AmazingMFitness.com

In my opinion your summer workout should be brief and not interfere at all with having a blast outside. When you are young it is easy to forget that your summers are limited in number. Believe me, at some point you will realize that this is not the case. For instance, I have 25 more summers until I am a senior citizen. I am not sure how that happened, but one thing is for certain…I don't plan on spending most of my summer in a gym. If your workouts are cutting into your time in the sun, then maybe this post will help.

[I am going on a 2 week road trip this year and a large part of it will be exploring Highway 1 and Highway 101 on the California Coast. Some of the coolest spots are located in between major destinations, which is why road trips (just about anywhere) are a blast. This picture was taken off Highway 1 in the central California Coastline.]

Would Love to Hear Readers Tips as Well

I plan on listings some strategies I have implemented over the years to maximize summer, but would love to see reader tips as well. My hope is that this will include dozens of tips to shorten the time doing structured workouts. This will be one of those posts where the comment section will become a better resource than the actual article. I just want to get things rolling, so here goes…

Tip 1: Get Your Workout Done in the Morning

If at all possible get your workout done early in the morning before work. I am not a morning person, but it is easier to get up early when you are waking up to a sunny day. I realize that some lucky people live in areas where it is sunny 365 days out of the year, but most of us live in climates where it is cold during winter and warmer in the summer time. Anyway, get the workout done so you don't miss out on BBQ's, picnics, boating, afternoon boating, etc. For some reason, people seem to organize a lot of last-minute activities during summer afternoons…If you are in the gym, you will be unable to join your friends.

Tip 2: Use Non-Competing Supersets In Your Workout

Craig Ballantyne is the master of this technique. This article <--- on his blog gives a full explanation along with what a workout would look like (opens in a new window). Basically a non-competing superset is alternating 2 exercises without rest in between, but these 2 exercises are working different muscle groups. This is why this is called a "Non-Competing" superset. An example would be alternating dips with barbell curls -or- military presses with calf raises. This is a way to do the same amount of work in roughly 1/2 of the time. I don't think you want to train like this year round, but it is a perfect technique for summer. You can get the lifting portion of your workout done in 15-20 minutes if you structure this properly.

Tip 3: Skip Gym Cardio if You Are Going to Be Active Later

I would never recommend that anyone perform 2 gym workouts per day. That being said, it is actually an extremely effective way to burn body fat. In fact, a lot of actors and actresses in Hollywood do this when they need to drop weight quickly. So why don't I recommend it? Training twice per day sounds to me like a life obsessed with training. The way to get the benefits of a daily split workout (without becoming a gym rat) is to do a brief intense gym workout in the morning and then simply do a fun outdoor activity in the afternoon.

[I like to use Matthew McConaughey's workout approach when summer hits. Here is his quote about exercising..."I think the body is a beautiful thing, and you should take care of it. Whether its going for a run, dancing or loving, my rule is break one sweat a day."]

Tip 4: "Break One Sweat a Day"

Matthew McConaughey's rule is a great one to follow for summer. Just really try and do some type of activity that works up a good sweat, each and every day during summer. Whether that is playing tennis, jogging, ultimate frisbee, HIIT, basketball, etc…you are on the right track. Try your best to get in some brief resistance training 3-4 times per week (in the morning) and you will be good. If you can do something that makes you break one sweat a day you will be able to maintain low body fat without having to worry as much about structured HIIT. Just throw in the occasional HIIT after lifting on days where you have more time.

Tip 5: Track Weekly Calories NOT Daily Calories

I've talked about this in my newsletter (to people who have downloaded my free report). The idea is to not worry about how many calories you eat day to day, just try to insure that your total weekly calories aren't way too high. So for instance if you eat 3,000-4,000 calories per day on a weekend camping, simply eat quite a bit less the following 2-3 days. When I say "track" calories, I don't mean calorie count either (I never do that). Just eat quite a bit less early in the week and on days where there aren't social events happening. It doesn't hurt to have 2-3 low calorie days right after a couple of high calorie days (in fact it works pretty well in helping you stay lean).

Enjoy Life – Please Don't Live in the Gym

I like working out, but if I could go back in time I would have trained a little less in my 20's during the summer. I wasn't a gym rat or anything, but I think my workouts were close to 90 minutes 4-5 times per week. I think I was worried that I would lose strength or muscle if I didn't do a certain amount of training. Don't make this mistake. If it is sunny and you have the day off, you shouldn't even be allowed to be inside of a gym past 10:00AM. Put on some shorts, flip flops, grab your beach towel, call up some friends and live a little!

Note: Do you guys spend less time in the gym during summer. Please comment and give out any other strategies or suggestions below. I can't wait for summer. Also…I know this site has a lot of loyal readers in OZ and this post won't apply to them for another 6 months. Maybe I will put out another summer post for you guys in December

Tags: Main

My stepdaughter and I decided to start a walking routine together….well, sort of.We leave the house together and stay together during our walk, what we each do during that time is miles apart. She brings her ipod and hums to herself. I enjoy the good smells of orange blossoms and jasmine along the way.

When I interrupt her to talk about something I see or smell, all she says is, “huh?” as she pullsthebuds from her ears. I guess it’s not so different from when I was fourteen, we just didn’t have ipods.

I guess you could call it “together/alone time”. Whatever the case, our goals are the same, to get some much needed exercise, build endurance, and spend time together.

I have just spent the past hour jumping around to some of my favorite fitness blogs. A few guys touch on the idea of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. A common practice in some circles is to "bulk up and cut down". I'm not a fan of that approach, because it just doesn't make sense to me to put fat on your body on purpose. What I want to do in this post is point out a few fitness experts who have similar beliefs. I also want to hear feedback from other people who have successfully or unsuccessfully gained muscle while getting lean.

[One of my favorite activities is dock diving in the summer and then laying in the sun to dry off. Honestly, if I crafted a "perfect day", this activity would be included...even better in the Caribbean where this picture was taken (not by me). Look at the color of that water...Wow!]

Gaining Muscle While Losing Body Fat. I Used to Be a Skeptic.

In the past I was brainwashed to believe that muscle gains required an excess of calories. Over the past 2-3 years I have changed my thinking completely. At most, I would recommend a really slight calorie excess for a short period of maybe 2 months. This goes against long-held beliefs as far as gaining muscle is concerned. Luckily, I have been exposed to some brilliant minds who are on the cutting edge in thinking when it comes to muscle gain, fat loss, etc. Let's examine some posts and thoughts by some of these guys.

* Martin Berkhan – of "Lean Gains"

Martin Berkhan is a freak show when it comes to staying lean…but I mean that in a good way. Like me and quite a few others, he likes to use intermittent fasting as a way of staying lean year round. Martin believes that there should be minimal fat gain when adding muscle. The title of his blog, Lean Gains, says it all…maximizing muscle gain while minimizing fat gain. Here are some quotes from his site:

…cycling between overfeeding (training days) and slight underfeeding (rest days) is another excellent strategy to remain lean regardless of your goal. The benefits are not only physiological, but also behavioral.

My comments: I have done this in the past with success. I have noticed these days that I just need to do a maintenance calorie day mix with an underfeeding day 1-2 times per week (basically what Eat Stop Eat teaches). I could certainly see the benefit of adding in some slight overfeeding especially if someone was far from their genetic potential in adding muscle.

…I've never been a fan of the bulk and cut approach. An approach often taken to the extreme by some of my peers, with the net result being that they only look decent during the summer months.

My comments: This is something that I have addressed a lot on this site. Why look good for just 2-3 months a year? Plus it is just healthier to avoid having a lot of extra fat on your body in the first place. One more thing I would add is this: People who use the "bulk and cut" approach more often than not underestimate how much fat they have to lose. This usually means they don't get lean until summer is almost over. There are others, who always seem to be stuck in "bulking mode" and never get lean.

A Video Intermission…

[My girlfriend just showed me a great clip from Pearl Jam's 2000 tour. I won't spoil it for you. It is one of the coolest and inspirational things I have seen done at a concert. I just had to share it.]

* Brad Pilon & John Barban – "Eat Stop Eat" & "Adonis Effect"

Over the past couple of years I have had both of these guys do guest posts…I did a collaborative ebook on supplements with them…they have made a few videos for this blog, etc. These two are WAY ahead of the curve when it comes to health and fitness. Many of their ideas are probably too far "out there" for people to take in right away. Here is a link to a video that John Barban made for this blog: Nutrition Plays A Small Role in Building Muscle Mass Controversial Video. I agree with him that muscle gain is largely an issue of training and not so much about diet (at least not as big of a part of diet as many would have you believe).

Here's that video John Barban made for this site…

[There is a lot of wisdom in this video. If you have never watched it, do yourself a favor and take a few minutes and listen to what he is saying. Good info!]

So…I won't quote Brad or John in this post, but I wanted to link to a video they made to prove a point. Brad Pilon wanted to prove a point about how supplement companies and fitness magazines can mislead us. He shows how you can gain 8 pounds of lean mass in one workout. I enjoyed the video and the webinar was outstanding. Anyway…both Brad on John are big on the idea of gaining muscle while losing body fat.

* Tom Venuto – of "Burn the Fat Blog"

Tom Venuto isn't someone I quote often, but he writes well thought-out posts over on his blog. He also has one of the best selling fitness ebooks of all-time (I think it was one of the first ebooks I ever purchased). Anyway…his latest post is aimed directly at the question of…how to gain muscle and burn fat at the same time. I suggest that you take the time to read the post in detail, but here are the parts that really jumped out at me.

…what if most days of the week you were in a deficit for the entire day, and on some days you were in a surplus? If so, then isnt it possible that over the course of the week, youd have a small net gain of muscle and loss of body fat a a result of the caloric fluctuation?

My comments: Tom has a slightly different viewpoint on muscle gain than John Barban, but suggests days of calorie deficit mixed with days of surplus. Eat Stop Eat preaches a related concept and this is close to what Martin Berkhan does as well. Tom also suggests timing your meals around your workouts in this quote…

…its entirely possible that you might pass through periods of within-day surplus where you were in a highly anabolic state (for example, you eat the biggest, highest carb meal of the day after your workout), and you were in a deficit the rest of the day.

Isnt it possible that you could gain a small amount of muscle during those anabolic hours, while losing fat the rest of the day? Granted it might only be grams or ounces – but what if you kept that up for a week? A month? Three months?

My comments: This is a strategy that I have seen people use with success. Tom also points out the 4 "X Factors" that make it possible for some people to gain muscle and fat at the same time without having rely on this nutrition strategy. His article explains the factors that need to be in place for this to happen.

So No Need to Add Fat When Gaining Muscle

All 3 of these guys have slightly different beliefs and approaches, but the main thing is that they help people gain muscle without gaining body fat. In my opinion in makes sense to learn from those who will teach you to get the results you want. I am constantly in learning mode and enjoy reading from sharp minds who are pushing the envelope.

Note: So what has your experience been with gaining muscle and losing fat simultaneously? Have you ever tried the "bulk up and cut down approach"? Would love to hear about some of your experiences in the comment section!

Tags: Main, adonis effect, brad pilon, calorie deficit, eat stop eat, fasting, fitness experts, gain muscle, john barban, lose fat, tom venuto