left side. Continue the twisting motion, performing 15 to 25 twists to both sides.   

Chest: Push-ups 

No surprises here, the basic push-up is about as good as it gets when it comes to equipment-free chest exercises. Start in a push-up position, your palms under your shoulders, but just wider than shoulder-width apart. Extend your legs fully so your body forms a straight line from heels to head. Tighten your core and bend your elbows, lowering your chest toward the ground. When you're just shy of touching down, reverse the movement and return to the high push-up position. Perform 10 to 12 repetitions. If full push-ups are too challenging, lower your knees to the ground for a modified version. 

Biceps: Dynamic self-resisted isolation curl 

For this unusual biceps curl, you're responsible for providing your own resistance. 

Sit on a sturdy object (any chair, bench, or large rock will do), your feet planted on the ground slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Lean forward and place your right elbow against the inside of your right thigh, just above your knee, allowing your forearm to hang straight down. Press your elbow into your thigh throughout the exercise, fixing your arm in place.

Bend your right elbow slightly, bringing your right palm upward so you can clasp your right hand with your left. Your left hand and arm are responsible for providing resistance during the curl. 

Tighten your right biceps and begin bending your elbow to draw your right palm to your right shoulder, but as you do so, press downward through your left hand to resist the curl, making it harder. When your right hand reaches your right shoulder, reverse the movement, continuing to press down through your left palm as you use your right biceps to control the downward phase. Perform this exercise slowly to maximize resistance in both directions. Perform 10 to 15 repetitions before switching sides. 

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

I Agree With These Tips

14 Weight-Loss Tips From People Who Have Lost 50 Pounds or More

Don't go on a diet

• Embracing an eating plan specifically designed for weight loss is a temporary measure to a permanent problem. "A 'diet' is something a person goes on, knowing there comes a time when they go off of it," says Randy Hartman, a reinvention coach who has lost more than 80lbs. "This only exacerbates the problems and ends in yo-yo weight loss. It's far better to embark on an eating plan that you can follow for the rest of your life. Consistency over the long haul is key."

Make fitness a priority, but go slowly

• Naomi Teeter, the blogger behind Inspire Transformation, knew it was a priority to make working out a habit when she began her weight-loss journey -- all in all, she lost 150lbs and has managed to keep 125lbs off for seven years. Yet she cautions against going too hardcore. "Too many people live by the philosophy, 'Go hard or go home,' when it comes to fitness and beat themselves to the ground when they first start out, causing them to give up more easily," she explains. "Your workout doesn't have to be insane to be good."

Don't ban specific foods

• Making certain foods “off limits” can tempt you even more -- and almost always leads to overindulging. According to Lehman, she eats chocolate "almost every single day," yet has still managed to keep the weight off. "Of course, willpower still comes into play here, but don't cut your favorite foods out of your diet completely."

Focus on feeling better, rather than what you see in the mirror

• Sometimes "looking good in a bathing suit" isn't a big enough goal, at least not if you want to keep the weight off for longer than the warm summer months. "It's important to establish the reason why you want to get healthy. Maybe it's for your kids or grandkids," Byers suggests. "Maybe you want to get healthy so you can have a family. No matter where you are in your journey, I encourage you to think about your personal 'why' and post it on a vision board where you can see it every day."

Eat a lean protein and complex carb during each meal

• For Byers, that meant lots of grilled chicken with sweet potatoes, grilled zucchini with asparagus, and meal-replacement shakes. "One of my favorite meals is scrambled egg whites with hash browns and green salsa mixed together," she says. "Another favorite is extra-lean turkey tacos on corn tortillas and avocado slices, plus salsa."

Complete list (Thrillist.com)

I Could Never Be A Race Car Driver

7 Reasons Why It Sucks To Be An F1 Driver

While the glitz and glamour of the F1 lifestyle sure looks appealing, here are seven reasons why it must actually suck to be paid to go fast

1. Intense training

• All drivers who enter Formula One have to cope with the high physical demands of the sport in terms of stamina and endurance. Drivers need to be strong enough to last for full race distances where they’ll experience anything up to 5g. Additionally, drivers can sweat off anything up to 3kg of their body weight during the course of a race. As an average, drivers tend to spend more than 10 hours a week on cardiovascular exercise and have below 10 per cent body fat.

2. No carbs, alcohol or sugary drinks

• A healthy diet is fine, but only having high protein and complex carb meals (carrots, parsnips, potatoes or fruits) must be boring as hell. Drivers very rarely eat pasta or bread, while alcohol and sugary drinks are out (except on the podium). By the end of mid-season, then, F1 drivers must be craving a takeaway or a bacon roll!

3. The press

• It must be annoying answering obvious questions, especially when things don’t go according to plan on the track. A failed team strategy is also a difficult thing to explain. When this happens, all an F1 driver wants to do is to stick his head in the sand and pretend that it never happened.

4. Jet Lag

• Travelling around the world every weekend must take it out of an F1 driver what with jet lag, the crappy aeroplane air and simply not knowing what time zone/day of the week it is. When they want to sleep, it’s likely they’ll be needed out on track for testing, and that’s probably the last thing on their minds.

5. Being locked in with a douchebag

• Teammates don’t always get on, so imagine working with the guy you think is a colossal douchebag. What’s more, F1 drivers are always competing each other in the team, and when favouritism means that you’re not allowed to pass the guy you think is slower than you to preserve points, then guess what? You’re going to absolutely hate the bloke!

6. Crashes

• F1 is a dangerous game, and despite seriously impressive safety measures, good guys die and drivers continue to have spectacular crashes - just take a look at what Alonso went through recently. It must suck, then, to know that at any moment a blown tyre or a lapse in judgement could well mean the difference between life and death.

7. The fans

• Starting out, it must be nice to have loyal fans who love what you do as much as you do. But there comes a time when all an F1 driver wants to do is to be left alone (here’s looking at you, Kimi). Unfortunately, the life of an F1 driver is anything but private. Fans will always beg for your attention, and the press will always be waiting for you to screw up or say something stupid.

(CarThrottle.com)

This Is Why You're Always Going To Be Out Of Shape

Out-Of-Shape Blogger Tried To Figure Out Hollywood’s Fitness Secret To Getting Shredded — This Is What He Learned

Sure, hard work is part of it, but all the hard work in the gym won’t mean a lick of shit if your diet is constantly sabotaging you

(BroBible.com)

How To Build A Mountain

The Fitness Routine That The Mountain From ‘Game Of Thrones’ Follows Involves Eating 10,000 Calories A Day

The 6’7” star, who weighs 190kg, eats every two hours, six to eight times a day, to make sure he consumes 10,000 calories daily.
A typical breakfast may include 100 grams of oatmeal, eight eggs, some blueberries and some strawberries.

‘It’s very, very extreme how much food I need to put in to my body,’ he admits.
‘It’s a lot of work. More work than people realise.’
Thor abides by a gruelling daily exercise schedule – three hours in the gym followed by more time stretching, then hot and cold baths to cool his body down so he can train more.
‘It’s a lot of weights, a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, a lot of tears, a lot of blood and a lot of time,’ he says.(via)

(BroBible.com)

These Movements Are A Constant In My Routine

The Most Effective Equipment-Free Strength Exercises

Squats

• You’re probably familiar with the basic air squat. Just remember to start the move from hips, pressing them backward before you begin bending your knees to keep your weight in your heels and your knees aligned with (and behind) your toes. Doing squats is a functional movement that targets all the major muscle groups of the lower body: glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Push-ups

• Push-ups are like the squats of the upper body -- they work practically everything. In fact, NASM-certified personal trainer Rachel McMichael says that pushups are hands down one of her favorite exercises because, “Not only do they work so many different muscles at the same time (shoulders, triceps, chest, core, and quads), they can be modified to any level. Modifications include wall push-ups, knee push-ups, triangle push-ups, incline push-ups, and so many more."

Planks

• Planks are a static exercise that, like push-ups, target the entire front half of your body, but are designed to build core strength as you hold a steady position for an extended period of time. Colleen Woods Dahlem, a certified trainer, has all her clients do them because, "They’re so simple -- they can be done anywhere, and work so much more than the core."

Complete list (Thrillist.com)